A BRIGHTLY-coloured gathering of friends and strangers recently took place at Moylegrove Village Hall to help raise money for the Anegundi Empowerment Project by eating a delicious vegetarian Indian feast cooked up by local super-cooks Jen Goss and Liz Haughton.

The entertainment was by Sarah Rouet and the Panache dancers ‘girls dancing for girls’ with their wonderfully choreographed Bollywood dance complete with jingling anklets and flowing robes.

The evening’s soundtrack by DJ My Friend Andy from Sonic Sounds kept everyone’s toes tapping to the Indian music - all this and a raffle too!

Natalie Heuter, the event organiser, will be going to Anegundi in the Indian state of Karnataka at the beginning of April to teach with the summer camp for two months where over 150 students have signed up already.

After visiting ten years ago she vowed to go back to help the project, set up by Sheila Hyde in 2014 after she saw the need to give girls a choice, other than marriage or field work, offering education as a way out. 

Neither envisaged the roaring success of this particular fundraising evening or the commitment of a community galvanised to help with a project that feels so tangible and necessary, even in far away west Wales.

Fuelled by a stream of volunteers who decorated, chopped, peeled, cooked, worked the bar and cleaned up, altogether more than £2,500 was raised and more is still coming in on the Just Giving page. 

Each £150 will sponsor a young woman through a year of higher education.  Many will then return to the village to become teachers with the project, thus completing the circle.

If you fancy giving one of Sarah’s dance classes a try, contact her on 07359 080672 or visit her Facebook page Panache dance fitness with Sarah R.

To donate to the Anegundi Empowerment Project visit: facebook.com/anegundiempowermentproject.