How We Started
In July 1999, Gillie Davidson,a nurse from Edinburgh, and Brian Barron, a lecturer at Edinburgh University, led 23 members of the QII youth group at Greenbank Parish Church, Edinburgh on a visit to the town of Tuni in Andhra Pradesh in order to help build a Home-cum-School for 120 homeless children.
The children were being cared for by Dr. Christopher Premdas, the founder of a local NGO called Nazareth Association for Social Awareness (NASA). He requested QII's help and they responded by raising over £28,000 for the project. QII went to Tuni and helped construct what became the Light of Love Home.
On their return from Tuni, Gillie, Brian and some of the members of QII founded Scottish Love in Action (SLA) to provide ongoing, long-term support for the children in partnership with Dr. Premdas. Gillie is SLA's chairperson, while Brian and several QII members are Trustees along with others outwith QII.
We take our name from the motto of QII, that dedicated itself to showing "love in action" by giving practical support to others in need. For 15 years Gillie and Brian ran this enthusiastic group, which each summer offered labour free of charge to anyone with an important project to do but no money for workers.
In 2007, we responded to an emergency request from Dr. Premdas to care for 57 destitute children in Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, whose Indian sponsor was killed in a car accident along with his daughter. His widow has taken over the day-to-day running of this Home-cum-School.
We now enable our Indian partners to feed, clothe, house, educate and give medical care to 500 children in Tuni and over 60 children in Hyderabad.
