Supporting 380 children at the Rishabdev Boarding in Rajastan, India

Project location: India, Rajastan
Project start date: June 2010 - Project end date: June 2011
Project number: 2010-10
Beneficiary: Associazione Amici delle Missionarie dell’Immacolata

 [2011-46 | 2013-008 1 2014-055]

The project aims at providing nutrition, education and sanitary assistance for 320 children of the Richabdev Boarding School (Udajpur, India) for the academic year 2011-2012.

The Association "Amici delle Missionarie dell'Immacolata" got involved in the Richabdev Boarding School in 2000, when the Missionaries of the Immacolata were asked by the Bishop of Udajpur to take care of the Boarding School which intent was to host children, aged from 4 to 15, mainly workers' and nomad farmers' children.

The purpose was to have the children grow up in a safe environment that could guarantee them a proper education, sanitary assistance and recreational opportunities. At that time, the Boarding School did not have any furniture and even its sanitary conditions were very precarious. Over the years, the Association has built the Female Section Boarding, a house for nuns, whereas the Male Section has been completely renewed: new classes, bedrooms, studying and playing places, refectory and toilettes have been created. The dusty yard has been transformed into a playing yard and a small first aid point has been created. The Boarding School is located in a zone, which is not easily accessible to and where no other education opportunities for the children, either public or private, are available.

Nowadays there are 320 children attending the classes (of which 193 boys and 127 girls). This includes eight new orphans coming from Mother Teresa's Congregation in Mumbai. The lessons provided by the school go from junior/senior reception to the eighth class. There are 10 teachers in the school, one for each class, and in addition to that, the two fathers, one catechist and a sister support the teaching of specific subjects. Specifically for the girls there is also a second sister with plenty of experience and a loving attitude helping them to prepare for their future role in the family.

In addition to the regular studies some additional tuition is provided to some children with difficulties and to older children who have left the boarding school but are continuing the studies, after the eighth class, in state schools. The classrooms are clean and tidy and are fitted with the essential furniture. From this year the English lessons have been incremented and the new television provides a good support to these lessons.The compound provides plenty of space for the children to play and there are some organized activities to keep them busy (e.g. dancing).

A lot of stress is given from the sisters and the teachers to the personal hygiene of the children although the facilities, toilets and shower-rooms, are still very poor.

The children's diet, in spite of being very repetitive, is well balanced and keeps into consideration the local customs and religious limitation (many children would not eat meat). They receive three meals a day including cereal, milk and fruit.

The boarding is provided with a small casualty point and the children receive regular medical checks and the medicines that they require. This is especially valuable as accidents happen and this area is infested with snakes.  Thanks to the support provided by the Nando Peretti Foundation, during the course of year 2010-2011, the Association both managed to fully support the school and the children for the maintenance of the running costs and to finance a couple of special projects resulting in the re-doing of the children toilets, bathrooms and kitchen, with great improvement in the overall hygiene conditions, and the setting up of a little library for the school. Besides the NPF support, until today the Boarding has been supported partly from the Association and partly from the Bishop of Udaipur, with many economic efforts. Since 2011 the Bishop is not in the conditions to support the project anymore, because the requests of help in the institutes of the Diocese are increasing. For this reason, the Nando Peretti Foundation has decided to renew its support to the project also for the 2011-2012 years , in order to assure the children the education, sanitary assistance and recreational opportunities which have been guaranteed to them until now.

After the school preparation in the month of June the lessons in the boarding school have started on the first of July (the school year will finish at the beginning of May) with 320 children attending the classes (of which 193 boys and 127 girls). This includes eight new orphans coming from Mother Teresa's Congregation in Mumbai. The lessons provided by the school go from junior/senior reception to the eighth class.

Two separate projects have brought a significant improvement in the facilities of the school. The first one is a computer and television room, it has been funded by local benefactors, a sign that the school is gaining consensus in the local community. The second is a solar heating and lighting system, funded by the Associazione Amici delle Missionarie dell'Immacolata and approved by last year boarding committee.
The classrooms are clean and tidy and are fitted with the essential furniture. From this year the English lessons have been incremented and the new television provides a good support to these lessons.
The compound provides plenty of space for the children to play and there are some organised activities to keep them busy (e.g. Dances).

During the course of the last year, the Association has both managed to fully support the school and the children for the maintenance of the running costs and to finance a couple of special projects resulting in the re-doing of the children toilets, bathrooms and kitchen, with great improvement in the overall hygene provided to them, and the setting up of a little library for the school.

The main profit source comes from the various marble mines in which work many of the children's families received in the Boarding.
Families live in huts near the mines where there is no light, water and children do not have the opportunity to go to school or to live in a healthy environment.
The results of this project, which received a grant from the NPF, are the protection of the human rights of 300 children of the Boarding. The Association wants to guarantee the children education, sanitary assistance, good nutrition and playing places.
Until today the Boarding has been supported partly from the Association and partly from the Bishop of Udaipur, with many economic efforts.
Since last year the Bishop is not in the conditions to support the project anymore, because the requests of help in the institutes of the Diocese are increasing.
Furthermore the policies of the government changed and one of the main American donor cannot guarantee assistance anymore.
In these conditions it is not possible to assure the children the education, sanitary assistance and playing opportunities which have been guaranteed until now.
Even the Association is going through a hard period considering that it has been involved in difficult projects in countries where the Missionaries are present such as India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Hong Kong, Camerun, Guinea Bissau, Papua New Guinea.

 

This project received funding for the fourth year in 2014.

 

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