SPOTLIGHT
"Families in Chora might
live off as little as 200
rupees a day (£2) - which
will need to support a
family of five."
The volunteer donated 600,000 rupees (£600) that paid for
the build of the two-room school. Most of its students live in
clay/straw houses and after finishing class go to work in the
surrounding fields.
There is currently enough funding, 4,000 rupees per month
(£40), for two teachers, two-hours a day. The school is made up
of two basic classrooms, the youngest children are taught outside
on a rug. Each classroom has a small whiteboard but, at least in
March 2019, only one pen was shared between the classes. The
shoestring budget extends to buying each child a pencil or piece
of chalk and some paper every couple of months.
Mahendra and Kapil, fathers to young families, say they felt
compelled to help those in Chora because they were given hope
through education as children. Neither of the men are paid for
supporting the school.
Mahendra is an English teacher in a government-run school
and Kapil farms land and drives a taxi.
‘I did not have a job when I started the school,’ says Mahendra.
‘I saw many children who did not go to school. When I wasn’t
working, I would go to Bodhgaya and tell tourists about the
school we were setting up in Chora and try to raise money.
‘My parents are not educated but I was able to get a good
education in a government school – for me that was really
important because not many people get that opportunity. Lots
of people who have parents who are not educated will end up not
going to school.’
But despite tight budgets and limited facilities, two hours
of education a day gives hope. Students at the Lord Buddha
Charitable School are passing the tests required to attend high-
school – the first rung on the ladder to a brighter future.
Mahendra now hopes to get enough funding to employ two
teachers full-time. He needs just 20,000 rupees a month or £200.
Life for Lord Buddha Charitable School’s 80 pupils is a world
away from that of children growing up in Jersey. School is not
only a source of education in Chora it is a lifeline. It’s a chance to
smile, play and learn. It’s not a ticket out of poverty but a licence
to hope for more than just being an ‘untouchable’.
To find out more about donating to the Lord Buddha Charitable
School email [email protected]
49