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Corona and Kashi Mandir School in India

It is clear that the wordwide corona pandemic influences public life in India enormously, as it does the work of Kashi Mandir School. Since the beginning of this crisis India is in full lock-down. Nobody is allowed to go into the streets, only for buying food. But that is a problem at the same time: banks are close and atm’s are out of service, so only food can be obtained on credit.

It means too that the school cannot finish the yearly examinations. Teacher s cannot be payed their salaries, they have to be satisfied with the promise of future paying. It is very uncertain if it will be possible to shut down the schoolyear properly, because the summer holidays are in May and June already. It will only be possible to prepare the coming school season which starts on July 1.

The families who migrated for work to he cities last year, because of the persistent lack of rain, have returned with their children to the village. In Khajuraho village they live with their families again but everyone suffers from the lack of income. There is some foodsupply from the government fortunately for the poorest.

In Khajuraho town the tourist industry has collapsed totally: hotels and restaurants, shops and travel agencies are closed, which means very few income for almost everybody.
What the impact of all this will be for the school: it is hard to say yet, but it is very clear now already that the influence wiil be great.

Working visit 2020 and growing to independence of Kashi Mandir School

In February 2020 Margriet and Rutger visited the schoolproject again. Renewing the contacts, controlling finances and making plans for the coming years was the goal. The school is in good shape: 225 children frequent the school, a hundred less than last year because of the fact that some families migrated to he cities for work . The reason for that is poverty caused by the lack of rain in the recent past.

Some 150 childeren more go to school in the annex settlement in Beniganj. This settlement has become an independent school now . People of the villages Beniganj and Bamnora took the initiative themselves.

From July 2018 the foundation redraws more and more and the school will continue to grow to fully independence. This development is processing now. The financial situation of the school has been very much ok until now and approved by government registered auditors every year. We hope that the worldwide corona pandemic will not cause too much trouble, but that is uncertain at this moment.

In the classrooms teachers use beamer and laptop much for their lessons, using excellent and free educational materials from internet. Even the infants share in this modern teaching. And the schoolinspection uses – after first hesitation – the school as a modern example of good and modern teaching to other schools in the region. This all is the result of the ict courses for the teachers, financed by the foundation. Only the more or less frequent power-cut is sometimes a problem.

The sewing lessons -teached before schooltime – are a success. Also approved by the authorities. The children like it and they make nice cloths and get skills fort he rest of there lives. During our visit we have been able to buy three more foot-sewing machines, all thanks to an extra donations of our private donors. These machines are also very much handy in times of no power.

In February 2018 we have been able to celebrate with staff, committee and students the opening of the new play-ground for sports- and recreation (have a look for the pictures in the last photo-gallery). And: thanks to a big extra donation of one of the donating funds, we ordered for a new waterwell with taps for the students in- and outside. The old one had been dried up, because the level of ground water went down during the last years . This new well has been drilled unto 70 meters deep an will provide water for the school for years. Everything was operational at the beginning of the schoolyear in July 2018. And we have seen that it still works properly in 2020. Nevertheless: there is a deficit of water in the region now. Monsoon rains failed in 2019 to bring enough water to the fields. High food prices are the result. People can hardly effort to buy it. There is some food distribution from the government for poor people but the situation remains still precair

In the last months we made up and concluded a new contract for the schoolyears 2019-2023. That is the period of growing to full independence of the school. The reserve funds of the foundation will be remitted to Kashi School in this period to be sure that the transition can be done successfull. The foundation will still have its advising and counselling role in these years and may be after that too. Several scenarios have been discussed with staff and committee to consolidate what has been achieved over the years. By this we can be sure that the investments of our donors and of our energy of the past years will remain. Walking in the village and talking with people we noticed that Kashi School has become their special school: villagers are proud of it! They feel that they own the school.

Committees in Holland and India are aware of the fact that we had not been able tot do this good work without the support and financial donations of many private persons and funds. Children and parents of the poor Dalit farmers and workers developed successfully. Many children continued their studies already in Highschool, College and even University. A good example of this development is one of the teachers of Kashi School: he started as a student of this school long ago and became a teacher now in his own school!

There is a new gallery with pictures of Kashi Mandir School from the working visit 2020. Pictures tell often more than words!

Our faithful private donors made possible – by there financial contributions- that we have been able to pay for the many expenditures that cannot be financed by the big funds. We depend on these private money for school-uniforms, notebooks, pens and pencils etc. but also for extra proteïn enriched schoolfood for the students. And one can see that many children remain to small. Simple by a lack of food. In many households only one proper meal a day is served because of this silent poverty. Parents are too poor, there is a lack of work in the region. May we ask you to donate for one more time?

May be we can ask your attention for the expected problems for Kashi Mandir School that will becaused from the corona virus. The income of many families will go down dramatically. That means that mr. Prabhat cannot ask for schoolfees in the coming year and much less income fort he school will bet he result. In order to avoid that the schooleducation collapses by a lack of money we appel everyone who reads this: your support is very much needed. Please think of the children of Kashi Mandir.

The committee of Kashi Mandir Foundation is very much aware of the fact that many organisations ask the people for a contribution fort he many needs there are in the world. Nevertheless: it would be nice, if we can persuade you to donate for Kashi Mandir School to help and make the eduction fort he present group of students as successfull as it was for he former generation. A proper meal for a whole schoolclass costs € 30, a uniform for one student € 12, a months salary for a teacher € 75. If you like to support us and by that these children: donate on Iban number NL68TRIO 0391 1462 70, Stichting Kashi Mandir, Erica, The Netherlands. BIC code of the bank is TRIONL2U .Thank you in advance!

Working visit 2018

In February 2018 Margriet and Rutger visited the schoolproject again. They renewed the contacts, controlled finances and made plans for the coming years, together with staff and committee of the school. The school is in good shape: more than 330 children frequent the school, some 50 more in the annex settlement in Beniganj. From July 2018 the foundation will redraw more and more and the school will continue fully independent. The financial situation of the school is very much ok now and approved by government registered auditors every year.

In the classrooms teachers use beamer and laptop very much for their lessons, using excellent and free educational materials from internet. Even the infants share in this modern teaching. And the schoolinspection uses – after first hesitation – the school as a modern example of good teaching to others schools in the surrounding. This is all the result of the ict courses for the teachers, financed by the foundation. Only the more or less frequent power-cut is sometimes a problem.

The sewing lessons -teached before schooltime – are a success. The children like it and they make nice cloths. During our visit we have been able to buy three more foot-sewing machines, althanks to an extra donation of one of our private donors. These machines are also very much handy in times of no power.

In February – during the working visit – we have been able to celebrate with staff, committee and students the opening of the new play-ground for sports- and recreation (have a look for the pictures in the last photo-gallery). And: thanks to a big extra donation of one of the donating funds, we have been able to order for a new waterwell with taps for the students in- and outside. The old one had been dried up, because the level of ground water went down during the last years . This new well has been drilled unto 70 meters deep an will provide water for the school for years. Everything was operational at the beginning of the schoolyear in July.

We made up and concluded a new contract for schoolyear 2018-2019. And next winter we will prepare a contract for the coming years 2019-2023. That is the period of full independence of the school. But the reserve funds of the foundation will be remitted to Kashi School in this period to be sure that the transition can be done successfull. The foundation will still have its advising and counseling role in these years and may be after that too. Several scenarios have been discussed with staff and committee to consolidate what has been achieved over the years. By this we can be sure that the investments of our donors and of our energy of the past years will remain. Walking in the village and talking with people we noticed that Kashi School has become their special school: villagers are proud of it!

Our conclusion was that we had a satisfying working visit. The school is successfull. Committees in Holland and India are aware of the fact that we had not been able tot do this good work without the support and financial donations of many private persons and funds. Children and parents of the poor Dalit farmers and workers developed successfully. Many children continued their studies already in Highschool, Collage and even University. A good example of this development is one of the teachers of Kashi School: he started as a student of this school long ago and became a teacher now in his own school!

Thanks to a big gift of one of our private donors the school was able to buy the old schoolground near by the school. This was the place where the school started between 2000 and 2005. The old wall, gate and two small houses will be pulled down and the ground will be leveled in order to make it ready for playing. The space in the schoolyard and rooftop terrace in the school itself is too small now for the growing number of students.

A new wall and gate will be build at the front side of the ground and three other walls to complete this. A bike shelter is also part of the plans, because the growing number of schoolbicycles give some problems in the narrow village streets.

In the end the ground will be adapted for playing sports and for physical training of the students.

Since the beginning of the new schoolyear in July 2016, the school started with a schoolfood program. At home the families  face partial malnutrition or bad food, not highly nutricious.

In some of the families the first complete meal is cooked after schooltime because of the simple fact that this is the time of the day that something has been earned by labour. After this meal, most of the time there is something left to take to school the next day, but mostly only white rice or a chapatti (bread) and that is no complete meal. With an empty stomach or with incomplete food it is not possible to learn properly. Some children at school are too small for their age and will never compensate that in future.

The schoolfood is mainly fruit at the moment, the team is thinking about possibility of serving out some rice and lentils(dal) too.

The new foodprogram is financed by the foundation for at least three years. A lot of money is still needed for that purpose.

Some months ago a nice private sponsor donated two sewing machines and equipment to the school. The lessons are teached by a lady teacher to 10 girls for a start, two hours every day after the regular schooltime. We hope that these students will be able to make their cloths for themselves   and for their family(in law) in future and may be one or two of them will get the opportunity to make a living.

From the beginning of this schoolyear in July, the school started with sewing lessons to a group of 12 elder girls. They are very enthousiastic. One of our private donors payed fort he sewing machines and a starterset of materials, the foundation pays the lessons.

Being able to make your own clothes is an important skill for a girl, in society or in future family life.

We will try to motivate some boys too later, may be for a future  profession of tailor.

On the first of July 2016 the schoolyear started again. The number of students (327) has not been so high before, since the start of the school in 2000. Students come from the village of Old-Khajuraho and wide surrounding and another 50 from the villages Bamnora and Beniganj.. Most of them come on a school-bike because of the distance of 6 and 7 kms. In the  coming two years another 100 children will start attending school. In the two small villages has never been any schooleducation at all.

For the youngest kids we will establish an annex settlement in one of these villages . It will be too far for them to attend school in the main building and beside that: the Indian local roads are to dangerous for them.

In February 2016  committeemembers Margriet and Rutger travelled to the school  for a working visit. Controlling, planning, concluding contracts and renewing of the personal contacts have been very important again. They found everything very much ok.

The schoolbuilding is complete now: 8 classrooms and a big hall (also to be used as two classrooms). It is a magnificent new building and the people of the school and the villagers are very proud of it!  An inner schoolyard, a gallery, an office, a computerrroom and a small library make the school very modern and well equipped.

Digital

In 2016 a simple version of a digital whiteboard will be installed. That means great progress for the school again.

At last: schooleducation

The school started bringing to school of 50 children of the far away villages Bamnora and Beniganj. No one of these children attended school before. In India as a whole still 38 million children have no access to schooleducation! Within 2 years all 150 children of these villages will go to school. From 2018/2019 about 450 students will become their education in Kashi School.

Independant

Kashi Mandir School functions independent and atonomously froms the foundation. The plan is to let exist the school on its own feet from 2018/2019. The foundation will diminish its contributions and support and in the end stop the fundraising and donations. Much depends also on the implementation of financing by the government all over India in the coming years.

 

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Working visit 2018

In a new working visit in 2018 all items mentioned above, the exit-stategy of the foundation and plans for the years after 2019, will be discussed. Controlling and monitoring of the project will remain the most important items. The survival of the schoolproject, fully independent and self-supporting, will be another topic.

Nieuwe alinea: Quality of and consolidation of what has been reached sof ar, is the main target.
The committees of school and foundation have great confidence in the schools capacity of standing on its own feet now. We are proud of what has been done, of the results and of the impact in local society.