I am asking people to help this school in India

Last Jan, we hosted lovely parent and child, Betsy and Jess.

They were always kind and helpful during the stays. We can not forget thier shining smiles... They kindly understood our projects and encouraged us:)

Betsy is working for us to be successful this crowdfunding as below.

I really appreciate it.

I am asking people to help this school in India, run by the couple who hosted us while Jess and I were there.

 

Background: Bodhgaya, Bihar, is one of the poorest areas in India. Many kids cannot afford an adequate education. Anup Kumar founded the PremaMetta school by himself ten years ago, initially in a building made of bamboo sticks and plastic sheets, where children could study for free. Today, Anup and Yuko run the school together. They now have a well-constructed school building, with classrooms for different age groups and a kitchen in which meals are prepared daily for the children. There are four teachers and a cook on the staff. Everything needed for schooling, such as uniforms and stationery items are provided free of charge, and the children also receive hot meals here everyday.

 

Yuko: “We have always tried to find ways to support the school and not rely on donations. We also strongly believe that if we want the children to grow up strong and independent, we must be a good example ourselves. As Anup and I are both trained Yoga teachers, we are building the Senamura Yoga Ashram Guesthouse, which we hope will eventually fully support the school. We opened with three guestrooms in the autumn last year, and have since built another two rooms and a yoga asana hall. All the profits will be go to cover school operational expenses, but we have not made any profit yet, due to construction costs.” 

 

The Problem: The government’s new system is putting us in crisis.

In September, the Indian government introduced two new rules and mandated their application to all educational institutions across the country. One of them is to put surveillance cameras within the schoolyard and premises. Another one is that all teachers, whether at public or private school, must take an official teacher training course authorised by the government. Many teachers are qualified at present, but have not finished this course. All the teachers at our school will now have to attend it. These new rules are both for the betterment of the educational system in this country, but there is absolutely no financial support from the government for their implementation. Some schools have already been forced to close because they couldn’t afford the cameras, and teachers will lose their licenses if they don’t take the training.

This is an unforseen and extremely urgent situation, for which we have no funds at all.

The Details: The funding will pay for five required cameras, to be installed in various mandated positions throughout the school. In addition, they will pay the fees for their teachers to undertake the required training through a correspondence course, and will buy a TV for them to view the course sessions. Most importantly, this will enable them to keep teaching at the school while they are studying toward the newly required government certification.

This is the type of fundraiser in which they receive the funds ONLY if their goal is reached in the time period specified: The deadline is January 12, 2018.

Anup and Yuko are committed to keep this school open as long as there are kids who need it - please help them keep their free school in Bodhgaya open!

 

Click here for more info: https://readyfor.jp/projects/premam... 0r here to donate: https://premamettaschool.wixsite.com/...

 

The Future: Yuko: “Our hope and plan for these children does not stop when they graduate from our school. We are also aiming to continue supporting them through their further education, such as high schools and college. We would also like to offer training for the service industry, as there are not many opportunities for employment in this area. To make all this possible, we need to survive this time of crisis! With your help, we can overcome the present obstacles and move forward toward a bright future for so many children! Please help, and share this opportunity widely, so that we can achieve our goal.”