Report from BHW Field Director Following Visit

Key people:   Premila Rumtel, Ruben Sarki 

In November 2016 I visited and spent some time at the school. It was great to hang out there, meet the team and chat with them, and to see the children. It was sports day so there was a lot of running around and games. It was the first time we had met Daya, she seems a very capable person and obviously has a passion for the children. Once she finishes her training she would love to be involved in Christian ministry. 

The school is ticking over nicely with few major issues to deal with on a day to day basis. There are some strategic issues they will have to confront soon, more about those later. 

Recent Events

Leadership Team

Premila is still in the USA and will be based there for the foreseeable future. This partnership is now about the school, not Premila, and she has good people running the school. Premila has been “stuck” in the USA for almost three years. She went there originally as she qualified for a Green Card as a refugee. Her plan was to go to the US and get the card and then return to Siliguri. However, a few things have conspired against this happening as she expected. She had to stay for two years without leaving to qualify. Then, once she had done that, her Green Card was posted to her but it never arrived. So, she had to go through another process which has taken almost a year. She is pretty frustrated by this as she doesn’t have full time employment in the USA. While there she has been doing some work caring for older people and studying early childhood education. 

She expects to remain in the USA and visit India for months at a time once her papers are through and she is allowed to leave the country again. Her intention was to be in India in January / February 2017 but we have not heard recently how those plans have worked out. 

Premila’s nephew Ruben (in photo) is in charge of the school and hostel and he is doing a really good job. He is studying at the same time, but spends most of his time at the school. 

Jonathan is another young guy who is involved. He is the administrator and does the accounts. He is very efficient and seems to understand what is going on. 

Premila’s niece Daya (in photo), Ruben’s sister, is also a leader. She is training to be a teacher and is in the hostel with the girls. 

Students

Recently some of the students in the hostel had scabies. They have treated the girls and everyone has recovered OK. 

One of the girls from the hostel ran away to get married. She was only 16 and they tried to persuade her to stay and finish her education. However, she wanted to leave so she could assist with paying her sister’s school fees.

In 2016 five of the girls were sent to Emmanuel Christian School as they were too old for the Bright Hope English School. We saw their report cards and they are all doing very well. Another three will join them in 2017. The school gives a discount to poor kids and these children all qualify. It is quite expensive compared to the costs at their own school and they have to find the money for it. Each child costs US$150 for registration, then about US$400 for tuition plus bags, uniforms, transport and school materials. However, it is a good school taught in English, that is why it is more expensive than other or government schools. 

At the end of 2016 there were 98 students in Bright Hope English School from preschool to grade 7. There are 29 boarders in the hostel and two of the teachers live at the hostel. There are 11 teachers in total. 20% of the students pay fees which helps with teacher’s salaries.  

Visitors

A team from Beaverton, Portland, Oregon came in October 2016 to encourage the teachers with their teaching skills for three days and they appreciated their input. This team is from the church that Premila and a number of her family members attend in the US. This church has assisted the school a number of times by helping with buildings and sending some of their people to help. Another woman was there for almost three months earlier in the year.  

Personal Stories

Sapna was a very shy 6-year old girl who was brought to them by a Pastor who had heard about her difficult situation. Her parents had died and she was living with her grandmother who was very poor and not able to care for her.

When Sapna arrived at the school she was very withdrawn, shy, embarrassed and didn’t talk to anyone. They presumed she had some mental challenges. However, after two months she was smiling and talking and asking lots of questions, and has settled well into the classroom. In fact, she is now very noisy, except when we were there and tried to take a photo of her! She’s such a sweet, funny little girl.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

The community is very appreciative of what is going on. Families are trying to bring their children and are trying to see if boys can come as well. The answer is NO.

They do have a few challenges. They want to increase the number of students and in 2017 are admitting a few more day students. They also want to add classes 8 and 9 to save money by not having to send children to another school until they reach secondary school age. 

Current Issues and Challenges

They have been trying to register with the government as an official school but they do not qualify. Their buildings are deemed to be temporary structures and the cost of building to government standards is prohibitive. 

The area of land they have is not large enough and the cost of land is very high so they are trying to work out the best alternatives. 

Funding the increasing costs as more and more of the children go to secondary school each year. 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) The way the school and hostel are operating is a matter for praise
2) There is an ongoing need for security and safety for the girls
3) That they will be able to raise the necessary funds for the extra girls at Emmanuel Christian School
4) That they are managing well at the moment
5) For clarity around Premila’s status and the time she is able to spend in India

Comments

I think this is still a very viable partnership despite Premila’s extended absence. The children seem happy and are getting a good education. The hostel is operating well and they are realistic about how many girls they are able to manage in the hostel. They are able to get and retain staff.

At some stage it would be good to know what Beaverton church is thinking about the future and how much they are putting into the partnership so there is some understanding there.