2002 NEWSLETTER

INTRODUCTION

Our tenth anniversary has passed, some of our original children are now married, some have moved on to higher education and most who have finished their schooling with us have gone back to their villages with so many more skills. There have also been several deaths due to disease. As the life expectancy in Bihar is very low, the few years that children spend at school form a much larger percentage of their lives than it would for people in the west.

The real value of money raised is only partially measured by dollars, buildings, certificates and teacher's salaries. An equally valid measurement is how it improves the lives of the people in Bihar. We are careful to monitor what happens and pleased to be able to report that it is not just students who benefit from the school and the regional literacy program.

The PV School and Sister Jessie's program help the teachers, help the community through increased skills and set an example of how people from different religions can work together. This is on top of the knowledge, literacy and life skills and increased self esteem that comes to the students themselves. In terms of support and nourishment for poor people in Bihar, life can be a bit like a desert. There is often very little hope of a better life. It is wonderful to see a small part of this desert flourish. It's like flowers in the desert after rain.

Once again we feel privileged to be able to make a contribution and as well thanking all our supporters as we'd like to suggest that we're all fortunate to be in a position where we can help others.

We have a new co-ordinator in India, Katie Mitchell. She has taken over the role of much loved Thomas Jost. May he rest in peace.

Katie has managed to keep things moving through the normal Indian slowness, hold-ups and bureaucracy.

We have once again a new web address : www.members.ozemail.com.au/~vivodhe/bda

Our only large fundraising event this last year was a big garage sale. Despite having just one fundraiser, we have managed to raise enough again for our regular yearly commitments. This has been largely due to our regular donors. May your hearts stay open and could we remind you that the money you give and may have given goes a long way when it is in Bihar.

Yours in the dharma,
Eoin Liebchen-Meades

News from the PV School:
Enrolment Process, Students
by Anton Eastick

Last year before leaving for Bodhgaya, where I helped manage the annual Bodhgaya retreats, Victor asked me if it was possible to interview 3-4 children from the PV School (PVS) with the idea of doing an article for the BDA newsletter. Once in Bodhgaya, Sister Angeli, principal of the school was also enthusiastic about the idea and we quickly arranged a time and date. On the chosen day, the children I spoke with, Rakesh, Pankaj, Sweety and Rekha were all even more excited at the idea of being interviewed. As they were introduced by Sister Angeli they each jumped up from their chairs with a broad grin and quickly adopted me as Uncle!

The two boys, Rakesh and Pankaj, have the surname of Kumar while the two girls, Sweety and Rekha have the last name of Kumari which indicates which caste they come from. This is the same caste but the "i" in Kumari indicates that it is a girls name. Kumar(i) is apparently one of the lowest of the many castes in this area.

During the Prajna Vihar School (PVS) enrolment process during which Sister Angeli chooses who can come to the school from the many applicants, frequently all she needs to do is look at the name of the family to have a reasonably accurate picture of the financial status of the family. In some cases this is not true but generally it is a good indication.

Martin Aylward and I were at the school on the morning that the successful applicants for this year were announced and emotions were running very high as parents dealt with the news, either favourable or otherwise. It was a very touching experience as parents pleaded with Sister Angeli to reconsider her decision but some perspective was placed on the situation later as she related to us that a small proportion of the parents were indeed capable of paying for their children to attend another school.

When faced with this performance worthy of Oscar nomination, it reinforced in us what a difficult job Sister Angeli has with this enrolment process and how difficult it is for a westerner to really know what is happening.

Rakesh has been coming to the PVS since he was 4 yrs old and he is now 11. He has 1 brother and 2 sisters who go to Govt schools. When asked about what he likes most about the school he replied that science is good and the cultural program which they perform at the end of the retreats is also good, but mainly all his friends come here and he enjoy playing with them the most! It sounded quite familiar to my experience of school. Maths... English? Isn't that cutting into the playtime a bit too much? Rakesh's parents live in Gaya, some distance away and he stays with his Uncle in Bodhgaya so that he can attend the school. He is the eldest son and without the support of free education from the school he would be home with his parents helping to work the small block of land that they have.

Pankaj has a brother and a sister who come to the PVS school and one other sister who doesn't go to school yet. His favourite subject is English but mostly he said it is the teacher's kindness that makes him want to come to school everyday. This was a sentiment that was reflected most sincerely by all the children and very evident in their relationship with Sr Angeli.

Unfortunately Pankaj's father passed away after a fall while working at the Ladakh monastery in Bodhagya and now his mother has to support the family by sewing which I was assured she is very good at!

His mother approached Sister Angeli to allow the children to come to the school after his father's death and Sr Angeli readily agreed. Pankaj very much enjoys the discipline of regular classes and excels at his studies which he spends long hours on after school hours, unprompted. Sweety has been very aptly named and like Pankaj, enjoys the discipline (their word) of school the most, especially the homework! After picking myself up off the floor upon hearing this somewhat startling revelation, she assured me that this was indeed true and mathematics was the best of all.

Sweety was one of the announcers at the cultural program held for the retreatants this year and excelled in her role. Her parents sell shawls and blankets during the tourist season at a roadside stall near the main Bodhgaya Stupa which gives them enough money to feed her 3 brothers and 2 sisters for the year.

Her previous school, run by Ven. Anurudh a monk at the Thai Monastery, only went to grade 5. Going to the PVS enables her to extend her education further where otherwise it may have ended, depending on what opportunities came up at Govt. schools.

Rekha, 11 years old, has 2 brothers, no sisters and has been at the school for 7 years. She likes all the subjects at the school and all the teachers. So easily pleased! Her parents also sell shawls and blankets etc at a roadside stall in Bodhgaya and she goes there after school to help out. One of Rekha's brothers also goes to school at the PVS but one has moved to Ranchi, in Jarkhand just south of Bihar, to live with his Uncle who has adopted him. This brother has lived with his Uncle since he was 5 years old, he is now in high school, and doing this has allowed him to receive the education his parents wanted for him, but were unable to afford. Rekha's family moved to Bodhgaya so that they could attend the PVS.

An encounter with Sister Jessie
by Karen Longlands

Sr Jessie is both an amazing and completely inspiring person. Extremely small in stature, she carried a tough exterior as evidence of years of hard work. She works tirelessly for the under privileged in India's poorest state Bihar. I liken her work to that of the Great Mother Theresa. Where Mother Theresa worked for the poor and sick, Sr Jessie is focusing her efforts on the poor and uneducated.

In Bihar there are very few schools and no incentive for the children to attend those that are available. Most children are unquestioningly prepared to follow in the footsteps of their parents, and their parents seem unaware of any alternative. The perpetuation of poverty and illness seem inevitable. The caste system is alive and well, removing any expectation that there is a way out of their current existence. With seemingly no national compassion for the situation in Bihar, it would appear a 'hopeless situation', yet it is within this environment that Sr Jessie struggles.

Sr Jessie's projects have included establishing up to 26 primary schools spread throughout the state of Bihar. Abandoned government buildings, churches or shaded tree areas are used as classrooms. The schools work to a curriculum, grouping children of any age according to basic numeracy and literacy skill levels. The teachers are by and large unqualified; some are paid a very small wage through Sr Jessie. Children, who have gained sufficient skills to share with others, teach some classes. Sr Jessie is doing everything she can to encourage government grants and overseas aid to fund her projects.

The wider community of the school is seen as an integral component of the projects success. Sr Jessie works with parents and village dignitaries, understanding the important support these groups can provide top the ongoing success of the education process. She has of course encountered difficulties with lack of community enthusiasm and resistance to her feverish belief in educating all caste groups together. As the wider community is itself poorly educated, the big picture benefits of education are difficult to illustrate. Yet she continues to try.

My introduction to Sr Jessie and her work left me exhausted physically and quite ill. It was an incredibly humid day, a day dedicated to the celebration of Gandhi's birthday. It had been explained to me earlier that we were to travel deep into Bihar country to attend a gathering of school children who had prepared a concert both to honour Gandhi's life, and recognize the teachings he has left us.

The school committee hired a four-wheel drive vehicle to make the three and half hour journey to the school concert. Once packed with supplies it quickly became apparent that everyone would not fit into the car-even after allowing for the usual excessive over loading of passengers. Against the vocal assertions of committee members, Sr Jessie got out of the car (with me in hand) suggesting she would travel by local bus. We had approximately six hours before the concert was due to start and she believed this to be sufficient time to make the journey.

That bus trip will certainly remain in my memory for a very long time. Overcrowding, heat, smells, stops, stares, changing buses, sweat, vomit, animals and a deafening noise, all combined into one experience. Through it all Sr Jessie, smiled, chatted to people, gave up her seat and shared her water. She was amazing. After approximately seven and a half hours travelling, we arrived at the site of the concert. Children, seated on the grass in the hot sun, quietly and excitedly watching their peers perform. Cheers erupted at the sight of Sr Jessie. We were offered beautiful garlands and every respect was provided by the village organizers. The concert continued with songs, chants, and skits performed. The clear underlying theme of every performance was the power of education.

The children, who attended different schools around the area, were all well versed in many chants, knowing the words by heart and yelling together with confidence. The chants were in local language and later were translated for me; 'education is for us', 'we will not be tricked by the rich, we want education too', 'we need education and we will work hard'.

Sr Jessie explained she works with the pure spirit of the children. She uses the example of Gandhi's peaceful resistance, providing an environment for the children to learn they can rise and reach their fullest potential. She believes the strength of her message is the acceptance of the children that they must take responsibility for themselves, and to work hard and use the opportunity provided to them. Following the concert, the children were provided with some fruit and bread and I had the long trip home to consider. There was an obvious respect and appreciation shown to Sr Jessie.

She was revered and clearly loved by all those present. It worried me to contemplate how much of her popularity was in expectation of her continuing ability to provide, organize and inspire this grass roots education program. It was clear that many people relied on her unending enthusiasm and continual dedicated support.

It was an exhausting day, my senses had been absolutely overloaded and much later in the evening, lying on my wooden bed, I achieved peace only in recalling that the day was over.

I found it astounding to consider that the events of the day were nothing special or out of the ordinary for Sr Jessie. It was just another day for this miraculous Christian nun.

This was to be one of three concerts I attended over the following week. All were inspiring and all left me with an underlying respect for Sr Jessie and her cause. Where total dedication and unwavering persistence is present, anything is possible. May we all learn from the beauty of her living example.

FUNDRAISING FOR THE LAST YEAR

Retreat Generosity
by Kim Lewis

The event that brought in the most funds for the BDA this last year was not organised by the BDA committee: it was the regular week-long Insight Meditation retreat led by Christopher Titmuss and Subhana Barzaghi.

Christopher T, one of the directors of the PV school, usually comes out every two or three years. This time it was just under two years between visits but there was still a nearly-full contingent of just over 90 people for the week up in the Border Ranges.

Christopher relies on donations for his own support but talked at length about the BDA and the PV School and only later talked about donations for the teachers.

Victor von der Heyde and Sexton Bourke, who could have received donations for their effort as managers, opted once again to forego donations and have them go directly to the BDA. Mudita Kilpatrick, who did the catering, did it well below the market rate, helping to make the retreat much more affordable for people on limited incomes. Donations from the talk came to $185 and from the retreat $2219.

St. Margaret's Free Dress
Fundraising Contribution
by Kerstin Liebchen-Meades

At the end of last year we were very fortunate to gain the support of St. Margaret's AGS. Many schools in Queensland - and indeed in Australia - St. Margaret's uses scheduled free dress days as a means to raise funds for worthy causes.

We had approached the fundraising co-ordinator midway through the year and requested to be considered as a community group to be given funds from such a free dress day collection.

The constitution of the BDA states the importance of raising awareness of the wider community here in Australia as to what the objectives of the educational projects we support in India are.

Our view is that teaching children and adults to read and write is a particularly empowering activity, and we thought that St Margaret's students would be able to relate to helping other students who were a lot poorer than they were.

With this in mind Year 11 students responsible for the collection of their last free dress day of the year raised funds of over $500.

This very generous donation was then forwarded to the BDA and made its way to the children of Bodhgaya. The committee is extremely grateful to the students and the fundraising co-ordinator for raising these funds and making mention of a possible repeat this year.

The Fiscal Report
2001-2002
Pamela Grayson

One Nameste from the Treasurer .... For me, daily professional life encompasses running a business where a product is provided, a price is paid, India type bartering takes place and a constant monitor is needed to retain integrity. It gladdens my heart and keeps community spirit flowing to be a part of a group of people who just give. On behalf of the BDA and the children of Bodhgaya... Thank you for your generosity. It helps to shine a warming light in what is a difficult environment.

Distributed funds to India were $3,500 to Sister Jessie. $5,500 (equivalent of last year's distribution) has been allocated for the Pragya Vihar School but, as this year's school running costs had been met, we were asked to hold our distribution either for a shortfall year or pending decisions for the commencement of High School.

This year we raised $10,795.87 before running costs expense (which expenses are met by committee members). Our nett yearly target is $9,000 so the extra gives us options … to give to another worthwhile project ; to keep reserve funds should we have less fruitful future fund raising times; or to increase funding to Sister Jessie. Just now, no option decision has been made.

Yet again we have been blessed to achieve our yearly target. Temporarily the Garage Sales (with a carry over from last year) has provided the substitute income usually derived from a major fund raising event such as Movie or Dinner gathering. Funds raised via the Retreat when Christopher Titmuss was in Australia have contributed to this year's overflow. This, however, is subject to Christopher's coming to Australia and at most only a bi-annual happening. It is reassuring that aside from the Garage Sales and the bi-annual Retreat that much of our funding comes from recurrent donors. Thank you for your consistency.

The minimum needed for the India projects is $9,000. We still continue to explore other ways and means to raise funds... keeping within our constitution guidelines that any fund raising event should enhance community spirit here in Australia and contribute to people's understanding.

Efforts for the year:
Newsletter response (mostly recurrent donors) $1,400.00
School Students $ 902.65
Greeting Cards sales $ 329.55
Chocolate Drive $ 616.94
Global $ 50.00
Retreat & Coorparoo Talk - Christopher Titmuss, participants & managers $2,404.70
Garage Sales $2,256.30
General (rec. donors) $1,575.00
Cloud Room $ 711.70
Interest earned $ 549.03
New donors $ 745.00

For this fiscal year - March to February 2002 - our thanks are extended to these donors.

The students of :
Clayfield College
St Aidan's Anglican School
St Margaret's School

N Feldman - via India
P Saneli
Applebaun & Schmidt
R Buckstein
K Schroeter
Nick anonymous
F Lyons
*G Eastgate
*A Wilmot
*N Dowling
*J Russell
*M Shaw
*J Bennett-Levy
*M Hill & G Newbitt
*B Clark
*J Richards
*S Russell
*M Heron
*A Warmbrunn
*A Markey
*S Bourke
*M Burford
*P Borger
*L Lindsay
*P Harris
*J Russell
*M Fanning
Christopher Titmuss
Retreat managers
Retreat participants
Keith Harvie (Accountant)
The Cloud Room
BDA Committee Members
Garage Sale supporters

Those others who donate their time in addition to/or in lieu of monetary support with a special thanks to Graham Abraham for donating his time and skills for work on our new logo.