2005 NEWSLETTER
This last year has been one where our programs have continued to flourish, but in an environment that is still very difficult.
The conditions in the Bodhgaya region have been very dry for a few years now. It has been described by some as a drought, and the longer this continues, the bigger the effect on subsistence farmers and their children.
Sister Jessie has been continuing her work in outlying villages and, in addition, has started a boarding school. You'll find an article about this school here. One of the reasons for boarding is to provide for the children (girls in this case) when their parents are not able to.
The Prajna Vihar school is doing fine and coping with the drainage problems mentioned in previous newsletters. One of the first students to come to the school has been accepted into a course at the Shanti Niketan University, a very respected university in Calcutta. While it might seem common in the West for students to go on to university, having a student from such a poor area in India go to university is a very big event.
We sent $18,000 to the PV school early this year. This included money we had held over for some time. The PV school has operated on a "hand to mouth" basis with no backup if funds from donations start to dry up. Being able to have back-up funds held and available is part of the longer term strategy to keep the school going and thriving.
We have also pledged $12,000 to help with the purchase of land next to the school. This would provide a bigger playground and help the school expand. At the moment land purchases are on hold due to the UNESCO / World Heritage listing for the main temple, but even while this is on, we may be able to start the bargaining process.
This year in the newsletter we have provided more detail about the PV School and a report from the principal, Sister Bindu. We also have a report from Jiva Masheder about her interviews with PV students and this gives a sense of what life is like for these kids.
There has been a second film made by Tom Riddle and Christopher Titmuss on Bodhgaya and the Prajna Vihar School. It is a 31 minute film and it captures the spirit of the place well. We are hoping to get the DVD version soon and we are happy to send a copy to anyone who is interested.
With all the events in the world which get lots of media attention and where people have urgent needs, we do appreciate those of you who continue to support these programs in Bodhgaya. Every contribution really helps.
Thank you.
Victor von der Heyde
PRAJNA VIHAR SCHOOL
ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE 2004 CALENDAR YEAR
by Sister Bindu Thomas, Principal
Here I give you a brief account of the School. The Prajna Vihar School was started by Mr.Rick Peterson in the year 1990, with the objective of educating the students of the less privileged sections of the society. The School was started in a small shed with 45 children. Today we are happy to tell you that with your generous contributions, we have a School building with 13 rooms, in which 500 students study. We do not limit our education to the bookish knowledge alone. But we give them value based education, through which they are helped to live effectively in this world of competition. When North Bihar faced the worst conditions of flood this year, we encouraged the students to contribute in kind and cash for the victims. Thus making them aware of the inter- dependency on each other and that we all belong to one world at large.
On every Saturday we organize competitions like singing, painting, dance, speech, quiz etc. to build up their hidden abilities and potentials. We help and encourage the students to participate in various competitions sponsored by various organizations, such as Rotary Club. This enables our students to interact with other students as well as to come out of their own shells and to have a wider perspective of life. The teachers are ever willing to render their service to the students whenever they are in need. I feel happy and proud to say that there is a cordial and affectionate relationship between teachers and students.
Celebrations such as Teacher's day, Children's day, Independence Day, Republic day etc. are celebrated with lots of joy and enthusiasm. These celebrations foster love and respect between the teachers and students as well as for the country. This year a Vietnamese Buddhist nun was generous enough to donate desks and benches for the students. We also had built two more rooms for the students. There is a great demand from students and parents for upgrading the school to Class X, as without this they have to go to Government school where there is no teaching at all, for their further studies. We hope this dream of our students will come true one day with your help and support.
We know that each of you works hard to raise funds for the maintenance, development and better functioning of the school. The School family is grateful to each of you for your generous help and support. May god bless your every efforts and under-takings. May He be a constant companion in your life's journey. Once again thanks to each one of you.
THE PRAJNA VIHAR SCHOOL IN 2004 AT A GLANCE
by Sister Bindu Thomas, Principal
Statement of purpose: To educate the less privileged sections of society, and to foster inter-religious understanding.
School Board of Directors: Venerable.U Nyanienda, Rick Peterson,
Christopher Titmuss,
Ranjit Bhandari, Prama Bhandari, Priye Ranjan Dwye, Sister .Bindu
Thomas (principal).
Number of children: 410 (boys-208, Girls-202)
Number of teachers: 12 (Male- 5, female -7)
Age of youngest student to oldest student: 4 to 15
Names of hamlets where children mostly live: Piparpatti, Mastipur,
Bhagalpur, Amuwa, Taridih
Typical work of parents: agriculture, rickshaw pulling, small
scale business
Subjects taught in the school: English, Hindi, Maths, Science,
Social studies, General knowledge., Moral science, Drawing, Hand
craft, Dance
Inter-religious appreciation: Prayer meetings on various religious
festivals
Colour of the school uniforms: Brown trousers and cream shirts
for boys, Brown Skirts and cream shirts for girls
Cost of the school uniform: 150.00 Rupees [approx A$4.60]
Total salaries for the year: 4,77,800.00 Rupees [approx A$14,532]
Two new rooms: 2,50,000.00 Rupees [approx A$7,603]
Other expenditure: 1,53,805.00 Rupees [approx A$4,678]
Total Expenses: 8,81,605.00 Rupees [approx A$26,813]
Plans and Future Vision for 2005 and beyond:
Practical needs and decisions: Service conditions and guidelines for the teachers are updated. Mr.P.R.Dwyer is invited as a member of the management committee, also to be the co-ordinator to inform overseas fund raisers of any developments in the school The name of the school remains Prajna Vihar School and not Pragya Vihar School. The boundary wall has to be raised and another room to be made for the students. More toilets have to be made for the students as well as the staff.
Purchases: A big table for the staff, few more desks and benches for the students, library books, two cupboards.
Future vision in terms of next big steps : Upgrade the school to High School, Purchase land for the school, Computer education for students, Technical school for students, Scholarship for Ex students
PV SCHOOL 2005 - INTERVIEWS
Jiva Masheder
I set out towards the Pragya Vihar School again this year, and as happened previously, was greeted by crowds of beaming kids in their red school uniform, many keen to try out their few words of English on me and make a bit of contact. Indian kids are so friendly. And when I forgot the way, one of them guided me right to the school to make sure I got there. The village is a maze of paths and shacks and goats.
This time at the school I had longer conversations with four students and these conversations were enabled by the new principal, Sister Bindu, who did the translating.
All the four students were in the later classes in the school, and all had ambitions for further study. Unfortunately the quality of further education available to them is very poor, but for the moment is was good to see them enjoying and appreciating their school time. I was struck by the difference in attitude between these kids and many in the West who are often either ambivalent about school or resent having to go.
One of the kids was Kumar from Mastipur, the nearest village. He is part of a typically large Indian family, with 3 sisters and 3 brothers. He's the baby of the family. Three of his siblings are married already. Among educated families in this area the marriage age tends to be around 17-18: young for us but quite late by the standards of many other Indian families. Sister Bindu assures me that it is the education that makes the difference here.
Kumar's father is the caretaker at a medical college, and he has worked there for 14 years. His salary is around A$200/month, which has to support him, Kumar, and three older brothers and their wives. Kumar's mother died 3 years ago, so they have to share the domestic responsibilities between themselves. When I asked if the A$200 per month that was enough for all these people, he just said that they had to manage as that was all there was. They have no animals or land to produce food, and have to buy everything from the market.
Kumar really seemed to appreciate the quality of the teaching at PV school compared to other schools. He plans to go to the Government High School to complete the 10 years of schooling, and he would like to come back one day and teach at the PV school. Actually a lot of students say this.
Next I met Priti Kumari, a young girl who walks a couple of kilometres, half and hour, to arrive at school at 8:30am. Before she leaves home she often needs to clean the whole house and make breakfast for the family – typically chapatti and potato curry. She often cooks on a rice-husk fire – something I had never heard of. Apparently the rice husks are cheaper than firewood in deforested Bihar, and available in the market. Sometimes she prepares the food and sometimes it's done by one of her older sisters. Priti Kumari is 12 and has she 7 sisters and no brothers. She is the middle child and when she cooks it is for all of them. One of the big problems for her family will be the financial burden of paying the dowry for 7 girls, with no dowry coming in from any boys. Her father has a business making baskets for local people and selling baskets he gets from Benares. The baskets don't get sold to tourists and so he doesn't get any direct benefit from Westerners with their money. They manage on her father's income but the seven dowries are a worry.
They all live in a small house with two rooms. Father and mother in one room, sisters in other room, but they all get on well and no-one snores! They don't have any land or animals, just the house, so they are totally dependent on their father's business to buy what they need.
One good thing about the house is that there is a hand-pump outside, so there is no problem with carrying water long distances. The water in the area isn't always clean though.
This is Priti Kumari's last year at the PV School. She is in Class 8 and next year she will go to the Government High School. She doesn't want to leave PV School. She would also like to come back one day and teach - Science, her favourite subject.
The third student I talked to was Afroz, from the Bodhgaya
bazaar area. He lives in a larger house with 5 rooms , his parents,
three sisters and two of his three brothers.
What he likes best is the discipline (!) at the PV school. Many
kids say this and it is often surprising for Westerners. I think
they like the discipline because they really want to learn and
find it frustrating to be in undisciplined classes. Afroz is pretty
disciplined himself, according to Sister Bindu. She said that
students are sent back home if they're late but Afroz is never
late. He likes maths, wants to go to the Government High School
then onto college for the final 2 years, then maybe a BA.
His real passion though is art. He won a local art competition, he can draw cartoons and portraits and Sister Bindu had the view that he really was talented. Afroz wants to develop his artistic skills as well as the more formal academic study. And he is already thinking how he could make a living from art: commission paintings, wall painting, pictures for tourists, maybe of Bodhgaya landmarks and monasteries, portraits, pictures of the Dalai Lama. His mother says that he needs to do all the formal schooling first before going to Art School. Sounds like what a Western parent might say. She said that when his formal schooling is finished, he might be able to go to Art School in Calcutta. That's his dream.
The last student I talked to was Anku Kumari. She comes from a village about three kilometres away and often comes to school with the nuns in a rickshaw. She has seven in her family: her parents, herself, the eldest, two sisters a brother and an aunt. She does the cleaning and sometimes the cooking. She's 11. It's hard to imagine many Western 11-year-olds with that level of responsibility. When pressed, she said that she liked cooking, and reluctantly admitted that she cooks well.. They use firewood and plug-in electric stove (but frequent power outages make that not very reliable). She said that that morning, before coming to school, she cleaned the house totally and cooked breakfast for everyone in the family– chapatti and vegetables. After school she'll eat, study, play a bit with her friends. I asked her what games they play, wondering if children's games were similar, and found that they play Hide and Seek! Also a game catching stones on the back of the hand, and another one in groups where one group splits off and tries not to be caught by the other group. Some things sound similar the world over.
All of Anku's friends go to school, and her and her 2 sisters and one friend come to PV school. She said that if she didn't come to school she would be at home doing housework. She thinks she is likely to get married around 18 - quite old for some parts of India: the education makes the difference. She'd like to go to the Government High School after finishing at PV school, and go on to teach Science. (Another one wanting to be a teacher).
I talked further with Sister Bindu. She comes from Kerala in the South of India, she joined the Congregation of (Christian) Nuns in 1989 in Varanasi, and then took full l ordination 1994. Then she did a BEd in Jamshedphur and started teaching. Before the PV school, she was teaching in Chattisgarh State in an English medium school (many schools in India teach in English rather than the pupils native tongues) She said she really loves teaching.
She particularly likes the PV School because it's just for the poor and gives free education for those who can't afford it elsewhere. She doesn't know how long she'll be able to stay because her Order can simply call her away and assign her other duties.
Apart from the principal role she teaches English, reading
and writing, and she says she likes all of them. I commented on
how the kids here seem to enjoy going to school and that's often
not the case in the West. Sister Bindu said they know that school
is their opportunity to make something of their life and so they're
motivated.
She would like to have classes up to Class 10 – many pupils
can't go on because they can't pay fees for better schools and
in the Government school she said there is no real teaching. She
said in the Government School the teachers often just come to
collect their salary and don't teach at all.
She said there is great demand from parents for classes up to Class 10, but that it's just not possible at the moment as they have no space, no classrooms. There are 475 students already. And looking at the building myself, I found it hard to believe you could fit so many in
Sister Bindu talked about the problem of waste water overflow from the bigger hotels which is likely to get worse as tourist numbers increase. There are no laws or regulations governing such things and it's a problem because the dirty water can lie around for months and turn into a mosquito breeding ground. There had been a debate about whether to move the school because of this but in the end, mainly due to the cost of moving and building a new school, the decision was made to stay put.
There has been some expansion of the school in the last year: two more classrooms have been built and they are now used as nursery classes for 5-year olds. They are teaching them reading and writing and numbers.
She said there were only two sisters available from her congregation
for and it was hard to find trained teachers, in part because
qualified teachers need to be paid more. Most of the teachers
there are untrained so they don't have good teaching skills. Many
of them have a BA but not a BEd or other teacher training. She
said some were good but others not so good. She gives professional
development seminars on teaching methods, but she doesn't think
it is enough.
Sister Bindu said that one of the challenges was to try to stop
the students going out begging. She said she understands it is
very tempting for the kids with so many rich tourists around.
She also said that there was no religious education in the school, and so far no conflict between the Christianity of the nuns and the local Hinduism . She said the locals genuinely appreciate what the nuns are doing for the area.
She went on to say her greatest joy is knowing that the school is doing something for the most under-privileged children. Some of the old students come back to visit and they are often doing something that they wouldn't have been able to do without having gone to the PV School: like further studies or even university or in business. One of then went to Bombay and now works in a shipyard. She said that if it hadn't been for the school they would more likely be at home or in the fields or begging.
Of the many students who had aspiration to teach, she thought that in general it was not so realistic, but good to see that teachers were being admired and that students wanted to emulate them.
She said that many girls don't continue studies after going to the PV School. They just stay at home until they get married. Even so, their education still brings many benefits. They have a taste for education and are likely to make sure their own children get educated, they know how to manage money better, have better hygiene and understand the importance of cleanliness, they don't get cheated in the market because they can read. They also tend to be more disciplined.
Sister Bindu would like to expand the school to teach up to Class 10 and find good teachers. Both these things need more money. She hopes some teachers will "be charitable" and accept a lower salary, but this is not something to count on. Her dream is to have more children coming to the school and to make a real difference to the community.
MASSIHI GYANJYOYI PROJECT
Sister Jessie
Hello everyone!
The Girl's boarding school in Dobhi has been offically open for a month. Our 24 students have been working hard, studying English, Hindi, Science, History, Social Studies, Math, sewing, knitting, and drawing. All the girls are about 12 years old, and are Harijans. They're from caste groups considered to be very low, and the caste system is still very much a part of life here in Bihar. Many would have no education if it were not for Jessi's schools.
It is amazing to see how quickly they are picking up on new skills! English and drawing are being taught by myself, we have experienced local teacher named Basudev teaching most classes, and Jayanti teaching swing and knitting. Already many girls are done creating their first project- a scarf.
At our school we have tried to simplify our rules to two which should be followed by everyone: To be kind, and to work hard. We have been working hard to teach the girls to follow these two rules. In addition, Jessi has been teaching them the values that Gandhi preached. Beginning with non-violence, each day the girls reflect on one value in their diary.
Speaking of diaries- we have been having the girls write an entry everyday! We have already seen improvement in their writing. More comprehensive sentences, and the ability to write in greater depth is already appearing from their hard work.
A few days ago we were also fortunate enough to recieve many
of the Class 6, 7, and 8 text books. They are already studying
these new texts. It is our goal to try to help them pass their
Junior High
School Exams, at the end of this year.
Each day the girls eat their typical meal of rice and sabhgi (potatoes, spices, vegetables) or kitcherie (a mixture of rice and daal). At night they sleep under the protection of our two faithful watch dogs (or watch dog and watch-puppy!) Rex and Pixie.
The school functions purely on outside donations. It costs $1200 for about a month of food, teaching, supplies, books, etc, That is approximately $50 per student. We would like to find sponsors for each of our girls for the school year at $50 a month. The normal functioning of the school and its residential program is generally covered by the generous donations received from donor groups like the BDA.
Unfortunately,. recent developments have forced us to broaden our areas of responsibility. There have been no substantial rains over the last three seasons. This long standing drought is taking its toll on the local community, with many students families reporting deaths in their families due to hunger. Finding access to aid at this time appears to be impossible.
All of the children in our schools are very poor and whilst we can support our student's needs, it is their families that need extra support at this time.
SJ
To meet this extra challenge the BDA is requesting special
consideration for donations for food for drought effected families
of students.
ST AIDEN'S VISIT
Kim Lewis came to speak to St Aiden's year 9 and 10 Geography students about the Bodhgaya Development Association and their work in Bihar, India. The students have been studying farming in Australia and overseas as part of their Geography subject in Semester 1, 2005. After listening to Kim's presentation about the school in Bihar. the students organised and ran a sweet stall to raise $222.40 for the Bodhgaya Development Association. The St Aiden's Geography students have been involved in raising money for the BDA for the last 4 years. Mrs Page and the Geography students would like to thank Kim for his time and presentation. We know that the money we have raised will help to make a difference for the community in Bihar.
FUNDRAISING
Angela Ballard.
One of the ongoing discussions at BDA committee meetings is about fundraising. In the earlier years of the BDA we did all sorts of fundraising activities – film nights, hiring a whole picture theatre, getting the film and doing the publicity; big garage sales; a chai stall; a big Indian dinner with entertainment, making all the food ourselves; postcards; chocolate sales; raffles; and many more.
Thankfully there is now a loose network of people who know what the BDA is supporting and who do their bit by contributing. It means the pressure is off the committee to think up new events and make them happen. The contributions come in different ways. For some it is regular donations at the Cloudroom, for others it is donations at retreats. Meditation teachers are retreat managers, like Eoin and Victor regularly give all the money they receive for this work to the BDA. Students at St Aidans have once again raised money through their activities. It all adds up and it is wonderful to see people still have the school and the difficult situations of people in India in their minds. We thank you all.
FINANCIAL REPORT
Pamela Grayson
Last year, we were unable to acknowledge individual donors…but are back on track now. For this fiscal year – March to February 2005 - our thanks are extended to these donors.
New Donors: Pine Rivers High School – L Dorrington –
S York – S Binney – M Popplewell – W Lawrence &
J Gardiner – M Maclurcan – S Clarke – H McNamara
Recurrent Donors: J Russell – M Smith – M Hill &
G Newbitt – S C Russell – M Heron – M Burford &
P Rothlisberg – B Clark – Bill Knight – K Uzsoki
– Tallowwood Sangha – St Aidan's Anglican School students
– S Crawley
Retreat Teachers and Managers
Retreat participants plus : R & T Allen – S Williams
– K McCleod – D pearsons – P Fittock & L Poole
Those who wish to remain anonymous - others who donate time or
expertise in lieu of monetary support – Kemsley Schmidt for
his audit services – The Cloud Room – BDA Committee
members – Overseas donors.
A dissection of the funds received this year:
· Newsletter response (mostly recurrent donors) $1,356.38
· St Aidans Anglican School Students' activities $
491.25
· Pine Rivers High School – talk by Eoin Meades $
100.00
· Retreat donations and donations to
· retreat manager (Victor von der Heyde) $1,993.00
· General (mostly new donors) + a gift of $1,000 $1,475.00
· Cloud Room: donations for room use & Meditation nights $1,025.80
· Tallowwood Sangha
$ 431.20
· Eoin Meades for teaching services at Relaxation Centre
$2,225.50
· Direct Credit deposits to Bank A/c $
525.00
· Interest earned $1,326.27
Every single dollar donated is a blessing. Some of the highlights
are:
· Our recurrent donors .. who reliably keep the coffers
filled.
· Unexpected, bigger than usual donations.
· Funds that are raised by school students and the schools
that encourage those students.
· The efforts of two new meditation groups: Bluegum Sangha
in Sydney and Tallowwood Sangha in Bellingen
· Regular direct credits made to our bank account to honour
the spirit of Patricia Borger.
We endeavour to acknowledge all our donors but errors can happen and also, with direct credits to the Bank A/c, sometimes names are not available.
Our baseline funding of the PV School and Sister Jessie's program is $9,000 each year. This year produced income of $10,949.40 before running cost expenses (which are all met by committee members). $3,500 was sent to Sister Jessie. The funds that were temporarily held over for the Pragya Vihar School, $18,000, went to the school in January.
Thank you all
Pamela Grayson
Treasurer