Education in the slum camps
Tong-Len has been very concerned to provide education and support for the children of the families that were evicted from their homes in Charan Khad in June 2016. In addition to taking more children into the hostel programme, Tong-Len has ensured that as many as possible have the opportunity of a school education and that support is also provided for the very young pre-school children.
Most of he families from Charan have set up their ‘shelters’ in a number of locations some 15 km from Dharamsala, close to the village of Chetru. The first urgent need was to provide transportation for the children who had previously been attending school in Dharamsala, without which their school attendance would be difficult if not impossible. Tong-Len purchased a bus which currently transports about 27 children to schools in Dharamsala and an additional 100 or so to local schools near Chetru.
In addition, Tong-Len has established a tuition centre at Dhagwar (3 km from Chetru) in rented accommodation. At the end of the school day the children are collected from the various schools and taken to the centre where staff support the children with their homework and where they have an opportunity to discuss their school work before being transported back to their families.
In the larger of the slum camps, near Chetru, Tong-Len has constructed a simple corrugated structure as a base in which to provide support for the very young pre-school children. Here about 20 children are washed in a hygienic environment and receive care, a nutritious midday meal and opportunities for play and basic education. It is hoped to expand the number of children involved.
Under Tong-Len’s Child Sponsorship scheme, children living in extreme poverty in slum camps in north India are given the opportunity to attend school full-time whilst living in one of the Tong-Len hostels. All money raised in sponsorship goes towards the support of the children. For most of the children, living in the hostel is their first experience of a secure family life.
The hostel children attend Dayanand School, an English medium school in Dharamsala. A few of the older children in their final two years have transferred to Kangra Valley School which has good options for arts and commerce.
Holistic Education
In addition to their academic development, the hostel students engage in a wide variety of activities concentrating on their individual development, including their leadership skills, their physical development, self confidence, creativity and their awareness and promotion of ethical values. Tong-Len calls this its ‘holistic programme’. The results of this programme is already evident in the way the students are regarded as being ‘all-rounders’. The students have instituted two projects to disseminate secular ethics, the one through interactive workshops in local schools and the other through the use of publicity materials including billboards and web sites to reach out to the wider community.
Making Connection
The hostel children have set up their own web site called ‘Making Connection‘. Please visit the site to subscribe and read the children’s blogs, news and upcoming events. The children now have their own TV studio and equipment which they can use for interviews. The filmwork, the production and editing of all the videos is undertaken by the children themselves. Navita, hostel house manager, is the staff supervisor for the children and the current team comprises Karan (manager), Pinki (media director), Poonam (vice media director), Renu (in charge of programming), Sarika, Mamta and Nisha Devi (web and social media management), Suraj, Kishan and Birju (photographers) and Renu and Naresh (AV technicians).
Tertiary Education
Some children have completed their school education and have the ability to go to college and university. When Tong-Len started the school sponsorship/hostel project in 2004, the goal was to provide primary education. However, the children did so well that they were able to continue their studies at secondary level. The children’s horizons have changed. Instead of an ambition to polish shoes or sell knick knacks by the road, they now want to train for professional careers, such as doctors, lawyers and engineers. Tong-Len wants to help them all achieve their full potential.
Rinku, one of the school leavers who is now at university studying mechanical engineering, has spoken movingly about his experiences:
‘Ever watched a seed carried by a strong wind being dropped into a heaven like place. It is due to the hard work of the strong wind. For me this strong wind is Tong-Len. Before I came to Tong-Len I was nothing. I was a simple guy who used to look for garbage in dirty bins and spread my hand for begging. I did not have hope; my future was the life of a dog. Finally I reached Tong-Len and now have every facility necessary for my life. Now the light for my future has appeared.
See more comments by the children here.
Health
Disease is rife in the slum camps. Respiratory conditions, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency disorders, and blood-borne diseases are widespread. Polio, leprosy, and tuberculosis are not yet eradicated. During the winter months, temperatures can drop below zero, and in the summer heavy monsoon rains and flooding exacerbate the situation. The basic shelter comprising make-shift tents of polythene draped over flimsy wooden supports is unable to withstand these extreme climatic conditions. Many children died in infancy and mothers frequently died in childbirth.
Health Clinics
In the beginning, access to health care was limited due to fear, myths and a sense of powerlessness in many of the slum families. Hygiene and sanitation were very poor and needed to be addressed. The priority was to maintain life and reduce disease. Tong-Len began a small health project in 2006, run by a western volunteer. This provided general medical care, medicines, health awareness, wound dressing and access to hospital for the seriously ill. Today Tong-Len has its own health team with five full-time staff. They visit the slums regularly and hold general clinics, pre-natal and post-natal clinics as well as special clinics for the under-fives. In addition, there is a programme of immunisation run in conjunction with government doctors. 70 per cent babies are now born in hospital. Deaths have decreased and life expectancy has increased.
Current health work among the communities evicted from Charan Khad
The Tong-Len health team have been working hard to support the families evicted from their homes in Charan Khad in June 2016. Regular clinics are being held in all the places where the Charan community have relocated, mainly in the vicinity of Chetru close to Gaggal, Dharamsala’s airport (15 km from Charan Khad). In addition the health team have run a number of clinics in villages in Himachal Pradesh up to 70 km away from Dharamsala, including clinics in Nadaun and Chintpurni. Special clinics have been carried out for the under 5s in the slum communities and for the children in the Tong-Len hostels. The team has also been involved in a disability project, visiting disabled children and their families in the Kareri district, about 20 km north of Dharamsala. Tong-Len is able to carry out a range of medical tests in-house through its mobile health unit including:
liver and kidney function tests (LFT and KFT),
HIV tests, and
Hepatitis B tests
Sponsorship Options
The cost for one child to attend school and live in the hostel is 75,000 rupees per annum, which is about £800 at the current rate of exchange. As this is a considerable sum to seek from any one sponsor, most children have up to five sponsors.
All sponsors are given details, photos and regular progress updates of the children they are supporting and are able to communicate with them if they wish by email or post to the hostel.
Child sponsorship not only provides an education, it also provides some of the joys of childhood to children who have known nothing but the hardships of hunger, disease, begging and scavenging.
If you would like to become a sponsor or have any questions, please contact anna@tong-len.org.
Humble Courtesy – http://tong-len.org/tong_len_new/
News Article – http://indianexpress.com/article/india/how-a-monk-brought-children-out-of-slums-to-schools-lobsang-jamyang-dharamshala-4699506/
