FMVSO Newsletter Number 2. November 2007
In the last six months there have been exciting developments at the school and orphanage. Di has just returned from a 3-week visit, working with the children and gathering information to relay back to our supporters in UK. Funds sent from UK have helped to improve and expand the accommodation, sustain living conditions and support the excellent education provided by the school.
Lama Thupten Phuntsok, the founder and principal, continues to guide and care for his growing family with wisdom and a sure and loving hand.HH Dalai Lama takes a keen interest in the progress of the School and Orphanage. He has contributed towards various projects and pays an honorarium towards teachers’ salaries.
The Lama’s dedication to improving the lot of the deprived children of Tawang district received national recognition in April 2007. The president of India bestowed on him the prestigious Padma Shree Award, one of the highest honours in the country.
Lama Thupten’s integrity and hugely valuable contribution to the Tawang community is widely recognised by individual Indian Government ministers, senior army officers and people from all walks of life, in India and abroad. Manjushree receives no financial aid from the Indian government. The School and Orphanage continues to flourish through the generosity of the local community and organisations, friends from all over India and charities and individuals from abroad.
FMVSO has already transferred £10,000 this year, shared between construction projects, education and general funds. We hope to send a further £8,500 in January specifically for the building of the new education block.
This was Di's third visit to Manjushree and she is convinced more than ever of the worth and validity of the organisation. Staying at the orphanage and being involved in everyday life gave the opportunity to witness first hand what an amazing place it is. The children are secure and happy. They are well fed, warmly clothed and now have comfortable dormitories.
Education up to 5th grade within Manjushree is of a high standard compared with government schools. At 6th grade the children go on to Bumba Secondary School, just a 15-minute walk away. The Manjushree kids are all more forthcoming than their peers, their English is better and they are more interactive with their teachers. They are generally in the top 3 in the class. Everyone loves the Manjushree children.
125 children are living at Manjushree under Lama Thupten’s care. The majority are orphans or destitutes; 9 are physically handicapped. 11 more of the family are studying elsewhere: 2 students are attending university in Delhi. Mani (who lost both forearms in an electrical fire) is in his second year, reading economics, and is being sponsored by FMVSO. Tsultim is in her first year, with some funding from Holland. One of the senior girls is attending High School in Guwahati, under sponsorship. 6 senior boys are boarding at the army school in Tezpur, Assam (funded by the army). 3 more boys, of their own volition, are studying to become monks at a monastery in south India.
There are also 36 day students attending school free of charge; these children’s parents cannot afford the uniform and books required to attend the government school. There are many more children in the area who have never been to school.
PROGRESS
It was thrilling to see the boys happily settled into their new dormitory. They now have the luxury of indoor bathrooms and hot water from the solar water heating system. Friends of Manjushree have made this possible.
A further storey has been added to the dormitory block; this will provide badly needed accommodation for Lama Thupten and other staff. They have currently been sharing in small cramped rooms. The outside toilets are also being rebuilt. FMVSO are funding this project.
Thanks to TLC (the US charity who funded the solar water heating) the old dining hall block is being replaced with a much larger, better built, two-storey structure. Downstairs there will be a new dining hall, kitchen, office and domestic staff quarters; upstairs the study hall will also be used for entertainments and cultural programmes. Foundations have been laid and the project should be complete by March.
FUTURE PLANS
Since Di's last visit in 2006, FMVSO has been focussing its attention on the hostel block. Now that this is fully paid for we can look to other priorities.
Classroom space is still a problem. Nursery & KG have classes on the dorm. floor or outside. Class 1 are taught on an open veranda.
School Building was built in 1998 when the orphanage was founded. Of the 8 rooms in school building, 4 are currently being used as classrooms; they are poorly equipped, ill-lit and in a bad state of repair. 2 further rooms have been dry lined and have wooden floors. One is now the computer room, with 6 working computers donated by an Indian TV station. The other serves as the library and staff room. The final rooms are the office and Lama Thupten’s bedroom (which doubles as the school’s prayer room).
FMVSO have pledged to contribute the £8,500 balance required to build and equip a new education block. This will provide, downstairs, a special room for Nursery and KG, plus a hobbies room. Upstairs will be a large library/study hall for seniors plus a smaller library for juniors. A local philanthropist has already donated £12,500 specifically for the education block project. It is hoped that this small education block will be the starting point for a much larger building to be added later when funds allow.
Other Projects
A piece of land has already been allotted for a 2- storey guesthouse. This will comprise 6 twin bed rooms with bathrooms and balcony. Downstairs will be a dining hall, kitchen and office. The rationale behind this plan is to provide:
- A source of revenue
- Opportunity for vocational training and jobs in hospitality/tourism/traditional crafts
- Accommodation for visitors/volunteers
FMVSO will be supporting this project
A meditation/retreat centre is also planned. This would tie in nicely with the guesthouse, catering to local visitors as well as those from overseas.
Still badly needed are:
An Infirmary/Clinic with basic medical care as well as accommodation for sick children. A US charity is currently researching medical facilities at the orphanage and in the Tawang region. If required FMVSO will raise funds to support their efforts.
A separate hostel for the boys would help provide more space, privacy and personal identity for both the boys and the girls.
EDUCATION
In the next 4 years, 12 children will be completing senior education and looking to their futures. FMVSO aims to help fund them through higher education, whether academic or vocational.
There are 3 new teachers. There is help for slow learners and the seniors now have computing, debating and public speaking as extra curricular subjects. Extra tuition in Maths, English and Science is being given to the seniors to encourage more students to aim for the science stream in Grade XI and XII. FMVSO contributes towards general expenditure, which includes teachers’ salaries, books and uniforms.
Thanks to the continued interest and support of our many friends in the UK, we are helping to make a difference.
