January 28th 2019
Our last day, in brief, since I've just lost two hours of writing....
I'm home now to chilly France but want to conclude this year's blog report. It's always helpful to have these records to look back on.
Our last day, in brief, since I've just lost two hours of writing....
I'm home now to chilly France but want to conclude this year's blog report. It's always helpful to have these records to look back on.
Meeting with Santi, with Charles, Training Officer who will take over from Sekar in June, Rakesh RCO with responsibility for elderly, Paul Jebaraj, who is supervising the WHO 1000 days assessment project. Santi had clearly done her homework about our past work with RUHSA. She surprised us by saying she'd like to reinstate the One Candle Fund, only extending it beyond just Seetaramanpet, making it for other courses which aren't necessarily academic, plus this time really trying to have beneficiaries give back after they have started to earn ( as we always intended). They will evaluate the previous donations ( 100 children benefitted) and look at what happened to those children. Exciting possibilities we felt!
Next Shanti talked about making our centre a model of good practice. She aims to start a training course for pre school teachers at RUHSA. This will require a teacher with pre school training and she has just found out that one of the RUHSA staff, Ashok, has a wife who is Montessori trained. First task- to find the salary for this teacher. RUHSA courses are always made as cheap as possible, apparently. Shanti and I will have to be in contact regularly this year if all is to be ready to launch this next Jan, when I might hope to visit again. Sam will be the contact point for liaising with the preschool, once Sekar is retired. I have some anxieties about his ability/ willingness to do this properly. Still, some very exciting possibilities, and what we did always hope for from the Pachaikili.
Next, already late, to Pachaikili for lunch. Detour en route to see some fantastic outdoor equipment- and also some large equipment for indoor use- at a huge private school near Seetarampet. The man who set this school up had as his aim to provide good affordable primary education for poorer families and several Seetarampet families we know do use it. Sekar explained that very many government schools are very poor quality with lazy, uninterested teachers, so many parents have lost faith in them. Must try to get some of this outdoor equipment- Sekar to sort this. There is money in a fund after the Kamanchamanpet SHG left and decided to donate all the money raised over the years through parental contributions etc.
Parents meeting, held monthly. Pleased to see three dads and a couple of Grandad's. Parents pleased with how children appear to be learning, lots of chat about school when they get home, songs etc Could they have certificate as they leave for the next school? I'm hoping they will all have a book for their child which records progress, with photographs. This was discussed with teachers. One of the dads a photographer so many photos ensued, including the visitors from UK! At last time for thank yous and goodbyes, with tears, yet again... Finally we walked to the village to call on five homes where dear friends live to take 'just one small coffee' of course, to hug and kiss and laugh and shed a few tears and goodbyes, until the next time.... Pam, Brian and Jan to Katpadi for the overnight train to Kerala and me to Chennai for a long flight through the night to the freezing cold UK and now, finally, home.
