Here’s what was happening in Helping Point’s communities prior to the lockdown in response to COVID-19. For an update on how the charity is responding to the coronavirus, please see this post.
Daycare Centres
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Helping Point has been providing meals four days a week to 150 children aged between 5-12 years old via our daycare centres. The new meals program is in response to the drought in 2019, which left many impoverished families in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh without the means to adequately nourish their children.
Following the overwhelming response to our Christmas fundraising campaign, the meals program was going to be rolled out to five of our daycare centres from this April. This is currently on hold due to the lockdown, but once restrictions are lifted, operations will resume and the program will launch in more locations.
Malnutrition is one of the most significant issues Helping Point encounters amongst the children we serve, and we have already been seeing a hugely positive impact from the program. The children’s concentration and capacity to learn has improved, attendance rates have risen and the kids seem generally brighter and happier.
St Simon’s School
Various developments were underway at St Simon’s prior to the current crisis. Construction work has been in progress to improve the school’s infrastructure, to comply with government safety regulations which mandate that all buildings must be cyclone-proof with concrete roofs.
A new third floor is being added to the modern hostel block. When completed, it will be used as the boys’ dormitory, releasing the ground floor to function as a dining hall and as a church on Sundays. The windows and electricity were due to be installed on the third floor soon, but this is on pause due to the lockdown. Work was also underway to construct a secure boundary wall around the school - a huge task, as it first involves breaking up large rocks into smaller pieces suitable for construction.
The third floor of the dormitory building is currently under construction
There is also a new teaching block next to St Simon’s hostel building, with 12 classrooms which will enable the school to increase its capacity to 400-450 pupils. Soon, the old tin- roofed single storey classrooms at St Simon’s will be removed, leaving space for further construction in the future if required. The bricks from the old girls’ dormitory will be reused elsewhere, whilst the boys’ old dorm will be used as a storeroom.
The new teaching block
In February and March, 12 St Simon’s pupils were preparing to face their final school examinations. However, all exams became suspended at short notice due to the COVID-19 crisis. Arrangements for rescheduling of exams are not yet known.
Once the students’ studies at St Simon’s are completed, these 16-year-olds will then move to junior colleges in Gumma or elsewhere. It is encouraging to hear of the difference the school has already made in the lives and life prospects of previous pupils, and we wish them every success for the future.
Jhola Children’s Home
A new girls’ dormitory for Jhola is currently under construction but this project has suffered a number setbacks to the timetable, firstly due to adverse weather (Cyclone Fani and then an extreme heatwave) and more recently due to the COVID-19 lockdown. All at Jhola are eagerly awaiting completion of the new building once lockdown restrictions are lifted.
We are pleased to report that a new well was installed in May 2019, funded by Helping Point Canada, to provide the Home with a reliable fresh water supply. See the photos here.
Thank you for your ongoing support.