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This year we have been working in association with
Abbey Grange Church of England High School,
Humanities College, Leeds, England, UK on
a specific school link project with the whole school
fundraising to improve the sanitation facilities at
Holy Family Higher Secondary School in Alleppey,
Kerala, INDIA. This project culminates in
July 2008 with four post 16 students traveling to
India and work with Yearoutindia to building the new
sanitation facilities for the link school. Students
will have direct control of the funds raised by school
and will implement the project from start to finish
whilst also exploring the beautiful region of Kerala. |
Link Coordinator: Ruth Gibson
This link was developed as part of my role as UK coordinator
for Yearoutindia. I have taught in rural schools in
India as part of Yearoutindia volunteer programs and
I act as a UK Coordinator for Yearoutindia, traveling
regularly to India to visit the current project sites
and schools. I also help identify new school link
projects suitable for Yearoutindia volunteer programs.
In the UK I am a full time teacher at Abbey Grange
in the Art Department.
Establishing the Link
During my visit to India during Easter 2007, I visited
the Holy Family Higher Secondary School and identified
their need for improved sanitation facilities, in
particular for the girls. The school currently has
no purified water, children drink unpurified ground
water and the 1500 girls at the school have access
to only 10 toilets that are in very poor repair. Having
seen the facilities at first hand and understood the
plea from the nuns who manage Holy Family School,
I felt that this school would benefit greatly from
the help and support that Yearoutindia projects can
provide. I decided to establish a link with my own
school Abbey Grange to help establish a link and fundraise
for the project.
Abbey Grange Global Justice Group Support the Project
At Abbey Grange our pupils led Global Justice Group
were keen to be involved and motivate the whole school
to raise £1000 needed to build the new sanitation
facilities. The students launched the 'Spend a Penny
Campaign' by conducting talks and assemblies, putting
up posters and leaving jars in all form rooms for
pupils to collect their loose change. The head teacher
also agreed to donate money from non-uniform days
towards this project. The school as a whole is well
on its way to raising the £1000 target. This
campaign also supports the UN International
Year of Sanitation 2008 helping to reach
the Millennium development goals.
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Poor
sanitation is a major cause for lost work
and school days because of illness. Girls
in particular miss out on educational opportunities
because of the lack of clean and safe latrines
in schools. - UN Report
Support the United Nations Year of Sanitation
2008 and make a real difference |
There
is a global crisis in sanitation and water.
2.6 billion people struggle without sanitation,
1.1 billion people live without access to
safe water; 5000 children die every day due
to preventable water related diseases and
women waste hours each day in the search for
water -The End Water Poverty campaign is demanding
immediate action. |
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Ruth Gibson - YOI Link
School Coordinator |
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| Existing
toilet facility available for more than 1000
girls |
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Unpurified
drinking water taps used by school children |
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North South Linking
This is not just
a fund raising project, aside from the letter exchange
with Y9 pupils, there are four post 16 students who
will be traveling to Kerala this summer to take part
in the renovation project. These four pupils, two
of them who are members of the 'Global Justice Group',
will have direct control and responsibility for the
funds raised by Abbey Grange to plan and build the
much needed sanitation facility for the Holy Family
School. During the volunteers visit to India they
are looked after and supported by Yearoutindia who
provide all the project related support, guidance,
food, accommodation. Yearoutindia and also supports
and encourages volunteers to spend their free time
exploring the lush landscape of Kerala and India's
rich culture and traditions. There are also opportunities
for the volunteers to enrich the global dimension
at Abbey Grange by developing curriculum links for
departments such as Geography; visiting the vast tea
plantations at Munnar set in the Western Ghat mountain
range and looking at farming practices in Kerala studied
as part of the GCSE curriculum. The volunteers will
be sharing their experiences with the whole school
on their return to Abbey Grange in September 2008.
Both
schools benefit by having a North-South school link,
enabling possibilities to enrich the global dimension
in education, build a learning exchange between the
two schools, supporting International work and links.
The post 16 students who are Yearoutindia volunteers
have developed new found confidence through their
fund raising efforts. Whilst in India the volunteers
will gain project management skills, experience of
working in a different cultural setting, develop their
interpersonal skills and have a fantastic experience
exploring South India.
If you are interested in developing your own
school link project in association with Yearoutindia
with schools in South India, either in fundraising
or culminating in a volunteer project please contact
me at ruth@yearoutindia.com
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Contact
the YOI support team at: info@yearoutindia.com
Call:
+91 484 4020040 (India office) +91 9447231853,
UK Tel: 0845 463 1571, 07092 233122 Fax: 07092 380001
©2005-2009 Yearoutindia. All rights reserved.
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