Students from Marist College North Shore and Marcellin College Randwick combine to create change for students at the Chetana Tribal Boys Hostel West Bengal, India.
The Chetana Tribal Boys Hostel is home to 70 boys aged between 8 and 18 years old who come from poor families and are of the marginalised Shantal ethnic minority. These children live at the hostel and attend government schools in the area (grades 5 – 12). Due to extreme family poverty their families were unable to send them to school, with many children only eating one meal a day. Now, with a token contribution of only 7 USD per month, these families are able to keep their child in the hostel whilst they attend school. This co-payment generates an investment by the family in their child’s well-being and prevents the hostel from being seen by these families as a permanent place to send their child away to. The children return to live and work with their families during holidays and value the education their child receives.
The hostel requires constant investment to develop and sustain its operations. As the hostel has two floors and an open roof on the top of the second floor there was a need to build a railing/wall around the edge of the roof as students use this space to hang washing, play games, study and for a range of other activities. Additionally, water pooled on the roof (which is a breeding ground for mosquitos) and was damaging the wall with water run-off, so drainage will also be installed and painting of the building. Moreover, the annual operating costs of the hostel continue to rise along with enrollments and so expenses related to health, food and education (teachers are employed to assist the children after school) continue to grow.
The Australian Marist Solidarity team would like to thank the generous support we have received from the school communities of Marist College North Shore and Marcellin College Randwick who go on immersion to the hostel. Combined, both schools fundraised in 2016 for the total cost to upgrade the roof of the hostel and also contributed to its ongoing operational costs.