Brother Pepito Mahong fms from the Marist Brothers community in West Bengal, India has provided a progress update on work to construct a new fence to surround the compound of the Chetana Tribal Boys Hostel in the West Bengal village of Talit.
It is required to will protect the young boys boarding at the hostel by people from walking through the property, and safeguard the property’s assets, including crops and livestock.
Work to construct the new fence commenced in early March and is expected to be completed later this year. Once completed, it will be 2.1 metres high and 440 metres long and is constructed with block wall and chain wire.
The Marist Brothers have been working to establish the hostel in Talit since 2008. They have an agreement with the local diocese, which owns the land the hostel is built on, to operate the facility for 25 years.
About 70 boys, aged between nine and 17, board at the hostel and attend nearby government schools. These boys belong to the very-marginalised Santhal tribe that is indigenous to this region. They come from poor families and most struggle to pay the less than $10-a-month boarding fees.
The local diocese has only been able to contribute half of the project costs and remaining costs are being covered by Australian Marist Solidarity, thanks to the generous support we have received from the school communities of Marist College North Shore and Marcellin College Randwick.
Please donate to the Australian Marist Solidarity End of Financial Year appeal and support the Marist Brother’s projects to improve access to education in India.
Story by Kate Egerton