Dear friends and devotees,

Jaya Sita Rama. Please accept my humble pranams.

In a previous newsletter we had mentioned the Ashram's desire for opening a school to provide free education to poor and needy children in and around Bhadrak, Orissa. This project will involve the construction of a permanent school building for up to 1000 students which will be ran by the Bhaktivedanta Ashram. The students will be provided all school supplies (books, pens, paper, etc.) and uniforms free of cost. In addition to this the students will be provided free meals every day.

We are happy to report that this project is moving ahead. The Bhaktivedanta Ashram has acquired the necessary land for building the school and has received clearance for beginning construction. The total cost for the school building will be approximately $85,000 USD (Rs. 35 lakhs). The building will provide 9,000 square feet of space for accommodating the children's classrooms, and will double as an emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster such as a cyclone or flood. We require to collect half of the project funds in advance before construction can commence.  If you would like to help donate towards the school project, you can enter the donation amount in the box below. Donations sent by check should have the words 'School Project' in the memo field.

$

Please read the updates below for current project status and information about the informal school programs we have launched in the meantime to help educate needy children around our Ashram.

Yours in service,

Jahnava Nitai Das,
Bhaktivedanta Ashram &
Bhaktivedanta International Charities

[ Children attending the Bhaktivedanta Ashram's
daily educational programs receive nourishing meals. ]


[ Children attending the Ashram's daily educational
programs hearing lessons from Ram Lakshman Das. ]


[ Children displaying their works of art. Art class is
the favorite class for most of the children. ]


[ Children receive daily classes from devotees of the Ashram. ]

Current Status of Project

The site for the school was previously a sunken land filled with water most of the year. To overcome this we have filled the entire area with over 1,300 tractor loads of fresh dirt to raise the ground level above any chance of flood. Orissa is a flood prone area so we wanted to make sure we raised the land even higher than ground level as a precaution. After filing, the land was compressed and leveled with a 10 ton steam roller. As it stands, the land is ready for construction pending soil bore tests. After filling the land a compound wall was erected around the site for the school.

In the meantime we have started an informal school for poor children from nearby areas around our Ashram, and around 150 children are attending each day. Many of these children would previously spend their time begging, rummaging through garbage piles, and doing other such activities. One by one we have met with these children and spoken to them about the importance of their life and convinced them to change their lifestyle by taking interest in learning.

[ Below are some pictures showing the site for the school project before, during and after land filling work commenced. ]


Site for the school project prior to filling work commencing.


Site during filling operations. Over 1,300 tractor
loads of dirt were used to fill and level the land.


Site for the school project after pond is partially filled with dirt.


Site for the school project after the land is fully filled and
leveled. The land was compressed with a 10 ton steam roller.


After filing the land, work began on the compound wall.


Work in progress on the compound wall.