Roseberry Nursery School
The Story So far
In March 2007, School Aid India opened a small school for disadvantaged children in Darjeeling, among the foothills of the Himalayas. It was named Roseberry School, after a popular landmark in North East England where the charity is based.
The Charity’s aim is to give poor children a brighter future by educating them properly up to the age of 11. Roseberry Nursery School opened with 28 pre-school children in two classes. A further 15 children will be admitted each year, reaching a full complement of seven classes with some 105 students by 2012 when the original intake will leave. SAI provides shoes and books and uniforms for all children from the beginning of their second year. The school is organised in Darjeeling by our Indian agent Rachana Pradhan and administered by our local partner Trust.
School Aid India started this project with sufficient funds to run the school for one year only, and with no guarantee of future income. By mid-summer of 2007 the story of Roseberry Nursery School had been taken up by local newspapers, resulting in a splendid response from the public in the North East of England and elsewhere. Interest in our work and support for the school continues to grow.
The building in its original state
We are lucky to have excellent partners in the School Aid India Darjeeling Trust. They worked hard in the winter to renovate a semi-derelict building, which has evolved into a delightful base for the school, with two tiny classrooms. It is well situated, in an area where there is a great demand for the education we offer. Volunteers who visited the school brought back glowing reports of the work being done.
The local community in Darjeeling has shown great interest in the project and the education big wigs who attended the official inauguration of Roseberry School in 2007 pledged their full support. They commended School Aid India for working closely with the local community in Darjeeling, and ensuring that the money we raised was wisely and fruitfully spent. They also thanked SAI for the help being given to their disadvantaged children.
Building Appeal
During the course of the year it has become apparent that the acquisition of permanent quarters will be crucial to securing the school’s future. Five additional classrooms will be needed over the next four years and there is no long term security of tenure on the two rooms currently in use.
Research in Darjeeling suggested that building new premises would be the best solution, at a possible cost of around £50,000 for a concrete construction, including land. If funds are insufficient to complete the building in one phase, floor(s) can be added at a later stage, a common local practice.
The Building Appeal was launched in early 2008 and immediately brought an encouraging response, but there is a long way to go yet. As soon as we have raised a good proportion of the funds needed to build, we will begin negotiations to acquire suitable land.