Since its inception in 2001, the Tathagat School has been operating on next to no funds, fueled primarily by the hopes and optimism of a small group of men in the village of Bakrour, and the occasional small donation from tourists passing by. The monthly contributions they have been receiving from us covered about 20% of the budget they would need to fully fund school operations. Obviously, the quality of education they have been able to provide suffered significantly as a result.
Here in Seattle, our efforts to promote this project and fundraise for the school have ground to a halt in the past several months due to burdensome concerns and uncertainties regarding the operations of the school. We attempted to straighten things out through emails, but the very real challenges of language incompatibilities and culture gaps have made this attempt dissatisfying and incomplete.
Last month we received notice from the Board of Trustees at the village, that a community-wide meeting took place, where it was regretfully acknowledged that due to lack of sufficient funds to run the school properly, as well as an unresolved issue of physical location for the school, the School would have to close its doors in April 2008, if no new funding sources are identified. The kids, we are told, would potentially be enrolled in government schools (infamous for their poor/non-existing education), or return home to work in the fields with their parents.
My heart sinks at the thought that the hopes and dreams of so many will be shattered, and the hard (and wrong) lessons this experience would teach them all, child and adult alike, about the nature of life, about themselves, and about human nature.
This month (February 2008), Ellis is in India again, and will be visiting our school toward the end of the month. He will be meeting with the Board of Trustees and make every effort to sort out and get answers to the many questions and issues that have risen over the past few months, regarding the operations of the school and its future. We are eagerly awaiting his stories and impressions, in order to decide how best to proceed in supporting the Tathagat School. I hope very much that the information that emerges from this visit will give us reason and motivation to amplify our efforts again, to spread the word, educate others about the plight of the community of Bakrour, and to fundraise to build and run this school.
I believe that together with you and other caring people who will find out about this project, we can raise the $8,500 a year needed to fully fund the school. So much is at stake.
I will keep you posted as things develop.
Orna.
