Lotus Flower Trust

Saraswati Shishu Mandir Primary School

admin — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:17:43 +0000

It was one of the worst things imaginable – a landslide had struck, destroying the walls of the primary school, trapping the class and, devastatingly, leaving 18 young children dead. The suffering of the families was immense.

The site would never be used again for teaching as, the locals believe, the spirits of the dead children remain. It has now been designated a memorial to the departed youngsters and a new building is under construction across the valley away from the cliffs. The project includes a library for the use of the local community.

The building will be completed in late-2012 and one hundred children will be able to move on from the terrible disaster that befell them in 2010.

This new project is privately funded by Mhairi Rodrigues and friends.

Kapkote Girls Home

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:40:43 +0000

Funded generously by Mel Morris, her family and friends, this home will replace the dreadful accommodation we found sixty eight young girls living in.

The finished home will accommodate one hundred girls between the age of four and eighteen and will dramatically change their lives. They are destitute children, either orphans, from a one parent family or from families that just can’t afford to bring up the children.

A small skills centre is being attached where it is hoped the girls will learn how to use a computer because with these skills they should be able to find a job locally and not drift into the urban cities which are overcrowded and inhospitable to single women.

The local NGO, Gramin Utthan Samiti has generously donated further funds to develop this home to the benefit of the girls.

The Himalayan International Primary and Middle School

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:24:24 +0000

Missoorie is one of the old British Hill Stations and is visited by both Indian and Foreign Tourists. Everyone is conscious of the financial growth of India and the children of this remote mountainous area are at great risk of missing out on a brighter future and job opportunities if they do not receive a good education.

The Trust has been approached by S.P. Chamoli, Vice Chairman of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation to support his Trustees and the local villagers to build a new school for two hundred pupils. The school will cost £37,000 to build on generously donated land.

At the moment the children all go to school in rented accommodation which houses 60 children and they have recently been served notice to quit the premises. The education offered to children in this area is poor with the notable exception of this school and there is an enormous demand from the villagers, parents and children alike to have a new purpose built school constructed.

Malla Ramgarth Primary School

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:13:58 +0000

This small school with fifty children was built by the British one hundred years ago. It has become very run down and is in need of repair.

The villagers are very keen to preserve the building as it was when it was built but add to it an additional class room and toilets.

The total cost will not be more than £10,000 – the Education Department of Uttrakhand has agreed to fund £3,000 towards the costs, so we are looking for a further £7,000.

Ramnagar School and Home for Disabled Children

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:09:33 +0000

There are no purpose built schools or homes for disabled children in Uttrakhand. The parents struggle to look after their children and schooling is offered by small NGOs who do their best. In the area of Ramnagar there is a need for accommodation for at least 100 children who are both physically and mentally challenged. The total cost for a school and home will be £65,000. The Trust has been approached by a local NGO U.S.R.Indu Samiti to fund this very important project.

Women in Travel have been selected to receive the proceeds of an auction of a rare bottle of William Grant’s whisky. Eleven such bottles of 55 yr old Glenfiddich have been created by the company, one to celebrate each decade of the life of Janet Sheed Roberts, the Granddaughter of William Grant the Founder of the distillery.

The proceeds from the auctions are to be given to charity and it is wonderful to learn that No7 bottle’s proceeds will go to Women in Travel who are going to donate the funds to this project. We don’t know what sum the auction will raise but are sure it will cover the cost of the first phase, the school.

Domka Gongma Primary School

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:02:49 +0000

During the floods of August 2010 the school in this very remote village, (thirty kilometres from the main road) was completely washed away. Thankfully, the children escaped with their lives.

The Trust set up a “Disaster Fund” raising some £30,000. This was spent on a number of small projects giving immediate help to those in desperate need but the Ladakh Hill Council asked if we would also fund the rebuilding of this school. The valley is a farming area producing crops of apricots but even so the villagers are very poor. The construction is progressing and we hope it should be completed by the end of 2012.

Nalanda Primary School, Second Phase

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:54:46 +0000

When the first phase is completed this year we will be looking for funds to add to this home and school.

We have been asked to finance the building of a hostel for the children, offices, staff quarters, and a library block. This will improve the local teachers’ ability to manage the home and school from purpose built premises and release some of the first phase building’s rooms for more pupils.

At the moment they are doubling up on the use of the newly constructed rooms both as sleeping accommodation and classrooms. The cost will be approximately £35,000.

Upper Tharuk Primary School

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:51:37 +0000

This very small school is in one of the most remote areas in Ladakh. The school was upgraded in 2011 by Rod Pashley and a few of his friends.

They funded a rebuild and installed a boundary wall. Everything was then repainted.

Nalanda Primary School, Sabu Ayu

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:46:02 +0000

His Holiness, Togdan Rinpoche has asked if Lotus Flower Trust could help him build a home for destitute children. This will also be a school for 100 children from the most remote and desolate areas where no schooling is available. It has been agreed that the school will be built to a similar design as the Shuchakul monks home and His Holiness has donated the land.

It will be built in Saboo Ayu, not far from the nunnery constructed by Lotus Flower Trust.

Due to the dreadful floods of 2010, where possibly 1000 people drowned, it has taken a while to begin work. TFWA Care has sponsored this project and it will be completed by the summer of 2012.

English Language Centre

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:38:20 +0000

With access to the area only possible during four months each year, and only then by plane or a four day trek, very few students have the opportunity to meet and converse with the outside world.

The intention is to build an all year round centre with qualified staff and the facilities to teach at least 250 teachers and students per year. This will have a massive effect on the teaching, and learning, of English to primary and middle schoolchildren across Ladakh.

His Holiness Togdan Rinpoche and Tswang Norbu Vivek, President of the International Fellowship of Buddhist Youth have asked that we help to develop the ability of Ladakhi people to converse in, and understand, English.

TFWA Care has generously funded this project which will be completed by the summer of 2012.