This summer I will be traveling to rural northeastern India to volunteer at a residential all-boys school for four weeks. The school serves the Musahar, a group of "untouchables", whose traditional job was to clear the rice fields of rodents, earning them the nickname of "Rat Eaters." They live in extreme poverty, with literacy levels below 6% and land ownership around 2%. They are squatters who live in mud huts and often eat only one meal per day. Many of the reforms we've heard about in India over the past few decades have not improved the lives of the Musahar due to corruption and their lack of political power.
The school is located in Patna, Bihar, and was founded 10 years ago to provide a quality education to students ages 4-14 so that they can go on to higher education and be advocates for their people. I will live at the school and work directly with the students, helping them to improve their English and basic math skills.
My goal is to raise $3000 to take as a gift to the school, which, in addition to educating the students for free, also provides for their food, lodging, clothing, and materials. This amount of money would represent a significant contribution toward the school and would positively affect the lives of hundreds of students.
Thanks in advance for your donation. I will be sure to keep in touch with updates about our progress and will have amazing photos and stories of the kids and their school when I return.
