Starting Point

We believe that making poverty history is a long-term policy that involves educating the children.

We have been involved with Starting Point Pre School since February 2004 when we provided an injection of funds to equip a classroom for 10 children and gave a commitment to finance the new class for a period of 12 months. Since then our association with Starting Point has flourished.

The school caters for children from very impoverished families, often living in slum conditions, most of who are unable to feed themselves daily let alone pay for their child’s education.

Although every child has the right to free education in India the parents do have to pay admission fees as well as for the uniforms, books, pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers, lunch, transport, satchel etc which to those living in poverty is not an option.

Attendance at Starting Point is free and they are transported to and from school, provided with their uniform and given a nutritious two-course meal each day they attend at no cost to their families.

There are now thirty-five children who attend this school occupying three classrooms.

They are taught in English but most of them also speak Hindi, and one other language depending on which state they originate from.
In addition to their academic studies the children are taught health & hygiene and social skills. There are various pieces of playground equipment (slides, seesaws, bicycles etc) for them to enjoy between finishing school and going home.
Each year they are taken on an outing to either a wildlife park, the beach or on a boat trip to see the dolphins.

Our objective is to educate the children up to a standard where they can integrate with children from more prosperous families and when this has been achieved we secure a place for them at one of the formal schools.

The school staff consists of three teachers, a cook and a cleaner.

On a recent visit to a settlement where a number of these children live one of the teachers witnessed the children holding a class teaching their parents what they had learnt!

Education after Starting Point

Each year some of the children will be capable of progressing to formal education and attend formal schools.
At these formal schools the children have to pass an exam each year to be allowed to move up to the next class (standard) and each child that completes education up to tenth standard & receives their school leaving certificate is almost guaranteed to find reasonable employment.
The effect of this is that the income should be sufficient to provide for the whole family and hopefully rescue them from poverty.
Should a child be capable of attending college to take ‘A’ level and then progress to university we would ensure they had the opportunity to do so.
At present we have one young lady who has completed her formal education, went on to university and qualified as a doctor in 2015. We have a number of students who are attending further education at local colleges studying science, accountancy, hotel management, commerce and art.

To date over eighty children have successfully progressed from Starting Point and we seek to find sponsors to finance their education.

The school building Lunch being served Some of the children