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 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 children who attend this school occupying three classrooms. They are taught English and Konkani languages (most of them speak at least two other i.e. Hindi and Kanada), arithmetic and the girls basic needlework. In addition to their academic studies the children are taught basic computer skills plus 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. Our objective is to educate the children up to a standard where they can integrate with children from ‘non-poverty’ families and when this has been achieved we secure a place for them at one of the government schools. Each year before they leave Starting Point we take the children on a days outing which may be a visit to a wildlife park or a day at the beach where they can play in the sea, go on a boat ride to see the dolphins and have lunch at a beach restaurant. This will most probably be the only time in their lives that they will have a day out. The school is staffed with 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!