“St Xavier’s Gurap has succeeded largely due to its holistic approach to community engagement. The teachers and staff give importance to tribal customs and culture while providing opportunities for growth through education—the most important tool for giving strength to underprivileged children. The school is a long-term, transparent commitment to the community and is a promise for building lasting relationships based on mutual respect and understanding.”

— from a case-study of MBA graduate students of St Xavier’s Kolkata.

The pictures above are from a recent visit of MBA students from St Xavier’s Kolkata. The graduate students are required to participate in an “exposure program” that introduces these young adults to the social justice work of the Jesuits in West Bengal. This year, the chosen program was Gurap. When the graduate students first arrived, they were fish out of water. These students are from very affluent families, their lives the polar opposites of our students. At first, they were uncomfortable even sitting on the floor with our students. But after they began to interact with the children, everything changed.

As they visited classrooms, the warmth and curiosity of the children drew them in; singing and dancing together soon followed. Fast forward to later in the day, a hard-hitting soccer match gave the Santal students a chance to demonstrate their resiliency—they were literally knocked down and they “bounced back up,” said Fr Maria Joseph. St Xavier’s Gurap won the match 1-0! (More on soccer below.)

The graduate students were charged with asking questions of the children, teachers and staff to prepare a case study. They asked the children about village schools and what they wanted to be; the teachers about providing a modern education; and the staff about sustainability. The support of Tribe Rising India was honored by all and the graduate students asked how they could help. Fr Maria Jospeh encouraged them to provide both financial support and to return to the school as teachers and mentors!

It was touching that the graduate students were worried about how the children would be protected—how would the children stay connected to their culture if they received a modern education? Family connection is an essential part of life in India, the graduate students were concerned about how our Gurap students would keep these important connections! They were able to see first-hand that Santal culture is respected at St Xavier’s Gurap, and the students remain connected to agriculture and nature just as they would be in their village.

The graduate students will visit with the Gurap students a couple of more times this year. These two groups of students would never have had a reason to speak to one another in any meaningful way before St Xavier’s Gurap was a reality—hope is not a wish anymore, it’s concrete, it’s flourishing, and it’s most definitely for everyone.

Come celebrate that hope with us on August 22!

Aima sarhau,
Annette