I can quote numbers and tell you all about how St Xavier’s Gurap has grown, but these before and after pictures of our students speak volumes! Our students are growing up, growing in confidence and growing their minds.

The handsome young man in the last photo, Akar, will be one of our first high school students next year! He wants to be a doctor and when I asked him why, he said, “Because I want to help poor people.”

Akar believes he can help because he lives at a school with people who honor his personal dignity and respect where he comes from. Akar has a goal because his teachers encourage him to dream big and provide him access to education beyond what he could have dreamed.

Because of YOU, when Akar walks into that modern high school—that looks no different from the elite high schools made for “others”—Akar will have hope, hope that things can and are changing!

YOU have understood the message of hope. YOU are creating a better future for our students, by supporting growth and change today.

…And the change is contagious! The Minister of Education of West Bengal is planning to attend the high school grand opening ceremony in February 2024!

Finally, read about an American teenager’s Santal friend in our previous post or here.