The people who nurture Gurap’s students are growing! We’ve come a long way from the original team of 6. So what’s the big deal you might be asking, schools have people. Well, in addition to their number, until a short time ago, many of these teachers and workers would not have had much reason to interact with Santal children or with one another.

Today we have 15 teachers, staff and workers in Gurap who cut across all castes and faiths, and who have much more education themselves. The team includes:

• 7 Santal teachers in the primary grades
• 6 Bengali teachers for English, Bengali language, science, math and geography
• a male (Jesuit) and female (St Xavier’s Burdwan graduate) counselor for the kids
• a registered nurse (religious sister) who provides basic health education and basic medical care
• an additional Jesuit as assistant Headmaster, who supports the curriculum and student life
• four full-time cooks who live at Gurap
• two matrons for the girls’ dorm (one is a religious sister)
• two wardens for the boy’s dorm
• three additional staff (women) who have been hired to support the younger students with cleanliness/dressing and to keep the new school clean
• a gardener/maintenance man
• and—another St Xavier’s Gurap first—three extracurricular teachers, 2 for football (soccer) and 1 for volleyball
• and coming soon, tutors to teach study skills and support evening study times.

With 240 kids on the field trip—we almost always saw a teacher with a comforting arm around a student or offering a gentle word of encouragement. Later as part of a teacher interview for a grant, we expressed how touched we were. They responded by sharing how happy they are to be working with the children, how much the children want to learn and… with wish lists for bringing the school up to par with the best schools! They want the best for their students. They see children who need to and want to learn!

This is only the tip of the iceberg. These beautiful people are breaking down barriers everyday supported by YOU—over 500 donors and over 100 businesses who consistently support Tribe Rising India. Together, we are making a real, huge and positive difference everyday!

Thank you, aima sarhau!
Annette