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NEWS

Navigating COVID-19 and Supporting Continued Education

August 2020

Welcome to the latest Hannah Memorial Academy charity newsletter. Since our last update, we could not have imagined how much the world has changed for everyone. There has perhaps never been a more important time for us to help others who are less fortunate during these challenging times. On behalf of all the Hannah Memorial Academy Trustees, we want to say a big thank you for your continued support and generosity.

School update following COVID-19

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Following guidance from the Indian national government in response to the outbreak of Coronavirus, the Hannah Memorial Academy has been closed for the past few months and will continue to be shut until at least the end of August. Prior to its closure, the school had maintained a healthy intake of pupils from across the local area, with a total of 47 pupils (27 girls, 20 boys). In normal times, the school’s vehicle, purchased through funds donated by the Clifton Bristol Rotary Club, continues to help transport a number of teachers on the one-hour journey from Darjeeling to the school in the remote area around the Dhooteriah Tea Garden. This vital service helps teachers avoid long walks to and from the school, especially during difficult weather conditions. There are currently 7 full time teachers, 2 non-teaching staff, and 1 cook, providing a daily lunch meal for every student. We hope that the school will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

Latest news from the Darjeeling community

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Like many communities across India and around the world, Darjeeling has been impacted by the global outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to a recent increase in cases in and around the Darjeeling region, the area remains closed to tourism and localised lockdowns are being enforced. While the school has remained closed for educational purposes, it continues to serve as a hub for important community initiatives. The local Health Department has been using the school buildings to host frequent health and hygiene classes with parents and other local residents. The school has also been used as a place for locals to get health check ups and important vaccines to prevent the spread of other diseases. Many locals are showing a strong community spirit and have taken to growing their own food supplies. We continue to speak with the founder of the school, Jason Lepcha, to establish how we can best support the children and the local community.

Supporting children through secondary school and higher education

Thanks to your support, the charity continues to help former Hannah Memorial student's progress to secondary education. This year the charity has provided vital books and uniforms for 27 former Hannah Memorial Academy pupils to support their development. We are also pleased to report that funds from the charity have enabled 19 former Hannah Memorial Academy students (18-20 year olds) to continue their education at higher education colleges in Darjeeling and the neighbouring town of Ghoom. The charity is also helping to pay for their admission fees and textbooks.

Fantastic quiz fundraising efforts

We would like to give a special mention to the Crown Online Quizzers, led by Mark the Quiz Master, for their innovative fundraising efforts during lockdown. Instead of the regular pub quiz night at the Crown Inn, Mark has been hosting a weekly virtual pub quiz for local residents in Highfield, Southampton. Funds raised by the entrance fee for the quiz have kindly been put towards the Hannah Memorial Academy, with the group so far raising a brilliant £1,428! We are very grateful for their amazing support and are inspired by this creative approach to fundraising during these strange times.

If you would like to make a donation to the Hannah Memorial Charitable Trust, please visit our donations page here

The Trustees of the Hannah Memorial Academy Charitable Trust are: Christine Browning, Roger MacLaverty, John Higham, Margaret Mattingly, Ben Pattie, Ram Varma, Helen Wilde, and Camilla MacLaverty. We hope you are happy to receive occasional news about the progress of the school, but if you would prefer not to receive our newsletters, please email us here to unsubscribe

Support us now

Hannah’s school has united people of every age, from two continents, who want to help create a memorial for Hannah and benefit a whole community in one of the poorest areas of India – please join us in supporting Hannah’s school.

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Jason’s story

How the school was started

The Hannah Memorial Academy is the vision of Jason Lepcha who was inspired to build a school in memory of Hannah Foster.
The school, in the Dhooteriah Tea Garden, is a lasting legacy to Hannah Foster, a 17-year old Hampshire girl who was murdered in the West End District of Southampton in March 2003 by Maninder Pal Singh Kohli.

Just over a year after Hannah’s tragic death, Jason Lepcha, a local taxi driver with a good understanding of English, was hired as a driver in Darjeeling by the chief murder suspect. He subsequently responded to a national appeal for information that led to the arrest of Mr. Kohli in Darjeeling in July 2004. In return for providing the police with the vital information, Jason received a reward of £4569 from the Hampshire Police.

Jason is an educated man from a modest background but he always had a dream to provide free education for the children in the Dhooteriah Tea Garden, one of the country’s poorest regions. Instead of spending the reward on himself, Jason used the money and help from the local villagers to secure a plot of land suitable to build a school on.
In 2005 Jason’s vision became a reality, with the opening of an English school in the Dhooteriah Tea Garden. The school is situated in the village of Santi Gram, 21 km from Darjeeling town, in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Today, Jason and his wife Isabella manage and administer the school under an Indian trust, with the support of 7 local Trustees. Most importantly, the school is named after Hannah and serves as living memory to her while helping the regions children to get a good start in life.

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Christine and Roger’s story

How the trust was formed.

In November 2006 Christine and Roger had been travelling in Darjeeling, when their driver, Jason told them about his school. One day they visited it and immediately decided they would like to support such a wonderful, practical memorial.

They came home to Hampton and with the full support of Trevor and Hilary Foster, Hannah’s parents, started collecting funds. The school had opened with one building, 5 teachers, a few teaching materials and 22 pupils. Gradually, with a lot of hard work and cajoling, funding has enabled the school to grow to a maximum roll of 125 pupils.

Gradually, Chris and Rog involved their friends, sending books, funds and anything they could muster. Then in August, realising how much more funding is needed to guarantee the continuation of the school, they set up the Hannah Memorial Academy Charitable Trust.

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The Charitable Trust

How the trust supports the school.

Purpose

The Trust supports the school through Jason, his family and the staff – who have the skills, knowledge, determination and vision – but not the financial wherewithal.

The Trustees:

  • Christine Browning, BSc (Hons) –  Company Director
  • Roger Maclaverty, LLB – Retired Solicitor, Notary Public
  • Camilla Maclaverty, LLB(Hons), MSc Overseas Development
  • Ben Pattie – Public Relations and Social Media
  • Ram Varma –  ACA Chartered Accountant, Treasurer
  • Helen Wilde – Charity Fund Raiser and former High Sheriff of Bristol

The work of the Trust is fully supported by Hannah’s parents Hilary and Trevor Foster, who are kept informed at all times of what we do and what is happening in Hannah’s school.

How we manage the Trust

The Trustees give all their time for free, charge no personal expenses, and apart from minimal essential costs, every penny raised is used entirely for the benefit of the school and its pupils.

Even our interest bearing Bank Account is free! School Budgets are agreed in advance, all expenditure is recorded and monitored, and our aim is for at least annual visits by one or more trustees.

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