Skip to content
201712 17 Completed Main Building 2sm

NEWS

New School Buildings, Student Success, and Solar Initiatives

December 2022

Welcome to the second Hannah Memorial Academy charity newsletter of 2022. As many of us start to think about Christmas gifts, why not consider a donation to HMA? Find out more here about how you can make a donation. We thank you for your continued support and hope you all have a lovely festive period.

Opening of new school buildings

201712 16 Completed Main Building 1sm

With support from the Indian government and funds from the charity, the Hannah Memorial Academy has been able to build a new kitchen and communal hall for the school. As you can see from the photos, the structure of the hall is almost complete and painting has begun. There are also plans to build a new set of tables and chairs for the students.

HMA students performing well

201712 Pupils 8

We are pleased to report that the Hannah Memorial Academy’s current student intake remains strong, with 32 primary school pupils this year. The school also continues to support 26 former HMA students through secondary education. Additionally, 14 HMA alumni are receiving financial support at University. A number of former students have successfully gained employment in Bangalore following their studies. There are plans for a number of alumni to pay a visit to the school during their upcoming holidays.

Learning lanterns for the children

As part of their on-going support in providing solar lighting to the school, Signify have pressed ahead with plans to issue each student with a portable solar powered lantern. The lanterns will provide valuable lighting for them at home, allowing them to complete homework. The lanterns can also provide light for the children during their commute to school – especially when daylight hours are reduced. Additional lanterns have been distributed to residents in the village. We thank Signify for their generous support.

Johannes runs London Marathon for Hannah Memorial Academy

After the disappointment of having to pull out of last year's London Marathon due to injury, on Sunday October 2nd, Johannes Nijboer ran the 2022 London Marathon in aid of the Hannah Memorial Academy. Over the hot summer he had put in many hours of hard training and was delighted to finish in the impressive time of 3 hours 30 minutes! So far he has raised over £1800. If you would like to contribute, you can still do so here. All funds go directly to the charity. Thanks and well done Johannes, we are very grateful.

Teachers and pupils gather in the playground to show off their new solar lanterns

The Trustees of the Hannah Memorial Academy Charitable Trust are: Christine Browning, Roger MacLaverty, John Higham, 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 at admin@hannahmemorialacademy.org to unsubscribe

Hannah Memorial Academy
32, Thames Haven
Portsmouth Road
Surbiton
KT6 4JA

Email: admin@hannahmemorialacademy.org
Web: www.hannahmemorialacademy.org
Tel: 020 8339 9200
Regn No. 112544

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.

Donate

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.

Jason pupil and pony Jason looking at progress Darjeeling 4650 Jasons pony

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.

IMG 2348 IMG 0868 Carpentry Building the school IMG 2353

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.

The school complex Reception Class Working Hard Picture15