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201712 Pupils 24

NEWS

School Reopening and Community Healthcare Support

April 2022

Firstly, a huge thank you to all of you who have so generously continued to support the School over the last two unprecedented years. There are, and will continue to be, many urgent, deserving calls on our increasingly stretched incomes, but the financing of education remains high on the list. So we are pleased to let you know that the Hannah Memorial Academy has been open and active since mid February! Since it has been closed until so recently, we have no new images to show you, but are expecting some soon, and you can rest assured that when we receive them, we will share them with you.

Hannah Memorial Academy school update

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A short while ago, all primary schools in West Bengal were finally given the go ahead to re-open, and since then our teachers have been going round the tea estates encouraging parents to send their children back to the School. Initially, many parents were reluctant to allow their children back for fear of Covid. Needless to say, the children couldn't wait and there are now 22 pupils attending on a daily basis. As the word spreads and as Covid is kept at bay, we expect many more to return...

The Families

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A few families moved away during the pandemic to be with relatives who could help to support each other financially, but with businesses opening up again and more people being vaccinated, these families will almost certainly return to the Darjeeling area and their children will return to the School.

School activities during the Shutdown

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In recent months, the School has been used as a vaccination centre, initially for adults, but latterly for 13 to 18 year olds, who have now had their second jabs. The School will shortly be used for vaccinating 8 to 12 year olds who are eligible.

In addition, the School has just been used for the third time, for what is locally called a Medical Camp, whereby one or more doctors and nurses come to the School to offer health checks to the local population.. They give blood tests and recommend treatments where necessary. As a result, the school has once again proved to be an invaluable local resource.

Covid has caused almost everything to be put on hold, but thanks to your continuing support, the School has come through it and will continue to be a valuable and positive resource in this desperately poor region.

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, 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.

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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.

The school complex Reception Class Working Hard Picture15