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HOW TO HELP

Support Us

As well as donating there are many other ways you can get involved to help and support the school

Donate Now

Other ways to support the school

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Visit

If you are planning a trip to Darjeeling, we can arrange visits to the school. A visit shows children, parents and staff that they are valued and supported.  Please do contact us first, to ensure it is term time and for help and advice. Plus there are plenty of tips and ideas on the pages which follow in this section.

Info for visitors
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Volunteering

In 2015 we completed the construction of the volunteer homestay accommodation adjacent to the Hannah Memorial school site. A number of international volunteers have stayed in the accommodation. The homestay offers volunteers clean and comfortable accommodation within the grounds of the school and also provides a good base to explore the surrounding Darjeeling area. Please do contact us if you are interested in any volunteering opportunities.

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Seek Sponsorship or have an Event

Sponsorship is a great way to raise money. In the past few years a number of individuals have completed challenges such as the London Marathon in support of Hannah Memorial Academy, raising thousands of pounds in the process. Where we can, we are happy to provide support to anyone looking to fundraise for HMA in this way.

Events are another really effective way to help. For example, a weekly online pub quiz in Southampton has now raised almost £2500! They recently reintroduced the actual quiz in their pub, whilst continuing with the online version, as it has proved so popular. Why not set up your own quiz? They are not difficult to organise and great fun!

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Adopt the school

Perhaps your employer, school, or organisation would like to adopt the school as their charity. Please contact us to discuss any ideas you may have

We are often asked – ‘do you need books?’

The answer is, ‘only if you bring them yourself and are visiting the school’.  

All teaching is in English, follows the Indian curriculum and uses standard ‘work books’. Hannah’s school has also accumulated a range of English language picture and story books suitable for primary age children, sent in bulk. The high cost of sending, the complications of import rules, and  issues of suitability mean it is generally better and cheaper to source books locally..  but do ask if you want to know more.

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.

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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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