A letter from Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of Buddha’s Smile School.
After being closed for a year and a half due to covid19, BSS is finally reopening its
doors following the official authorization given by the Indian government. For
students and teachers alike, this new school year is a powerful promise, a symbol of a
new beginning and a hopeful future.
In addition to its enormous public health impact, COVID19 has hit the poorest families in
India very hard. Children for whom school was a haven of love, care, and motivation found
themselves isolated with very few resources. As their parents lost their jobs and income, the
children lost interest in studying and risked dropping out of school.
To prevent this, the BSS team maintained home-based education, thanks to the dedication
and courage of teachers and volunteers: they contacted students every day to keep them engaged and motivated. Thanks to these daily efforts, the children were able to maintain a
learning dynamic.
BSS : an academic and social support.
No more school, no more professional activity, no more tourism… Even the waste collection
was no longer assured by the municipality. Very quickly, the health crisis generated a food
and social crisis. Thanks to numerous donations and the help of several volunteers, the BSS
team was able to distribute dry food rations to prevent families from going too hungry.
Today, for students and teachers alike, going back to school marks a positive and hopeful
turning point.
“We are delighted to be teaching again,” says Rajan Kaur Saini, founder of BSS. Seeing the
children in class gives me immense satisfaction and hope for the future. They are my daily
life and my joy. This new school year gives us all a lot of energy, but we are aware of the
health issues at stake: a third wave is coming and we are already starting to prepare for it.”
Several Indian states are already impacted by this third wave which is expected to be even
more contagious and aggressive than the previous ones, especially for young people under
18. The symptoms of this new variant are similar to those of Dengue. To prepare for it, the
BSS team is taking every possible precaution by providing masks and hand sanitizer. “We
take the temperature of all students every day and pray that life will return to normal soon.
We hope to have better days soon.”
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