Education for Remote Area Children in Eastern Himalayas (India)

The foothills of the Eastern Himalayas are steep jungle-covered terrain, with families mostly eking out a subsistence livelihood. To get to school, children may have to walk up to four hours through jungle tracks. The dropout rate is very high, especially among girls, and contributes significantly to human trafficking.

We supported our partner church to build a small school in a remote mountain village, enabling boys and girls from neighbouring hills to access good, affordable education. We continue to support this school to provide affordable education to families, train teachers and pursue government accreditation.

Challenges this school community face include a staggering remoteness, lack of access to health services and facilities and an aching poverty. Children still need to walk long distances to school along challenging terrain, increasing the potential for child trafficking due to vulnerability.

This year, a priority of the project is to ensure that children have access to safe and engaging school education by creating awareness on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) policy and safeguarding among the students, staff and parents.