In this scenario, true education

acquires the significance of a prime

mover in the scheme of things.

• Amlasole jolted the collective conscience of

Bengal when five Sabar & Munda villagers

starved to death here in 2004.

• There is no regular employment, food security,

or basic awareness of hygiene.

• Literacy rate is abysmal.

• Rural electrification reached Amlasole in 2009,

but proper housing remains a dream.

• Newspapers and telephone links are yet to

reach Amlasole.

• Agriculture is hamstrung by the shortage of

water. The Munda (60%), Sabar (35%) & Bhumij

(4%) population is engaged in seasonal farming,

farm labour, and collection of forest produce like

Kendu leaves, Sal leaves, deadwood, Babui

grass, herbs & incense.

• There is also a lingering fear of harassment by

the police and punishment by political outfits.

Origin of the school

� Bera Bhenge (“Beyond Barriers”) was set up to

provide meaningful education to the marginalised

Sabar children of Amlasole. They found it difficult to

get into the formal primary school already running in

Amlasole due to social discrimination.

� But gradually students from other tribes too

started enrolling. At present the student strength is

53, and there are 4 teachers.

� The school is run by a group of academics under

the aegis of MCCDR (an NGO of volunteers) - in

association with a village welfare organisation -

Amlasole Birsa Munda Gram Unnayan Committee.

� With their children getting proper education, the

villagers are learning to dream of a better future,

breaking through the barrier of enduring despair.

Background

Location of Amlasole:Binpur II, Dist: Medinipur (W)

Bera Bhenge now

Bera Bhenge then….

West Bengal,

India

Sabar children, Amlasole

Bera BhengeBera Bhenge

IT IS BETTER TO LIGHT A CANDLE THAN CURSE

THE DARKNESS

Kengora, Amlasole

A school with a difference

(Beyond Barriers)

An NGO registered under the Societies’ Registration Act,1961

How To Donate :(Donations eligible for rebate U/s 80G. We also

have FCRA permission)

1. Please make payment only by A/c payee

cheque/draft, favouring Micro Centre for

Community Development and Research.

2. Please mention your full name with postal and email address and send your cheque by hand or by Registered Post to

Dr. Arup Roy Tel. 91-33-2355 3462, Mob. 91-94338 70156

Flat F-6, Ideal Association, CIT Scheme-VIIM, Kolkata-700 054.

Write to us if you want to send your donation directly to our bank account.

Write to aryscottish@gmail.com for free

membership of the yahoo group

Please Donate

Generously

Your Participation:

Amlasole children need your active participation

� As Contributor/Donor

- Sponsor a child’s education in Bera Bhenge

(Rs. 6,000 per year)

- Sponsor a child’s education outside village

(Rs. 20,000 per year including hostel)

- Contribute to Crèche

- Contribute to Hostel

� As volunteer

- Please let us know if you want to get involved in our activities

AT PRESENT THERE IS NO SOURCE OF

FORMAL / PROJECT - MODE FUNDING. THE

ENDEAVOUR IS SOLELY DEPENDENT ON

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS.

Requirement of funds

� For Infrastructure Development

1. Crèche - Rs. 3 Lakhs

2. Hostel - Rs. 10 Lakhs

� Annual Operating Cost

1. At present – Rs. 3 Lakhs

2. With Crèche, Hostel – Rs. 7 Lakhs

Future Plans:

� Crèche

Sabar students tend to be irregular in school. Early in the morning, their parents go out to collect forest produce or work as day-labourers in others’ fields. The older children have to look after their infant siblings instead of going to school. A Crèche with all necessary infrastructure is required to bring these elder siblings back to school.

� Hostel

A Hostel (capacity to accommodate 50 students) is urgently needed in order that the formal education, encompassing both academic exercise and proper hygiene, can be imparted consistently to the children. This is particularly important for the majority who are first generation learners.

Education after Bera Bhenge:

Some of the students passing out of Bera Bhenge are sent to mainstream schools.

• A private primary school with hostel facility at Silda, where seven of our students (4 from the Sabar community and 3 from the Mundas) are presently studying.

• Three students are now admitted to High Schools in Silda and in Jhargram.

• These expenses too are being borne by us.

School activities:

� Creating awareness about hygiene & basic hygienic practices to students, mostly first generation learners

� Providing nutrition supplement to midday meals

� Introduction to Bengali and English alphabets and counting through games / other teaching aids

� Children of Amlasole found it difficult to relate to the standard formal textbooks. This compelled us to write books on an experimental basis using local dialect, idioms etc..

� Four books have been published till date, with a fifth in the pipeline. They are very popular with the students.

� Training in first-aid and gardening

� Students are taken on excursions

� Deserving students are being given monthly merit scholarships.

� Since the beginning, all the expenses – uniforms,

book publication, learning aids, teachers’ salaries,

stocking the library etc. – are being met by

donations from well-wishers. The responsibility and

associated financial burden has become manifold.