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JBF School rebuilt after fire destroys old school.
After our last update – full of the fire which swept through Viklang Basti and which completely destroyed our school building – one might think that progress with the Informal School would be slowed down for a bit. Not at all, as I discovered when I arrived in Delhi last week. The new school is already completed and is a little larger than its predecessor .
The construction is again with light materials, bamboo walls with bamboo/polythene roof. Because this whole community is built illegally on Government land, a brick or concrete building would very quickly attract the attention of MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) who would order its immediate removal.
 School Sports Day was held on 06th December at a nearby grass park. Potato and spoon race, sack race, musical chairs and others all proved to be most popular.
In this race, the children rush to the line which has sweets suspended from it. They must then catch the sweets and pull them from the line, using only their teeth. Not as easy as it seems!
As if all this were not enough, the children were also given garments which were kindly donated in Scotland and which I carried with me to India. It is great to see the enthusiasm which is shown for these clothes, so please continue to give as many as you can.
We distributed the clothes as prizes for Sports Day – giving the clothes according to the child’s needs, but using the Sports Day as the reason for giving those .
 This has been a special time for the children, not only did they get their school back and hold their first Sports Day but they have also been issued with JBF School Uniforms. The atmosphere was high with excitement as the uniforms were handed out, with the children helping each other into their respective shirts or dresses.
Shorts for the boys will come at the end of January – we will wait for the cold spell to pass before handing those out.
We will be giving the children identity cards which we feel will further enhance their feeling of belonging to the JBF school. Attendance has been as good as ever, with around 40 children making their regular appearance at class.
As well as giving some basic education and a square meal each day, the Informal School gives the children some sense of stability in their lives. In the collection of shacks and tents that make up Viklan Basti, family life can be a little chaotic at times. So we are pleased that the residents are now looking on JBF as a constant presence in the community, rather than just another project passing through.
We have re-built and improved the School since the fire – and that has shown the residents that we are serious about our long term commitment to helping these children have more choices in life. Your continued support has made all this possible, so thank you from everyone here.
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