About HEAL
Why HEAL :
Millions of India's children go to bed each night hungry, hopeless and most importantly without basic education. This situation is even more acute in the Tea Gardens of Darjeeling whose children remain deprived due to socio economic causes. Moreover a lot of children discontinue their education to contribute to their family earnings as the workers are insufficiently paid to support their education.
It is towards the above glaring reality that "HEAL" was started in the year 2005 under the aegis of Glenmore International School Mirik Darjeeling.
HEAL signifies a programme to provide education to the under privileged and deprived children of the Tea Garden Labour Community. We are an indigenous movement working towards catering to the basic rights of Garden Children and most importantly "EDUCATION".
Aims And Objectives Of HEAL :
It had been a long cherished dream for the couple to try and give something back to the Tea Garden Labour Community which has given them and their children everything they wanted in life.
Thus what a better way than provide free education to the poor and needy children of the Tea Garden Labour of Darjeeling which would empower them and provide an opportunity towards leading a brighter future.
This finally sowed the seed to the concept "HEAL" (HELP EDUCATE AND LIVE) through Glenmore International School situated at Mirik in Darjeeling. It has been a long and arduous journey for Yogdeep and his wife Sreejana in trying to establish Glenmore International School at Mirik Darjeeling India.
Started in the year 2005 they have managed to upgrade the school till the High School Level. We wish to provide top quality education to these children such that they are able to compete with the best in the business.
We are providing Computer Education, Science Laboratories and are employing qualified faculty members as teaching staff. We do not want them to be objects of sympathy but to treat them as citizens with the same rights that we consider as due.
Therefore whenever you sip your morning "CUPPA" and breathe in the "DARJEELING MUSCATEL" aroma, kindly spare a thought towards the children of the same hands that make your mornings so refreshingly enjoyable.
It all started with the couple sponsoring a child named Divya Sunam from Dooteriah T.E. where Yogdeep is presently working. It has now increased to three children from other Tea Estates closer to Mirik in the last couple of years. One would have certainly wished to be able to do more had it not been for the paucity of funds which is being felt greatly.
The reality is that even today HEAL’S reach is still very limited and unless likeminded people come together from all walks of life who believe in the rights of underprivileged children, one can only wish to do much more.
So very recently we had visitors in Mr and Mrs Peter Wannacott the South East Asia representative of the Wall Street Journal to the School.
We also had visitors in Mr Rodger Maclaverty and Mrs Christine Browning of the Hanna Memorial Trust of the United Kingdom who sponsor a school in Dooteriah Tea Estate opened in the memory of the late Hanna Foster. Glenmore provides 50% to 70% concession to eight students of Hanna Memorial School as they have classes only till the fourth standard and in return they have promised to also fund Glenmore in the future.
A lot of funds are channeled through the Tea Companies for the benefit of tea labour by various Donor Agencies and NGO's, but seldom benefit the final recipient to the fullest.
"Fair Trade" has done yeoman's work in trying to uplift the conditions of the tea labor community and we appeal to such organizations to come forward and try and help us in trying to empower the tea labor community with the best of education such that their families could look forward for a better and brighter future.
Our first sponsored child
Divya Sunam, our first sponsored child which the school is self sponsoring.
