Christmas Newsletter 2023

Our Founders, And & Brian, have visited Kalimpong every year since starting Room To Learn, other than during the pandemic years.

2023 should have been no exception but sadly Ann was (re)diagnosed with cancer early in the year and is no longer able to travel or write the newsletters.

Brian is busy being with, and caring for, Ann. He and I have decided to co-write future newsletters, but this one is from me, Des, at this difficult time. Brian & I hope that we can continue to write with the passion & love that Ann has for the children, and the work of Room To Learn.

This newsletter is mainly about our most recent visit to Kalimpong. I apologise for a lengthy read, but there is so much to report on.

Firstly – Huge thanks go out to our amazing supporters. We are now supporting 60 Below Poverty Line (BPL) children through preschool, giving them a much-needed step up into education, where otherwise they would fall by the wayside. We continue to need your help as this currently costs £13,000 annually.

This year’s garden party held at Manor Lodge was very enjoyable. The weather gods took care of us for the afternoon and we had one of the most relaxed events so far. The garden party is no longer directly a fundraiser (on the day); more a ‘thank you’ to our many supporters and a chance for our giving community to come together, though we do talk about what we are doing and there is a box for gi\ing as well as various online opportunities made available. There is also the ‘Charity Room’ where you can see more of what Room To Learn is doing. Look out for 2024’s newsletter and invitations, and if you are already a supporter do feel free to invite someone you think may be interested in helping us.

My wife, ChiChi, and I visited Kalimpong early in October. As CEO of RTL I was looking forward to finally being able to see what we had been working on for so many years, but also, and very importantly, to smooth the path for our amazing children to graduate into the local government schools and continue to excel there. We have 21 Children (15 girls, 6 boys) graduating so the need was pressing.

We stayed, at our expense, in a newly refurbished stylish hotel, and hoped this would intrigue the local officials & dignitaries and that they would want to meet with us for ‘afternoon tea on the lawn.’ Invites were sent out, and we were all set.

A few days before we were due to go, there was a cloud burst flash flood at Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, causing the dam to collapse and wiping out sections of the highway to Kalimpong.

ChiChi & I decided to press on and see what would happen. Even if we did manage to get there, would the officials find Bme to see us? Our mission’s fate, and those of our children, were in The Lord’s hands.

Here are links to news articles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzGRQwFK2dg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE4SK3OmgeY

This was our photo of the MAIN HIGHWAY before we left it for the single-track mountain road! A 70km journey ended up taking 6 hours on single-track roads in the mountains with few passing places. At times we waited half an hour for the cars & pickup trucks to get past each other inch by inch. Our car never got out of second gear after leaving the highway. The mountain road had suffered severe landslides along much of its length and for long stretches we never saw the road surface itself! For the first time ever, I elected not to wear a seatbelt so that we could get out of the car in a hurry. Probably an overreaction, but I could see the sheer drops on my side of the car and hear the crunch of gravel under the wheels.

Once we arrived in Kalimpong we were able to sleep for a few hours, and the next morning we first visited Briyansh’s parents in their home. Briyansh was our ‘poster child’ who sadly died on his birthday, aged four, earlier this year. This was covered in the previous newsletter. We then visited some of our other families. Here you can see ChiChi & Ritika negotiating a steep descent on rough ground to reach one of the family homes where an RTL child is being cared for by his uncle.

The next day we visited two of our schools, in three locations. WOW. Such a lovely experience. We were hoping not to interfere with the classes but the teachers & children had prepared dance and singing routines, and they enjoyed performing as much as we did watching them! Later we managed to sneak a camera lens through slightly opened classroom doors – but the children were so bright they spotted us! 

The following day we visited our third school, North Point. Principal Mr Uprety was on excellent form, and the children danced and sang and beamed with infectious smiles! And such happy parents. Happy children, parents & teachers in all the schools.

The traffic is terrible in Kalimpong with its narrow roads, so we got back in the afternoon with only minutes to spare and met Mr Hemant Sewa, (the official responsible for Minority Development & Education.)

We discussed the transfer of our children into state & semi-state schools under his control, explaining that we would be monitoring the children once they leave preschool. Mr Sewa recommended, and personally called the principals of, four schools; Kalimpong Girls School, Philomena Girls School (run by the Sisters of St Philomena Convent), Kumudini Homes Boys School, and SUMI (Scottsh Universities Mission Institution) Boys School. He offered his help whenever we might need it; a major milestone in our mission.

On Saturday we met for afternoon lunch with Sanjogita Suba (Vice President) and Col. Prakash Thapa (Secretary) of Kalimpong Rotary Club.

Sanjogita is a very ‘to the point and forthright’ lady, and we warmed to her! Col Thapa, a military man, reminded me of Brian! We asked them to assist by ‘putting in a good word for us, should the need arise’, and to put us in touch with relevant people, as and when.

On Sunday (not a day off for us) we met with our school principals for lunch. We had hoped Mr PritamLimboo (the official responcible nfor irrigation, health and water investigation) would have joined us but he was unavailable.Our principals are doing something amazing by educating our BPL children at discount rates.On the right you can see Mr Lama (Paramount School) and on the far right, Mr Uprety (North Point). Mrs Pradhan had to take her two daudhters to hspital in Siliguri and deputised the two teachers in the middle.

On Monday we visited three of the four recommended primary schools and met with their principals.

We learned a lot about the challenges our children would face, and we smoothed the way for them.

Ritika will be busy getting them registered; amongst many other things sorting out the birth certificates and bank accounts which are now mandated by the Indian government to try to combat corruption.

St Philomena Girls school, led by Mother Superior Adrina Yonzon, deserves a special mention:

ChiChi and I were emotionally moved by St Philomena. It is a semi-state school (they charge a small additional annual fee and are managed by a board of Sisters). They educate 2400 girls, including provision for 340 hostel & orphan students. Their mission work is long-established and very impressive. We hadn’t intended to spend long there as we already knew of the amazing work being done, but it was simply breathtaking and moved us to tears. We prayed in the chapel and then re-joined Mother Superior.

We left with hugs and farewells. I am not sure what the protocols are with Mother Superiors, but that is what happened!

On our final day, we visited SUMI school. Unfortunately, the Principal was not available as it was the last day of the school year, & sports day. The primary school children had already left and only one classroom in the Primary School was unlocked. A follow-up visit is required, and we have asked Ritika to do that.

The next morning felt like the same day as we were up at 02:30 and on the road to Siliguri by 03:30. That same terrible road. However, most of the landslides had been cleared and with no one else on the road so early, we made good time to the airport.

Our mission was successful! We learned so much in the week we were there, and have networked with those who can influence the outcomes of our lovely children as they graduate from our Room To Learn pre-school.

One of the things conveyed to us by the principals of the schools we work with was highly encouraging: Parents of BPL children on the ‘RTL program’ are themselves changing their attitude towards education and putting effort behind their children to lift them out of the poverty cycle.

We had always hoped that these parents would reach out to their wider families, showing how seeing the amazing progress of their children can attract funding for their continued education. This is happening! The teachers & principals are confirming it. Your gifts to these children ARE lifting them into education and breaking the poverty cycle.

Our methodology of only funding preschool IS working. In this way, we can reach so many more children.

Our aim, with your support, is to increase the number of children we lift out of poverty. For now, we can only continue with 60 children this year, but we could do so much more.

We are so grateful to all our supporters for enabling this work with the very poorest of families.

If you are interested in becoming a supporter, please contact any of the RTL Trustees. Brian, Jacques (our secretary) & I would welcome any calls. Our numbers and email addresses are at the bottom of this newsletter. We have an easy way of setting up monthly giving should you wish to, and there is a section on gi\ing through wills; www.roomtolearnuk.org/gifting/

Please also share this newsletter with those who you think might be interested in joining the Room To Learn community.

Your gifts really do change lives – a lot of children’s lives.

With best wishes as we approach Christmas.

Des, ChiChi, Ann & Brian Mills

www.facebook.com/R2LUK

Ann and Brian Mills, Manor Lodge, Old Minster Lovell, OXON, OX29 0RN

Tel 01993 775479

founder.roomtolearnuk@gmail.com

secretary.roomtolearnuk@gmail.com

Des & ChiChi Mills, 07811 175173 via WhatsApp

ceo.roomtolearnuk@gmail.com

www.roomtolearnuk.org/gifting/