In the summer of 2022, I had the amazing opportunity to visit India for a pastoral placement, with the support of the College and my own diocese of East Anglia. The bulk of my time was spent in the Don Bosco Boarding Home and St Mary’s and Christopher’s School in Pedavgi near Eluru, in Andhra Pradesh.
Rural life in Pedavgi is very hard, with poor government infrastructure and many living in poverty. Around 40% of local children under 14 work in fields to support their family, foregoing a basic education.
The boarding home and school were founded by Raj Chukka to provide support for children and families stuck in the poverty cycle. Raj’s brother, Fr Dominic Chukka founded The St Mary’s Educational and Charitable Trust, based in Birmingham to support the school and boarding school.
In 17 years, the school has grown into a large primary and secondary school providing a subsidised education for over one thousand pupils. The boarding home provides accommodation for around one hundred children who would otherwise be made to work if they stayed at home. Some children have lost one or both parents and effectively have no one to care for them.
The charity provides a chance for people to sponsor a boarding home child, which provides general support for infrastructure and subsidises the whole school. The home is always oversubscribed, so this support is vital for what the school does and I learned firsthand the real difference it makes to the local community.
I helped with English and chemistry lessons and saw how much the children greatly value the opportunity to study and are incredibly hopeful of the future their education can give them. I got to hear the harrowing stories of some of the boarding children and could see how the school makes such a difference to their lives.
Visiting in August the temperature rarely went below 30 °C with high humidity and lots of insects! There are daily power cuts that can last a few minutes or hours, making it very difficult to use even basic IT equipment. I really struggled with the weather, even with some air conditioning available in my guest room, but the children take it all in their stride.
While the government-controlled curriculum provides no space for religious education, the school supports the local parish in its catechesis and has a strong Catholic identity. Every evening the boarding school children recite the rosary, praying for their benefactors abroad, and even recite the full litany from memory! Mass is celebrated in English every week – I had the fun task of helping the kids practice their responses. They certainly know the Mass better than I did at their age …
Beyond education and faith, the school organises regular free medical camps for the whole local community. The remoteness of the area and the pressure to work make this a vital source of basic healthcare. To help the community further, the school and a local team of doctors are currently building a medical centre, for which I had the incredible privilege of laying the foundation stone.
The extraordinary welcome, friendlessness and openness of the people is what I will take away most from my time in India. Wherever I went people were incredibly generous to me, proving lovely food and being keen to share their wonderful culture. The welcome in the school involved flags, a marching band, garlands, and a full assembly of the school.
While I was glad to head back to cooler weather, I was very sad to say goodbye to the wonderful staff and pupils and very much hope to return in a few years to see how the school continues to grow. They will remain in my prayers for a long time.
For more information about the school and to find out how to support it through St Mary’s Education and Charitable Trust, please visit: www.stmarystrust.org