Help us complete the children's home in Darjeeling

It is late summer 2023 and, as the monsoon rains envelop the town of Darjeeling in mists and downpours are frequent events, construction work at the Children’s Home is finally coming to a close. Luckily, the structural work to provide a new kitchen and storeroom, an office, and accommodation for Pema Bhante (the monk in charge) was all finished before the rains began, so now activities are concentrating on fitting out and completing internal tasks.

In addition to construction of buildings, a new security fence has been erected next to a public footpath to ensure that the children are kept safe from intruders, and the open parts of the site will be landscaped to provide a sitting and recreation area for the young people. There are other benefits too, as new computers are on order to allow the older students to develop their IT skills.

The activities room where the new computers will be placed will be fitted out with new shelving and desks to create a comfortable working environment. As the exciting final stages of construction are nearing completion, we are gearing up for a celebratory online event in November - see our facebook page at www.facebook.com/darjeelingchildrenstrust for more updates.

Lastly, let me mention the ambitious Goras Rickshaw Run, which will be taking place in January 2024 to raise funds for the repainting of the Children's Home. Join London-based Mitchell Dickens and his friend Adam Green on an incredible journey - from Fort Kochi in southern India to Gangtok (via Darjeeling), they're embarking on an epic 3500km auto-rickshaw ride!

Mitchell, who trained as a teacher and has taught in Nepal, later found his true path as a painter and decorator. When the pair learnt of DCT's plan to repaint the Children's Home, they reset their original fundraising goal of £1-2k up to £5400 to achieve this mission. 

You can follow their adventure and get involved at: www.thegorasrickshawrun.com