A donation from the Edukan Foundation and Father Bernard from the Netherlands has enabled the Brothers to build Berny School to Indian Government regulation standards and also a six room clinic and dispensary on the same site. Now they need help to provide support for the children in their care and to pay the salaries of the healthcare staff. A doctor has been appointed to the dispensary which has been built to offer healthcare to the section of the community with whom this project has been working. The doctor is now also running a simple mobile clinic which is providing the more isolated villages with regular access to good medical attention. This work is supported by two nurses and by the eight BIRDS HEAL animators/health-workers covering this area. (see newsletter no.2 for range of health activites)

Berny school is at present providing education, residential care and protection for 150 children selected for a variety of pressing reasons including; physical handicap, early marriage, children of bonded labourers and child labourers from the fields and stone quarries, children whose parents are suffering from HIV/AIDS, children of Temple prostitutes and children from Dalit and tribal communities who often live in very isolated villages with little opportunity of studying beyond the fourth standard even if they have been fortunate enough to have a functioning school in their village. The average yearly cost of providing this care per child will be £120.(Open Hands India is desperately looking for people who would be happy to support these children) 

The school offers classes from First to Seventh Standard. Eighth Standard will be available next year.

The children are divided into four working party teams. Each week it is the turn of one team to take charge of maintaining the general tidiness of the school buildings and the surrounding area. 

When not studying, doing chores or eating, the children enjoy playing, dancing and singing as well as cricket, kabbadi and football and on Sundays, watching a occasional film on the TV when there is electricity.

The school follows the usual Indian school routine of assembly, pledge and drill to start the day. Due to the lack or inadequate schooling most of the children have received so far, it has been necessary to modify the normal state curriculum but every attempt will be made to ensure these children finish their schooling with state recognized qualifications, as it will be these qualifications that will enable these children to achieve much greater choices in their lives. 

Birds Heal is managed by a small group of Brothers of the Sacred Heart Community who believe it is their duty to serve the needs of the community rather than to tell them what they must think. Working with field-coordinators and self-help group animators/healthworkers the Brothers have developed a network of women’s self-help savings groups in over 100 villages across the area. It is belonging to these self-help groups that is enabling these women to obtain the loans which they are using to undertake a variety of income generating activities. 

Through this network the staff are introducing programmes of health and education awarness while taking positive steps to develop these ideas into action within these communities. Working children are being identified and where possible enrolled into local schools. Programmes of pre-and post-natal care are being promoted along with a programme of immunization. Staff are identifying people suffering from a variety of chronic diseases and taking action to ensure they receive appropriate medication. Self-help groups are being organized for people with physical handicaps.

Birds Heal staff are helping to co-ordinate the setting up of small, local 'tuition centres' that will work towards providing certain children with the language and other skills they need to be able to make progress in the local government schools where available. There will be a particular emphasis on engaging the attention of child labourers.