A school in India damaged by flooding has received a cash handout - from workers at a firm in flood-hit Elland.
The ABS Foundation, the charitable arm of print management firm ABS UK Ltd, has donated £2,000 to the school to help with repairs after the community was devastated during the monsoon season.
The donation by the ABS Foundation, which has been supporting community projects overseas since 2013, will help towards rebuilding the roof of East Coast Primary School in Tharangambadi.
Flooding at Park Road in Elland
The floods that hit the region between November and December last year killed about 500 people and displaced almost 2m. Trustee of the foundation John Lees, also founder of ABS UK Ltd, heard of the devastating news and flew out to the region to lend a hand volunteering in the clean-up operation.
East Coast Primary school relies solely on donations to provide education for Dalit children aged 3 to 11 who would not normally have access to learning. The building is in poor condition and up to 90 children are taught in eight extremely small classrooms.
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The foundation has been providing support to the school since 2013 and has so far helped to provide books and other school equipment, as well as general maintenance of the school building. The most recent donation from ABS will go towards weather proofing the roof tiles to prevent any further damage inside the classrooms.
Said John: “After seeing first-hand the devastating effects of the Boxing Day floods in Calderdale and hearing about the flooding in Tharangambadi we decided to revisit the school and see how we could help.
Sunken barge in the canal at Calder Valley Greenway
“I spent a full week volunteering in 35 degree heat, but it was all worth it when I was able to spend time with the children and see how our funding was helping to improve their education.
“The visit motivated everyone at the ABS Foundation to do more and this year we are planning to continue our support of flood prevention projects overseas and are also looking to increase our support for local charities.”
Mr G Raja, principal at East Coast Primary school said of the support: “We are thankful to the ABS Foundation for helping our school. Without this support we cannot grow and care for these deserving children.”
