Tipperary Credit Union Foreign Aid Fund and visit to Shillong, India, April 2009.

Introduction

As part of its Foreign Aid Policy, Tipperary Credit Union currently supports a five year project at the ‘Providence School’ in Shillong, North East India. This project gives underprivileged children the opportunity to enter into full time education and to become proficient in a number of ‘trades’. Financial support is provided by the Credit Union to subsidise the wages of full time teachers, pay for teaching equipment and identify potential employment opportunities through the setting up of various apprenticeship initiatives. The ultimate aim is to help these students obtain an education which will enable them to setup and run mini businesses. Once qualified, it is hoped that some of these men and women will return to the school on a regular basis to help train the next group of young children.

Tipperary Credit Union has allocated €20,000 per annum to the project, initially for a five year period from 2008 to 2013. Following an invite from the Providence School Principal, Christian Brother Steve Da Sousa, to travel to India, and because of the significant funds involved in the project, the Board of Tipperary Credit Union agreed to send the Treasurer, Mr Dominic Morrissey, and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Pat Shanahan, to visit the school in Shillong and gain first hand knowledge of how the project was operating on the ground and to ensure that everything is being accounted for. This visit took place over the last week in April, 2009. Mr Michael Ryan, a long time supporter of ‘Providence’ School, also made the journey.

Each year, the Credit Union levies €1.00 per adult member as a contribution to its Foreign Aid Fund. This is agreed by ordinary resolution at the AGM, and the one euro is deducted from the member’s shares. Approximately €10,000 in total is raised from members each year.

Indian Society

The primary religion in India is the Hindu Religion. Hindu society has been divided for over 1800 years into four main ‘Castes’, reflecting second century social groups. Below the four main caste groupings are masses of outcastes or ‘untouchables’. There are millions of children at this level who have no access to education and even if they did, could not afford to attend school. These children only dream of school.

It was to provide access to education for these children that the ‘Providence’ school in Shillong was founded. Tipperary Credit Union, following discussions with Michael Ryan, agreed to provide funds for the project and help some of these children realise their dream.

India suffers simultaneously from the strictures of poverty and the disease of affluence. Per the UN world food programme, India contains 50% of the worlds hungry and almost half of all children under five are malnourished.

The ‘Providence’ Project

Indian Christian Brothers operate St Edmonds, a Primary and Secondary School and a University in an impressive complex in Shillong, North East India. There are over 2,000 affluent Indian students attending these schools. Separate to these educational institutions, but in the same complex, is the ‘Providence’ School for underprivileged children.

The Indian Christian Brothers have allocated one Brother – Steve Da Sousa – to manage and control this ‘Primary Vocational School’. The school is kept separate and segregated from the main Christian Brother complex. Providence School started in 2002 with eight students. By 2009, Providence school had 250 students, ranging in ages from 4 to 16.

Providence school employs 14 full time teachers and 6 skilled and semi skilled tradesmen and women. The school is set up on the lines of a vocational technical school in Ireland. Children are taught reading, writing, spelling, mathematics, home sciences, computer skills, and English for four hours a day, five days a week. For the remaining three hours per day, the students are taught various ‘trades’, ranging from carpentry, plumbing, electronics, paper making, jewellery, cooking, confectionary, and beauty courses. Finished products from these trades are sold, daily if possible.

Providence Visit by Tipperary Credit Union Personnel

The purpose of the visit was to

1. Check out the progress of the Credit Union’s Foreign Aid Project
2. Ensure that funds were being correctly accounted for.
3. Review how funds were being spent
4. Help set up and accounting and administration system for the funds
5. Meet with Indian Government Officials and Auditors
6. Check if the project was working to its original objectives, and if any changes or improvements needed
7. Meet with the School Principal, Brother Steve Da Sousa
8. Meet with the Teachers
9. Meet the Children and see, first hand, how their education was progressing
10. Learn about Indian Culture

Conclusion

There are over six billion people in the World today and five billion of these live below the poverty line. Millions die each year from hunger and millions more have no education and no possibility of education.

Tipperary Credit Union devised its Foreign Aid Policy with the specific aim of providing resources directly to the coal face. We wanted to ensure that 100% of the funds we allocated were going to the people on the ground. It did not matter to us whether our assistance was going to worthwhile projects in Africa, India, South America, or wherever, so long as the funds were being used to alleviate poverty and improve the education prospects of the poor. We also wanted to devise a project which had a‘value added’ content, as opposed to providing cash donations.

To this end, the education project in Providence School, India, suited our purposes. By visiting this school, we could see that our funds were being used for productive purposes and were helping to educate 250 children from the poorest and most deprived areas in North East India.
Tipperary Credit Union has committed €100,000 to this education project over a five year period from 2008 to 2012 inclusive. To date, €40,000 has been spent. The Credit Union is totally committed to this project and even more so having seen first hand the benefit and improvements our financial support has made to the lives of the poorest of the poor children in North East India.

We are satisfied that our funds are being accounted for correctly and are being put to good use.

Finally, we would like to thank the Board of Tipperary Credit Union for sending us to visit Providence School and to Brother Steve Da Sousa for his invitation to India for the tremendous hospitality accorded to us when we were there. We would also like to thank Michael Ryan for his enthusiasm and total commitment to the ‘Providence’ project.

We feel that our Foreign Aid Fund has had a tremendous effect on the morale and wellbeing of the staff in the school, as well as improving the health and self-esteem of the 250 children and many more who are queuing up to get in. This project has enabled the school to expand their horizon, develop new initiatives and lift people out of the gutter.                    
                      

“There are still millions who only dream of School. Providence School, with the assistance of Tipperary Credit Union is helping some of them realise this dream”
We are glad to have helped in some small way.

Thankyou

Pat Shanahan, Chief Executive Officer
Dominic Morrissey, Director and Treasurer