About The Project

In January I am taking a term out to go to Durgapur in NE India to voluntarily teach string instruments to the underprivileged children that live there. Durgapur is a steel city about 160 km north of Kolkata (Calcutta) in West Bengal province. Last year I met Bishop Probal from there and he had this dream of having a string group at his child centres and I emailed him earlier this year and asked if he still had the dream. He said “Yes” so we are now trying to get it up and running.

I shall be teaching in a Child Study & Development centre in Durgapur. There are five children centres which have been started by a group of women under the banner of the Diocesan Women’s Fellowship for Christian Services in the Diocese of Durgapur (CNI) which provide an holistic development to the underprivileged children in their society. They provide general education classes but among the different centres they also provide classes in: sewing, dancing, computer, Taekwondo, singing, drawing, handicrafts, some vocational training programmes, animal husbandry and kitchen gardens. They encourage the youngsters to participate actively in sports for a healthy development of the body and mind. In giving them all the extra choice of classes especially through arts and IT it is hoped they can earn a living and lift themselves out of poverty. They also provide Medical clinics for the sick at the centres.

The string orchestra project will be an additional activity for the children to participate in and a chance to learn to play and instrument and enjoy playing together and maybe to become a career. It is an exciting project and I hope I can instill a love of music in them.