BRANDVEILIGHEID HUIZEN EN SCHOOL FUTURE HOPE, INDIA
In 2019 hebben wij dankzij uw hulp een belangrijke bijdrage kunnen leveren aan de brandveiligheid van de huizen en school van Future Hope, waar dagelijks 285 kinderen aanwezig zijn. Ook ontvingen de kinderen zelf belangrijke informatie en demonstraties van de brandweer.
Vanuit Future Hope ontvingen we dit bericht:
With the help of Stichting COR we have been able to put in place Fire Protection in the School and the Homes, resulting in a Fire Certificate for the entire premises which is required to affiliate Future Hope School with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), a Government Recognised Board.
Because Rowland Road is an old building and a converted house at the end of a narrow alleyway, we need to comply with many more additional rules and regulations to make it safe for the school community. In 2019 a high-pressure water pump was installed, old fire extinguishers were replaced for modern ones and strategically placed around the buildings along with smoke detectors and switchboards. Although this may not look a very exciting project, it has certainly assured the safety for our 285 children who attend Future Hope School daily.
The Future Hope staff and the children have learned in the process; regular fire drills and evacuation procedures are carried out routinely. The Fire Department joined our school assembly to talk about fire safety. They demonstrated how to use a fire hose and a fire extinguisher and spoke about the importance of smoke detectors and their maintenance. The children learnt the acronym F.I.R.E to etch a first responder’s actions into their memories: F is for Foolish, reminding them not to panic; I for Intelligence, marking the importance of finding the source and nature of the fire before attempting to fight it; R for Reach, emphasising that a responder must be out of reach of the flames, and finally, E for Extinguish, driving home the steps to put out a fire.
The knowledge that the children gain at Future Hope also travels back into the slums and the communities they come from. In these heavily overcrowded places, with makeshift houses made from bamboo and plastic sheets, and where kerosene stoves are often used for cooking, fires are common and spread easily. The labyrinth of narrow pathways in the slum makes it impossible to move fast.
We have several children at Future Hope who have suffered terrible burns from fires in the slum. Each of them would have died if Future Hope had not intervened. We feel it is our responsibility to teach the children how to keep themselves and their environment safe.
Bokul was about six years old when the little hut where he lived with his mother caught fire. Both were severely burnt and his mother died three days later, leaving behind her young son. When no one came to the hospital to collect him, he was put out on the streets. When we found Bokul several months later he was bewildered, scarred and desperately unloved. At Future Hope he settled into a loving home where sport helped him to manage his emotions and learn trust. At school he was able to express himself through his art and he developed his natural talent for design. He has been independent since 2016, lives in rented accommodation and is working for a printing company as a salesperson, learning on the job. “Now I have moved out I like to go back to Future Hope to help with the small kids. I also go for advice and to meet the people who looked after me for so many years. Future Hope is my family.”
The Future Hope children thank Stichting COR for their care and wonderful support over the past 20 years.
