By Ms Ankita Shelke for BIS Mumbai

When floods disrupt a child’s life, the impact often reaches beyond the immediate loss and damage. School bags, notebooks and basic stationery, simple things that are part of a child’s everyday school life can also be lost or become difficult for families to replace.

With this in mind, Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra (BGVK) reached out to flood-affected areas of Assam to support students whose education had been disrupted by the floods. The initiative was carried out in collaboration with AIDA Don Bosco, Dimapur, which supported the distribution on the ground.

The BGVK team, comprising Fr George, Director; Fr Ajay, Administrator; and Ms Ankita, Staff Member, travelled to Assam for a two-day distribution programme covering the districts of Jorhat and Shivsagar.

On Day 1, in Jorhat, the team distributed 1,000 educational kits to students from flood-affected schools. Each kit contained a school bag, notebooks and stationery. With the support of the local teams and schools, the materials reached children who had been affected by the floods and were preparing to return to their studies.

The following day, the team travelled to Shivsagar, where some of the schools had been severely affected by the floods. Another 1,000 educational kits were distributed among students across the affected schools.

Across the two days, the initiative reached approximately 2,000 flood-affected students across more than 25 schools.

For many children, the contents of the kits were simple and familiar: a bag to carry their books, notebooks to write in and stationery for their daily lessons. Yet, after a flood, having these basic materials available can make returning to school a little easier.

The distribution also gave the BGVK team an opportunity to meet students and teachers and see some of the realities faced by schools and families in the aftermath of the floods. Amid the disruption, schools continued to remain an important part of children's routines and their connection to learning.

The initiative was made possible through crowdfunding, with individuals coming forward to contribute towards the educational needs of children affected by the floods. Their collective support enabled BGVK to prepare and distribute approximately 2,000 educational kits across the two districts.

The response was made possible through the combined efforts of the donors, BGVK and AIDA Don Bosco, Dimapur, whose local collaboration helped ensure that the materials reached the intended schools and students. BGVK expresses its sincere gratitude to all the donors who contributed to the initiative. Their support travelled beyond a financial contribution, it reached classrooms, school bags and the hands of children who were finding their way back to learning after the floods.

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