Today, we hear from our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, who visited the Dornakal Girls’ Hostel as part of his recent trip to India, where the girls in attendance are thrilled to be at such a lovely establishment.
Visiting the Dornakal Girls’ Hostel
“The next day in the morning, I was scheduled to visit the Dornakal Girls’ Hostel. This is located within the Dornakal Diocese compound in Dornakal. To counter the two boy’s hostels I visited earlier, there is this one hostel for girls only here in Dornakal to balance the provision of support to the children. This is perhaps the largest facility that Children Incorporated supports within the Dornakal Diocese compound. The hostel has three buildings within the hostel compound,” said Luis.
“One of the buildings is the dorm, completed with support from Children Incorporated some years back. Then there is the dining hall, and the third one is the meeting/classroom area. The toilets are adjacent. A new coordinator, Ms. Indira Mercy Salavadi, runs the Dornakal Girls’ Hostel.”
“Many of the sponsored girls staying at this hostel attend the English Medium School, which is a plus for them, as they learn English from a young age,” said Luis.
Getting the chance to learn english
This hostel supports over 50 girls, of which 42 are on the Children Incorporated sponsorship program. As usual, within the Dornakal Diocese, the girls are supported with boarding, food, clothing, and educational support with the help of their sponsors. Mr. Salavadi was familiar with the program, as she learned from our former coordinator, Mrs. Jesantha, all our program’s intrinsic issues. Many of the sponsored girls staying at this hostel attend the English Medium School, which is a plus for them, as they learn English from a young age,” said Luis.
Getting to see the hostel
“During the visit, the girls showed us their dorms and cots and were very proud of being at the hostel instead of at their own homes, as they would probably be helping their parents to work in the fields instead of getting an education. The coordinator mentioned that parents tend to rely more on their children to help increase their household income after the pandemic since everything is now more expensive and complicated to get. The children at the hostel have the opportunity for an education instead of working in the fields and following the circle of poverty of their families.”
“The home has shown significant improvements from my last visit, with the dorm undergoing repairs and demolishing old unused buildings. The compound seems cleaner; I could even see a small plot with flowers and trees here now. Meeting the girls was great; they wanted to take pictures and did a small presentation of local dances and culture,” said Luis.
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.