Because of the Covid 19 pandemic, all schools and hostels in Himachal Pradesh have been ordered to close. There are confirmed cases in Dharamsala. We have successfully appealed to the government to keep our hostels open because of the vulnerability of our hostel children and the lack of any safe place to which they may be returned during closure.
We have had to comply with very strict quarantine procedures. There can be no visitors and the children will not be able to leave the hostel during the quarantine period. This means no physical contact with their families. Nine of the care staff have agreed to be resident with the children. Health staff are on duty monitoring the health of every student and staff member on a daily basis and are ensuring all safety precautionary measures are adopted in the hostel. The dormitories have been rearranged to give increased space between the beds and where possible the children work outside at widely spaced individual tables. Despite all the fear and restrictions, there is a good atmosphere in the hostel with everyone working together, making face masks and putting together other essentials to be used in the slum. The older children are helping the younger ones with both study and daily activities.
The school has had to close and there is no room for manoeuvre on this. We are not allowed to take any extra children into the hostel. We will be providing for our day pupils as best we can within the slum.
The situation within the slum camps is desperate. It is very concerning as the people live in extreme poverty and close proximity. There is sickness but our health team is providing telemedicine services from the hostel. Our lab technician is working with the staff of the nursery within the slum and the leaders of the slum communities to provide advice and testing/treatment where available. Jamyang and the other members of the health team will be informed of all developments. Our nurse will liaise with the hospital and local medical services.
It is no longer possible for the communities to make any kind of living from begging/rubbish collecting so undernutrition may be putting these populations at extra risk of other infections including COVID-19. Extra money is needed for the supply of rice and dahl to the whole community, not just the day school children who previously had nourishing midday meals at school paid for by their sponsorship. Our team within the slum and the community leaders have been authorised to purchase and distribute food, with the nursery acting as the distribution centre.
During this crisis, any unspecified donations made through the website www.tong-len.org will go into our emergency fund for the slum camp residents.
