For just £5,441, and working with the UK charity Affecting Real Change, Meeting Needs has funded the completion of three new classrooms and one library containing a water purification plants for the ARC English Medium School in Andra Pradesh, India, which provides an opportunity for 350 children to access education, medical care and a regular, healthy diet.

The children include Dalits or Untouchables and 60% are true orphans. (Dalits are the manual scavengers, the removers of human waste and dead animals, leather workers, street sweepers and cobblers. The mere touch of a Dalit was considered “polluting” to a caste member and thus, the concept of “untouchability” was born). The remainder are from families who struggle to care for them (due to AIDS and other medical conditions, alcohol and sexual abuse) or they have a desire for education but are unable to access an educational facility in their village.

In addition to the 350 children the school currently provide jobs for 18 local teachers, cleaners and bus drivers. Their expansion will also require an additional eight teachers over the next three years, providing additional employment.

Meeting Needs chair Jennifer Jenkins said: “This is the kind of sustainable project we love to support because of its long-term impact on a large number of people for a relatively modest sum. It is a life-change for these children.”