Forever Tigers at Rencha - Page 4
by Gideon Egger

Children proudly showing off their tablets.
 © Gideon Egger 2004. Taken February 2004

Dhruv and I toured the one room schoolhouse and watched the children interact with their teacher.

Inside the one-room-schoolhouse.
© Gideon Egger 2004. Taken February 2004

The children receive one free meal a day from the Indian government. This is partly an inducement to go to school and also a hedge against malnutrition.

The children eating luch in front of their one-room-schoolhouse.
© Gideon Egger 2004. Taken February 2004

Lunch consisted of a simple rice stew and, as there were not enough plates to go around, some of the children had to eat on pieces of paper.

This girl had to eat her lunch on a piece of paper as there are not enough plates.
© Gideon Egger 2004. Taken February 2004

There are many opportunities to help, but we do not want to get in the habit of giving handouts or foster a mentality of dependence, entitlement and victimhood on the part of the villagers. Rather, our hope is to develop a partnership with the locals whereby we will give them assistance for education in return for their help in protecting wildlife, and willingness to try new means of agriculture and land management in order to improve both the health of the park and their own standard of living.

The Rencha schoolhouse. Dhruv is sitting out front.
© Gideon Egger 2004. Taken February 2004

© 2004 Forever Tigers
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