Brightening Lives: Acts of Kindness in Bodh Gaya
I’ve been taking a bit of a break over the past few months but the Unicorn Project has continued its activities and I’d like to bring you up-to-date about the progress we’ve made.
Unicorn Project Update
I’ve been taking a bit of a break over the past few months but the Unicorn Project has continued its activities and I’d like to bring you up-to-date about the progress we’ve made.
Biking to Bodhgaya Day 4–12
Weather is nice, 10C, cool north wind, lots of winter gravel. Summerland roads are the worst yet! Potholes, gravel, dangerous!
Biking to Bodhgaya Day 1–3
When I woke up at 5:07 this morning, I didn’t know if I was more excited at turning 70 or because I was about to start my 13,000 km bike ride. It doesn't matter, both are worth getting excited about!
Building our new school
After receiving notice that our school house lease was not being renewed we have been spending time planning and now building our new school.
Challenges during Covid-19
Food or warmth . . . we were faced with very tough decisions to make. With the donations we had we decided to make sure the children had enough food. This was difficult due to our lack of funds.
Accomplishments to date
While our mission started with only educational aid in mind, our efforts have expanded to provide help where needed by the residents of Bodhgaya.
Where we stand
Since April, the government of India has cancelled all youth schools due to Covid-19, but it is now suggesting that limited openings may be permitted in the next few months.
The Unicorn School
In March 2019 we opened the school with two locally hired teachers and a cleaning person (many of the students had never used an indoor washroom nor a faucet).
First steps
When I returned home for Christmas 2018, my wife Janet and I started a small fundraiser on Facebook called ‘Blankets for Bodhgaya’.