Introduction 

Tuichawng is a village located in Eastern India in the state of Mizoram. As of 2018, the village houses 664 families with a total population of 3,632. It is surrounded by many other villages like Undermanek, Gabasury, Sihphir, Matrisora, Diblibagh, Samuksury, Ugudasury, Tuikawi, and Kauduar.The village often experience severe flooding and devastating mudslides during rainy season, causing road closures and demolished homes.

 

In 2017, our founder Dana came to know this remote village through the internet and decided to volunteer at the Mahabodhi Residential School (MBRS). Along with a volunteer, they ran cultural exchange workshops to help bring cultural awareness and built the village’s first library with a total of 162 books. Since then, SOLWW has developed a close connection with the village and has been providing support to the Chakma students at MBRS.

 

The Chakmas and Their Struggles

  

 

The Chakmas are one of the Buddhist communities in the Indian subcontinent where they practice their own age old culture, language and scripts. Historians have had a difficult time finding viable record of the origins of the Chakmas. The Chakmas lag behind and struggle to modernize as they lack basic necessities, healthcare and most importantly education.

Majority of the Chakma students graduated from Mahabodhi Residential School (MBRS)  are forced to discontinue their education beyond high school (class 10)  due to poverty. Their parents cannot afford to spend 5,000 rupees a month when putting food on the table is already a challenge. Yet, many young students put themselves through high school by doing construction and cultivation (farming) because they see education as their pathway to a better future.

 

Mahabodhi Residential School (MBRS)

Mahabodhi Residential School (MBRS) was established in 2016 by a socio-religious association named The Ultimate Truth Preaching Mission. The land was donated by Mr. Nihar Kanti Chakma, a traditional member of Legislative Assembly, and the building was financed by Venerable Anand Bhante, the secretary of Mahabodhi Society in Bengaluru, India.

MBRS offer moral and general education to the underprivileged minority Chakmas children at the lowest possible means (at 50% percent discount), and also provide lodging (hostels) for boys and girls. Since this has been established in 2018, MBRS has shown improvement on board exam results.

 

Project Scope

• Teacher Enablement
• Remedial Education
• Scholarship Program
• Digital contents
• Library Program

How We Use Our Funds

Funds raised for this project is used solely towards Teacher Enablement ($20k), Remedial Education ($2k), and the Scholarship Program  ($15k). Any remaining funds will be applied towards the next  academic school year.  Seeds of Love Worldwide is currently looking for active volunteers to help MBRS students improve their learning, and also looking for a Program Manager to handle our projects in India. If you know anyone who is selfless, and passionate in helping the underprivileged and not afraid of stepping out of their comfort zone, please submit a volunteer form here.

 

Head over to our Gallery to check out more photos of Mission Tuichawng!