In 2022 the headteacher of a school deep in the heart of a tea plantation asked us to support the school by buying a jeep to help bring children to school.
For this project we initially wanted a school bus, but the amount of hairpin bends, narrowness of the road and broken road surfaces ruled this out.
Another alternative was to raise funds to continue paying for a taxi service that they were using. However there was only one taxi in the area and if it got an airport run or equivalent they took it and that day the kids could not go to school. The next available taxi was 1hr away in Kotagiri, taxi’s don’t need to travel far for work such this also was not an option.
Ultimately the best solution was to buy a Jeep. The vehicle is rugged enough to cope with the roads, has a shorter turning circle to deal with hairpin bends and by doing two trips each morning and afternoon could transport all the children.
We successfully raised the £18,000 necessary and the children are delighted that they can attend school on a regular basis in their own vehicle.