Joel has been with us for 2.5 years now. He came from a fishing village hit hard by the 2004 Tsunami. He has graduated from 8th grade, which is the first benchmark in educational system here. But he is unable to go on to the 9th grade. He came to us 100% illiterate. This is the educational system in the villages n India. He graduated 8th grade because the Government system has an unwritten rule not to hold any student back through the 8th grade. But in the 9th they filter out students like Joel. It is not the kids fault. But the utter failure of the system.
Joel is too young to be put through a vocational program. So we have to say goodbye to Joel as he will make his life as a fisherman.
This is the reason we need our own school to help these kids make it out of the vicious cycle of poverty and despair. The school would not only help our kids but also hundreds of rural children in these parts.
We are hoping to help Joel in the future. Maybe help him as he gets older and maybe needs a boat to help him become an independant fisherman. We will not forget him. He was a gentle and quiet boy with serious pshycological issues and he had come a long way in growing up. God bless you Joel and we miss you.
