Five Sisters of Mary Immaculate live and work in the parish. They have adopted the sari as their religious habit.

Fr Savio is the head of the school. He talks here about the work...

Fr Savio with the
entire school library

Returning home from
the tea gardens.

Q. What is life like for the families who live in Philobari?

A. The majority of people here work in the tea estates or in the tea factories. Usually the women pick the tea. They work from early morning to dusk and go home very tired. They earn 50p a day. The men work in the factories or away from home. The biggest problem is poverty.

Setting off for work.

Q. How is family life affected by these working conditions?

A. Due to long working hours, the parents, although concerned for their children, are able to spend very little time with them. The majority of children do not attend school. During the day children roam around. Girls are expected to help in the home. At the age of 12 they start work in the tea estates, sweeping round the tea plants. Boys go fishing, tend animals, help in the paddy fields or sell simple products like brooms to help make ends meet.

Q. How does the Church help?

A. The Church is basically a Gospel presence in the district. Our main task is to empower the people. Two Sisters go into the villages. Villagers welcome them into their homes, where the Sisters stay during their fortnightly visits. The Sisters advise on disease prevention, child care, natural family planning and organise women's groups. They support the catechists and organise prayer meetings.

The Sisters encourage families to send children to school and, where they can, offer assistance. More recently some Indian lay missionaries live full time in the villages.

They work in pairs with the children. They teach basic hygiene, simple literacy and numeracy. Another Sister runs a pharmacy and two Sisters work in the school. The school serves children from a number of religious backgrounds -50% Catholic and 50% Buddhist, Hindu and Animist.

Sister Nirmala
is welcomed by a family.

Girls at St Patrick's enjoy reading lessons.

Q. How does Mission Together help?

A. Mission Together supports both the formal and informal education of children. In the first instance it provides regular grants for equipment for St Patrick's school which was built in 1988 and extended in 1998.

Q. What is the literacy level?

A. The official level for Assam is 52%. However in this remote area we estimate that it is no more than 10%.

Q. How are children in remote villages able to attend school?

A. In remote villages there are no schools for children to attend. This is why Mission Together provides funding to help build and maintain hostels for girls and boys. The boys hostel opened just two years ago, thanks to a £20,000 grant from Mission Together. The parish and diocese raised the rest. Now we are able to reach more children in outlying areas by giving them a hostel place in term time. They attend school during the day and return to the hostels after school. They are very well cared for in the hostels. The sisters make provision for study, cultural activities, personal welfare, prayer and play.

Boys share the Sign of Peace at Mass.

Q. Are girls given the same opportunities as boys to attend school?

A. We still have to work hard with some families in encouraging them to allow girls to attend. Girls between the ages of seven and eleven are expected to look after the home. The present attendance ratio is three boys to one girl [see bar chart].

Q. What difference does education make in the lives of families?

A. In the first instance, competence in literacy and numeracy prevents workers being cheated by employers and unscrupulous traders. It makes them aware of their rights. As well as that, some of our older pupils are looking towards the professions for a future career. Education is the key.

Q. What is your hope for the future for the children?

A. It is our aim to reach as many of our poorest of the poor Catholic families as possible to provide places for the children in the hostels and the schools. This takes funding. Families cannot afford this. That is why we are so grateful to organisations like Mission Together who make this possible.

Girls enjoy dressing up for cultural dance.