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About Dr Graham's Homes
Dr Graham's Homes in Kalimpong, West
Bengal, are situated in the Himalayan foothills of north-east India.
They
were founded by The Rev John Anderson Graham, a Church of Scotland Missionary,
on 24th September 1900 out of compassion and concern for the often
neglected Anglo Indian children of the Tea Gardens in the Darjeeling
Di
strict. They were first know as the
St Andrew’s Colonial Homes but after his death renamed Dr Graham’s Homes.
In a rented cottage in Kalimpong six children were taken into care, and were looked after by a British housemother and a teacher. Dr Graham aimed to give each child health, education, training and self-respect based on the Christian principle of love and security.
In the years that followed, the
Homes dominated his life and that of his wife, Katherine.
The children of the Tea Gardens were augmented by children of
mixed parentage of the Army, Railways, Civil Service and Industry.
The
first Cottages were built on a barren hillside about a mile from Kalimpong and
as the numbers of children increased so too did the cottages. All the cottages
were donated by benefactors, as one was declared open, foundations of the next
were laid.
Today that barren hillside has
blossomed and there are eighteen cottages, a School complex, a Church,
Children's Clinic, Bakery and Farm to cater for the 800 boarders, more than half
of whom are children supported through the fundraising efforts of a number of
overseas committees and through a world wide sponsorship network, the children
live in 'families' under the care of House parents. In addition the School now
accepts fee-paying students and totals one thousand two hundred pupils with a
teaching staff of sixty.
The student body ranges from infants
to eighteen year-olds and follows the Indian national examination system
of ICSE's at sixteen and ISC's at eighteen years-old. The cottage environment
for the boarders provides them with a family atmosphere where all learn the
importance of working together to maintain what has, for some, become their only
home. Thus children of different abilities and backgrounds grow to respect one
another.
Dr Graham's Homes has long since
been established as a haven for thousands of children most in need and has
remained true to its heritage to provide the highest standards of education
within a context of established pastoral care, in preparation for the challenges
of adult life. Committees in Kolkata, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Switzerland and, most recently, Japan, endeavour to give financial aid to
support the Homes to enable Dr Graham's vision to continue into the next
millennium. It is a tribute to the work of Dr Graham that the Homes today remain
an educational pillar of strength in the Kalimpong district and beyond, bearing
a name honoured still in our generation and hopefully in generations to
come.
Inquiries in the first instance, should be directed to the Secretary,
Miss V. W. Cassie, 'Kintail', The Causer, Nethy Bridge, Inverness-shire, PH25 3DS
Tel:
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