MESSAGE FROM ECOLES
DE LA TERRE (EDLT) ENGLISH VERSION
Martial for
EDLT on March 27, 2020
I hope with
all my heart that you are well and follow the instructions carefully. Right now
it's a good thing to do, as a priority. Health to live is health to act. So,
take care of yourself. Give preference to relaxation; we are probably at the
beginning of a tempest.
For “Ecoles
de la Terre” the month of March was very busy. I was still able to stay the
first 3 weeks in Calcutta and the Sundarbans Islands in South West Bengal. I
visited and especially participated in our programs in the Sundarbans; I consider
it a chance for me to meet and exchange with students, teachers, families and
mothers in particular. Today I can get a better idea of what these people are
living from the point of view of confinement; I have a fresh memory of their
living conditions, their habitat, their means of subsistence, their
accommodations.
From March 15
the uncertainty frankly set in, the tension increased and the fear of the virus
clearly appeared. Because of the force of events and the imminence of
unpleasant events, I had to find a solution to return to Switzerland as a
matter of urgency. Many people were unable to get on a return flight, as
several companies were closing down their operations in Asia. I found myself in
Geneva at the beginning of this week, without being able to visit Bihar, Delhi
and the Thar Desert.
After the
largest increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in India in one day, it
has never been clearer that the pandemic is about to happen and the next few
weeks will bring a scenario that many still find difficult to imagine.
The number of
confirmed cases in India is now doubling in less than five days, up from six at
the beginning of the month. India is following the trajectory of countries
around the world: in the United States, the number of cases is now doubling
every two days. Many people still don't realize the seriousness of the
situation ahead, especially in the context of India where the majority of
workers have no job protection.
With a ratio
of only 0.5 beds per 1,000 people as from 2017, the existing health
infrastructure in India will be overstretched very quickly. At the current rate
of growth in confirmed cases, by the beginning of June India will no longer
have any hospital beds.
And then what
can our organization "Ecoles de la Terre Welfare Society" do in this
context which appears to be catastrophic. I am participating with our existing
management team in discussions about the possibilities of intervention in terms
of aid and the plan of action for support of all kinds that we can carry out
throughout the pandemic.
We can
already say that our educational programmes, all the schools have been closed
by government order since 16 March, are being bracketed for as long as it will
take; these programmes are frozen for a while and their funding will be reduced
in favour of the FOOD AND MEDICAL aid we will have to organize. The rural populations that we support in
India are beginning to face major health, economic and food difficulties as a
result of the spread of the virus. More than 90% of our schools are in rural
areas.
As another
NGO, the Karuna-Sechen organization created in the year 2000 by Matthieu Ricard
and which also works in India, has just said, "this time of crisis shows
us more than ever the importance of our holistic approach and the culture of
altruism"; I would add that the interdependence of Ecoles de la Terre's
support programmes justifies today, as never before, its purpose.
Dear
Sponsors, Dear Godparents, Dear Friends, I wanted to send you this message. I
will make another point of information during this spring from Switzerland and not from India as it has been the case all the past years. Thank you for all that you bring to
"Ecoles de la Terre". May God bless you! May Life protect you and
your Near Ones, your Country. Sincere regards.
Martial
Salamolard for ECOLES DE LA TERRE
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