The Blossom Bus: Help Rural Girls Get To School!

Dear friends of Lotus Outreach,

With your generous support, 46 girls in rural India are now back in school as a result of the Blossom Bus project which is currently providing them with daily chaperoned transportation.

We met one bus load of girls as they were returning from school on September 16th. The girls told us that it is exam time for them as well as all children in lower secondary school (grades 7, 8 and 9). All of the girls are very excited about going to school, some 3 miles (5 km) from their homes, and told us that their parents were previously not comfortable with them going to school outside their village, especially unaccompanied, so the Blossom Bus is a godsend.

Fourteen year-old Farhana Begum, in the 9th class, confirmed to us that all of the girls are first generation learners and that “after 5th grade we all stopped going to school due to lack of safe transport.” Farhana continues, “our parents agreed to send us but not without safe transport including a trusted chaperone.”

All of the girls then chirped in excitedly asking us, “Can we have a bigger bus? There are so many of our friends that wish to go to school too and cannot until they also have transport!” To watch the video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c9m99oj8NI.

SAVE THE DATE!

Will you help us make their wish come true? Beginning midnight October 12, GlobalGiving will be matching all donations by as much as 50% (donations up to $499 will be matched 30%; $500-$999 will be matched 40%; and donations $1,000-$2,500 will be matched 50%) and we are using this opportunity to get more buses to out-of-school girls in Mewat, as there are hundreds of girls “ready to go” but lacking reliable transport. Please mark this event on your calendar (matching fund pool is limited)!

Links:

• Blossom Bus video