LITTLE LILIES CRÈCHE
LITTLE LILIES CRÈCHE
Little Lilies Crèche lies in the heart of the village of Pallangi, about 10km from the town of Kodaikanal, and it now supports 50 children, aged 3-5. It was opened by the Betsy Elizabeth Trust in 2002, thanks to the hard work and determination of Ecolint students and teachers who converted an abandoned shed into a crèche building with two classrooms. Little Lilies had a precious resource on site - a well. The new crèche was named Little Lilies Crèche after the lilies growing on the property.
Little Lilies opened its doors to seventeen children that year, and this was only the beginning. The crèche became a safe haven in the centre of the village as mothers dropped off their children before a day of hard labour in the fields and quarries.
In the first ten years after Little Lilies opened its doors, Ecolint project work included the addition of a tiled roof, a tin sheet classroom with educational murals, a kitchen and a bathhouse. The playground was transformed to include a thriving vegetable garden, a strong boundary wall, and a stage for performances and community events.
However, as a rental property, Little Liles was under constant threat of eviction. In 2010, Ecolint students donated funds for the purchase of the site, securing the future of Little Lilies.
By 2013, government regulations about pre-school buildings were changing and the number requests for a place at Little Lilies was on the increase. Between 2013 and 2016, Ecolint contributed to the work of Help Kids India in replacing the old building with a new brick building, with three classrooms, a separate kitchen and toilets. The student teams of 2017- 2018 helped with the renovation project, making Little Lilies the pride and joy of Pallangi.
Each year during their visit, the Ecolint students purchase crèche supplies, providing blankets, floor mats and kitchenware, as well as sandals, sweaters, and caps to keep the children warm during monsoon season. The team also ensures access to healthcare for Little Lilies’ children by funding the crèche nurse, first-aid medication, and a weekly doctor’s visit for sick children.
Another important initiative is to provide the 5 year-old graduating children with a new school backpack, including notebooks, pens and the supplies they need for a positive start in primary school.
Of all the work invested to construct, renovate and provide, the most valuable experience of all is the interaction and the relationship between Ecolint students and the crèche children.
Each day is punctuated by activities that develop academic, social and life skills, as the children move from breakfast to yoga lessons, on to story time and writing, songs and dance, playtime, mealtimes, wash time, and even naptime. Our India Project students experience real life in the crèche as they accompany the little ones through their day, learning with them and from them. That bond is one they will cherish long after their time in India.
TIMELINE
In 2002, the Ecolint team helped to secure the rental of a small site and abandoned shed in the village of Pallangi. After one week of hard work, the students and teachers had converted the dilapidated shed into a crèche building.
In 2003, the roof of Little Lilies was renovated with tin sheet and new tiles. The classrooms were painted and students planted a vegetable garden, a source of nutritious food for the children.
In 2005, the crèche welcomed a new group of inhabitants – chickens! Ecolint students built a chicken coop, and the new sandbox became the children’s favourite place to play.
In 2006, students demolished the dung floors of the classrooms to lay cement floors. The walls were decorated with educational murals to brighten up the dark classrooms. The crèche cook proudly stacked her new pots as the kitchen became better equipped to provide three nutritious meals a day.
In 2007-8, the team, under the guidance of Sixton a local expert in construction, dug the foundation and built a new tin sheet classroom. The chickens reluctantly moved to the back of the site as the children enjoyed more space to learn and play.
The new classroom was decorated in 2008-9 when the student team painted the inside and added shelving.
Mother nature decided the project work in 2010. As students waited for rain showers to pass, they came up with an idea for Little Lilies. A new porch would provide a sheltered outdoor space for learning and play. The project involved lessons on timberwork and construction by a local, and very patient, carpenter, Bala. The outdoor classroom was a big success as teachers and children used the space for lessons, dance and games.
Between visits in 2010 and 2011, with funds raised by the India Project team and wider Ecolint community, BET was able to seize the opportunity to purchase the site. Eviction was no longer a threat, and Little Lilies Crèche had a bright, secure future.
In 2011, the team brought the jungle to Little Lilies! Students added a colourful and vivid mural to the tin sheet classroom. The little children eagerly greeted the tigers and elephants that appeared over the course of the week. Students learned about gardening from Pakyium, the green-fingered gardener, and they planted an additional vegetable plot under her watchful eye.
By 2012, Little Lilies crèche was steadily becoming a centre for the whole community of Pallangi. That year, Ecolint students constructed a stage, the perfect setting for the crèche children’s performances and workshops for their mothers. As part of their participation in World Water Week that year, Year 8 students at LGB (Ecolint) had raised funds to help the India team promote water access and hygiene in Pallangi. That year the team constructed a bathhouse at Little Lilies, saving the mother
By 2013, the renovated shed building, still made of mud walls and tin sheet, was no longer standing the test of time and use. The India Project team raised funds to contribute to the efforts of BET’s funding partners Help Kids India to completely renovate Little Lilies. During their annual visit, students painted the furniture and improved the drains and gutters.
By 2014, construction of the new building for Little Lilies was well underway. As well as helping and learning from the masons, the students also set about constructing a stone boundary wall to secure and protect the site.