The Sal & Mahua Schools Project, India

The Sal & Mahua Schools Project

Bandhavgarh National Park, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, is home to one of the last few viable concentrations of tigers on Earth. Despite being declared a Tiger Reserve in 1968, sadly, it is not immune to the twin threats of poaching and encroachment by the many villages that surround the park.

Both the Sal & Mahua Schools sit on the boundary of the Bandhavgarh national park and were, up until recently, in a state of disrepair. Our partners are seeking to fully refurbish the schools and improve the facilities and learning environment. By providing 1,000 local children with an education underwritten by conservation, this initiative is helping highlight to the surrounding communities the benefits of the Bengal tiger and contribute to the protection of these majestic creatures from poachers, encroachment, and conflict.

Despite delays to the building work caused by lockdowns in India between 2020 and 2021, our partners have already built protective boundary walls for the two schools, constructed school kitchens and toilets, and installed solar water pumps which provide clean drinking water. Additionally, books, cabinets for storage, sports equipment, and other educational materials have been provided and hundreds of saplings planted in the school grounds.

Further improvements are due to take place later in 2022, which will continue benefit the local school children and their families, encouraging them to live in harmony alongside their striped neighbours.

W O R T H   M O R E   A L I V E  X

The Sal & Mahua Schools Project is supported by Worth More Alive.  Worth More Alive is a fundraising campaign devised and led by our very own expert guide and award-winning wildlife photographer, Paul Goldstein to support the protection of the endangered Bengal Tiger. In 2019, in the tenth iteration of this campaign, he vowed to raise £100,000 by undertaking three marathons in his now famous tiger suit. He completed the Brighton marathon, closely followed by the London Marathon in 2021 and will travel to Nepal to complete the gruelling Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon on 29th May 2022. To find out more and support Paul’s epic mission click here.