The kindergarten project in Ranchi is largely being implemented with the help of a generous donation from the the Berlin-based association Die Kappe e.V., umbrella organisation for the Creativity School Centre Berlin. Project phase 1 was completed at the end of 2021 with a few months delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, the delays in construction could already be used for the education and training of the future teaching staff.
Once the long and very intense monsoon season of 2022 in India was over, the main part of phase 2 of the project could be tackled in autumn 2022 after reviewing the construction site situation. Adjustments had to be made here, as a major road construction project in the city directly adjoins the planned site and partly runs across it. As a result, the location of the planned playground had to be changed.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to open the new YMCA kindergarten in Ranchi in the entire past year of 2023 either, because the massive construction work by the city to build an elevated road along the YMCA site took place throughout the whole year. For a long time, it was not clear how much of the YMCA site would fall victim to the roadworks. At least, with the help of the German weltwärts volunteers from the YMCA Ranchi, a small school garden was designed and planted between spring and summer.
In autumn 2023, a sewage system was built along the new road, and the work is now almost complete. In any case, this should now clarify the boundary between our site and the road. It is planned to erect the fence to the road again at the beginning of 2024 and thus also to secure the site again against intrusion by unwanted persons. Only then will it be possible to carry out the other remaining phase 2 activities step by step. As the actual work on the new elevated road is continuing and will probably continue for several more months, it is not yet possible to predict at this stage whether it will actually be possible to open the kindergarten for the new school year in May 2024.
