The Hindu festival called “Kali Puja” is a festival where Indians burn fire crackers galore. It is dangerous to walk the streets on this day; because there are no restrictions on where or when fire crackers may be used. One of our students, Mousumi Pal, was burned recently when a neighbor was lighting fire crackers for the festival. The fire crackers fell on her and burned her ankle and part of her thigh. She was hospitalized immediately, and stayed there for a few days. Her family could not afford the medical bills; and although she is not yet sponsored, Hope Academy helped to pay some of the expenses for her hospital stay.
Unless one has been to India, it is difficult to explain how the traffic is in Kolkata. Buses are overloaded with people and the sound of horns is constant as they race each other to get to their destination. The drivers pay no attention to pedestrians and don’t care if they run over people or hit them as they are fighting the traffic. A few years back one of our students was on his way to school when he was hit by a bus and killed as the bus ran over him.
Just a few weeks ago, Mohammed Afridi, a 6th grade student at Hope Academy was trying to board a bus. As he put his foot on the last step of the bus, the bus started moving. Afridi lost his grip of the bar that he was holding and fell as the bus took off. As he lay in the street, another bus sped by and ran over his right leg. He was immediately taken to the emergency unit at the hospital. The bones in his right leg are fractured in several places, and he lost all of his calf muscles. His entire leg is in a cast and he is unable to attend school at the moment. Mohammed’s right leg is injured very badly, and he has already had one surgery. Both legs are in a cast; and the doctors say that he may lose one of his legs.
Please be praying for complete healing for both of these students. Pray that Mohammed’s legs heal completely and as quickly as possible, and that Mousumi’s burns will heal quickly as well. Pray that we can come alongside these families and help them in every way that we can. It is going to be a painful journey to recovery, but we pray that they are able to return to school as soon as possible. Thank you for all of your prayers and support!
