Mary Ward (1585 - 1645)

The 'We Care' programme is an annual event hosted by the Plus Two students for the senior citizens residing in old-age homes across the city. This event, which is usually held In the second week of December is eagerly awaited all through the year. It includes an entertainment programme and friendly interactions followed by a sumptuous lunch and take-home hampers for all senior citizens. The guests are invited to perform and they do so with a youthfulness and zest that is truly wonderful. Each girl escorts a guest throughout the day and for both old and young, the experience is rewarding. This unique programme thereby sensitizes the younger generation to the needs of the old and teaches them to value the love and wisdom that grandparents offer. An added attraction in recent years is the series of performances by folk artistes from different parts of India brought under the auspices of the EZCC.

As a special gesture towards those senior citizens who are unable to move out of their homes, the CLC unit of the school, uses this day to visit them in their homes and entertain them there.

Mentaid is an Outreach programme organized annually by the students of class X for differently abled pupils of Mentaid School, Behaia. This day long programme that provides the class Xs with an opportunity to interact with their special invitees, is an eagerly awaited event on the school calendar.
Every year around 35 children attend the programme. They are accompanied by their teachers and escorts. Our girls take up the responsibility of escorting them to our school and then dropping them back after the programme. An entertainment programme is presented by the girls, followed by an interactive session with the invitees and games. After the programme the children are served refreshments and presented with a gift each. It is an enriching experience for girls of Loreto House who cherish this memory for years to come.

Started in 1979 at Loreto Day School Sealdah, and later extended to the other Loreto schools, this experiment in education was born of a certain uneasiness felt at being part of a formal school system imparting ‘quality education'to a privileged few, while millions of their less fortunate peer group get virtually nothing at all.
The concept of establishing a Home for street children inside a regular school has been developed for the following reasons:

• In the Loreto Education Guidelines ( March,2003 ), it is written : "Informed by the Loreto priority 'to stand with those on the margins of society', Loreto school must actively respond to the needs of those excluded from full participation in society on the basis of economic and/or social deprivation. When such a response, based on the Gospel values, is integral to the school experience it is prophetic and makes our message credible to society."
• For the street children concerned, living inside regular schools provides many welcome stimuli for development, and a process of reintegration into society's mainstream begins at once.
• The concept of street children living inside regular schools is considered an efficient solution, since a major part of the infrastructure ( such as buildings, staff members, education and a great number of social events) is already available and functioning ,thus enabling a swift project implementation and parallel integration process.

The children staying at the Rainbow Homes are supported in their needs, shelter, food, uniforms, medicines and specialized teaching to cope with classroom work. There are around 109 children aged between 5-18 staying in the Loreto House Rainbow home. They live as one family, are well looked after by their care givers and participate in all programmes of the school.

The Loreto Literacy Centre began as an LTS programme to provide free education to girls from underprivileged sections of society. Originally the centre was known as The Rainbow School and it began its work with 18 girls who received lessons in the playground of Loreto House after school hours.
The Centre soon began receiving more children from the locality. The girls had been denied the privilege of being educated either due to extreme poverty or due to the belief that they are meant to remain at home to contribute to household chores. With all the. Girls being first generation learners, the endeavor became even more challenging and within two years, space was allotted on the roof of Loreto House school, where the Centre began to function. The time-table changed from after-school hours to during school hours to make it a part of the Loreto House School initiative. Teaching time was increased to three hours per day. The girls were grouped into classes and subjects were introduced to structure the programme. The Rainbow School thereafter came to be known as the Loreto House Free School.
The centre presently has 160 girls hailing from families with limited income. Classes begin at 9.30 a.m. to enable the girls to complete household duties before beginning their school time.
English has been accepted as the medium of instruction for it is much needed to ensure that the girls get jobs and attain computer literacy. Educational material (textbooks, exercise books and stationery) is provided free of cost.
The girls are also provided with a light breakfast as most of them arrive in school without having eaten anything.
The students are taught till class V and thereafter assessed according to their academic strengths. They are then placed either in vocational training or mainstream education. Three students of the programme have graduated and have full-time jobs.
The centre has dedicated volunteer teachers who teach everything from Mathematics and History to Singing ,Dancing and Craft. Students of Loreto House ,from class 6 upwards, visit once a week to interact with the girls and to teach them. Each Loreto girl is paired with a student and they work on a project together after which they progress to academic work. The students of the Centre and Loreto House School look forward to interacting with each other.
The Loreto Literacy Centre symbolizes the Loreto philosophy of education for all.
“Women in time to come will do much”