Background - Holland Wharf Girl’s Hostel
The history of HOLLAND WHARF GIRLS' HOSTEL goes back to 1836 when Christian missionaries from England arrived in Narsapur. Narsapur is a country town on the banks of the Godavari River, 6 km from where the river empties into the Bay of Bengal. These missionaries began to educate boys.
By the 20th Century, this had developed into Mission High School. In 1953, 38 boys sat for their final examinations. Soon after, the local community begged the missionaries to provide the same opportunities for girls. The boys’ hostel was then closed.
A Call for Support
In 1975, World Vision of India was approached, seeking their help with sponsorship. They agreed to sponsor 30 girls. By 1999, this grew to 150 girls and was discontinued after that.
Individual sponsorship was initiated mainly through Joy Tilsley’s personal visits to Christian Brethren Assemblies in the UK, Canada and Australia. Since then, each year, there have been up to 380 girls from poor families at the Hostel. Many come in at 5 years old and stay until completing tertiary education. Currently, there are only 320 girls. Of those, 94 do not have sponsors. This situation is critical.