Shelter Of Hope Foundation

Up in Darjeeling, specifically over in Gossainpur, is where we do our thing. We are located at Surya Roy’s place. It’s a beautiful area, but things can be tough for people living here sometimes. We named this Shelter of Hope because we wanted to give people a place to come when they feel stuck. It’s not a big fancy shelter with rows of beds, just a small operation run by local people. We spend a lot of time walking around and talking to people in the community. You get to know everyone pretty well that way. Darjeeling has a certain way of doing things, and we try to stick to that. We don't want to be outsiders telling people what to do. We are part of the same town and deal with the same problems. Some days the fog is so thick you can't see the next house, but we still open up. It’s a quiet life mostly, just helping out where we can. We don't have a lot of money or resources, so we have to be creative. If someone needs food or a bit of help with their house, we see who in the neighborhood can pitch in. It’s all very informal and based on just being good neighbors to each other. We take it one day at a time and try to keep things simple and honest for everyone involved.