India
Education, Religious Harmony
$8,000 Goal
Summary of the Situation
Education changes lives, but unfortunately, it is not universally available. Extreme poverty and the inability of many parents to afford school fees place severe limits on children’s educational opportunities in many places, including in India. The Sisters at the Sankarakhol Mission have a dream – and now a proposal – that will change several children’s lives by providing them full access to education and room and board at their school. Funding will also allow the school to have a well-equipped Library and Principal’s office, a playground, an eco-friendly campus, and enhanced safety features recommended by local Fire Departments.
How will the funds be used?
The Sisters will use the funds to remodel the current school building to fulfill government requirements for high-school accreditation.
The Sisters’s Response
Sister Liby George at the Sankarakhol mission will administer the program, providing for the education and holistic development of the children.
Systemic Impact
Odisha, India, home to vast numbers of tribal and lower-caste people, is one of India’s poorest states. In 2008, brutal anti-Christian riots in one of Odisha’s districts, Kandhamal, slaughtered many innocents and shattered the lives of the local people. Recently, the Vatican approved the beatification process of 35 martyrs.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Annecy, believing lack of education to be the strongest driver of poverty and of deadly anti-Christian sentiment, established St. Joseph’s English Medium School in Kandhamal to fill the educational gap.
St. Joseph’s School educates students through middle school and is now acclaimed throughout Kandhamal for its academic excellence. The Sisters are seeking to expand their educational mission to include high-school students.