I have already written several diary entries about our school and everyone who comes to this website sees immediately that it is about children. Whoever wants to know more about the children whom you can see on all pictures will soon find out that we run a charity school for poor children. Today I would like to write a bit more about it for all those who don’t know much about us yet but also to go a bit more in detail.
When writing about the renovation of our school, I mentioned that we have installed air-conditioners in all classrooms because we want the children to have the same comforts when learning that we want to have while working. And it is true, we want to make this school not only like other schools but we want to give these poor children, who otherwise would have no education at all, an extraordinary school experience.
Compared to other schools of the same level in Vrindavan the salary of our teachers is, according to their qualification, about 50% higher. Additionally the teachers also get their lunch at the Ashram.
We provide all school supplies, which means all books, notebooks, pencils, erasers, uniforms and more. Additionally they have their daily warm lunch at the school, which may for some children be the only warm food they get in a day. On special events we do their health check-ups and we send them to the doctor if they are ill and the family needs our support to get medical help. No child has to pay anything for this all.
The decision to admit a child in our school depends on the family’s financial situation. We only take in those children whose parents cannot afford to send them to a school with a decent standard of education.
Recently a family came by car to have their son and their daughter admitted at our school. We refused with nice words and told them to have their children admitted somewhere else. We have limited place in our school which is reserved for the poor and we know that none of these families could afford a car. They even wanted to give a donation in exchange for having their children admitted. We politely told them that this was not an option. We want the children to be equal.
In this way we have been running our school since 2007, not receiving any financial help from the government. How do we do this? With much work and effort, the help of wonderful people around the globe and with much love for the children of this world.
About 40% of the expenses for school and children are covered by donations of our sponsors and we are thankful to all our friends, sponsors and donors all over the world for their support. The remaining 60% are contributed by our own earning. My family and I work for this school without getting paid. Our source of income is the business which is done at the Ashram, while travelling or online through our website.
If we had wanted, we could have started a second business and open a school that takes fees from its students. But education is not a business for me and I want those children to have a better chance in life whose parents never even went to school. And we want it to be a really good school.