Starting Point
The school for slum children that we started in September 2004 has grown immensely. It is called Starting Point, because I guess that’s exactly what it is–an opportunity for these kids to get a good start in life. These kids (20 of them) come from a slum near a place called Ulsoor here in Bangalore. When we first started the school, the parents of the children were very suspicious and acted like we were planning to throw their kids into the lake or God-knows what! We were able to slowly win them over, and now they are asking if all the kids from the slum can attend our school. So far we have two classrooms and are hoping to open a third, finances permitting.
One of my jobs this month is finding sponsors who would like to contribute on a monthly or yearly basis. Half of the school budget is sponsored like this, but now we would like to get it all covered to avoid the month to month fundraising that inevitably happens.
I remember the first time these kids showed up at school. They were dirty, quiet, spoke only Tamil, and though they were very sweet they had alot to overcome with the background that they had. If you came to our school today, you probably wouldn’t even know that these kids are from the slum. They are well kept, neat, clean, they speak conversational English, they can read, write, perform and much more. They are all ages from 2-6, by the way! After they turn school age, they are given a sponsored education and a seat in one of the regular schools here.
I will let you know how this project goes, pray that we find all the sponsors that we need! It’s a challenge, but hey, I don’t think I’d be in India if I didn’t love challenges! ha!