A Visit to Shastri School, Bangalore

1. A Visit to Shastri School, Bangalore August 2010 By: SruthiRamakrishnan and SwathiRamakrishnan

2. This is our sixth visit to Shastri School. We have enjoyed seeing the school develop through the years since we first got involved in the project in 2001. We have seen the students learn, grow, and graduate, moving on to different opportunities within the local community with new found knowledge and independence. The school currently has 104 students, a majority of whom are orphans or come from families with little to no income and are in need of support. Through the “Support A Child” Program, each of the sponsors is matched with a child to help cover the child’s school, boarding, and educational expenses. Project Stewards, Swathi and Sruthi, in front of the school building

3. Meeting Mr. Chandreshekar , the school principal, and Ms. Jayamana S., one of the 15 teachers, during our visit to the school.

4. During our visit, we were greeted by many new faces at the school. We noticed that a majority of the children have either left or graduated from Shastri School and have been placed in different training programs or work at local businesses. On the left, Swathi is standing with a new student, Naveen, who is studying in the sixth grade. Naveen is anxious to finish class today because after school he plans to go to the local playground where his friends have organized a cricket match.

5. Swathi is spending some time with the students on the terrace before they begin their classes. In the background, you can see the children’s sleeping blankets and mattresses rolled up and stored away in preparation for the annual school day.

6. After taking all the children’s photos we gave them a few pieces of candy. They happily accepted the treats, smiling and trying to say the words “Thank you.” Many of the students have learned the western form of greeting someone. On the right is a photo of Hema reaching to shake Sruthi’s hand and thanking her for the chocolate treats.

7. The teachers of Shastri School are very hardworking and committed to their jobs. Many of them are working at below the market rate, but continue to spend long hours during the school day and after school hours to help tutor the children. On the left, Mr. Subbaraj is teaching writing to his 1st grade students. All the students take turns coming to the front of the classroom to practice writing letters and numbers. On the right, Ms. Hemavathi is teaching science to her pre-primary students. Today they are learning about parts of the human body. As you can see, she has drawn a large mouth with a toothy grin on the chalk board.

8. Pre-primary students, Maya and Gururaj, are studying science and are learning parts of the body. They proudly hold up their notebooks eager to show us their hard work. You can spot the “Cheshire cat” grins reproduced in both their notebook!

9. Swathi meets Supriya, an orphan child studying in the sixth grade. On the right, she is pretending to attend the class with the pre-primary students. They are an energetic group but when she comes to sit with them to take a picture, they quickly become quiet, and are on their best behavior.

10. Sruthi is sitting beside Jeevaraju who is studying in the fourth grade. He loves math so he makes sure to sit in the front of the class to pay close attention to his teacher, Mr. Girish K.S.

11. Thank you for your support towards Shastri School. With your donations and commitment to the school you are helping these children have an opportunity for a brighter future. Thanks to you, the sponsors and donors of Shastri, we were able to raise over $7500 for the school this past year, and we have collectively contributed over $80,000 since we started this project. We look forward to crossing the $100K mark soon with your help. On the left, the children at Shastri are smiling and waving goodbye to their sponsors.