VANAPRASTHA
- Organisation
- Vanaprastha International School
- Country of intervention
- India
- Location
- Mugulapalli
- Project start
- 2006
- Project contact
- Father Sibi Puthenpura
Vanaprastha has been the first important project realized by the Foundation and it is still the most important because of the large number of children involved.
Since 2006 this reality has constantly grown. Father Sibi, an Indian catholic priest, ensures hospitality and education for the children in need. Nowadays he takes care of around 700 children. Some of them (97) live together with the priest in a building next to the school, the Vanaprastha Children’s Home.
Today
The school groups together children from numerous surrounding villages. Every morning four school buses accompany them to their lessons, where they study fundamental subjects for their training. The classes go from infants to junior school and every year new courses are added.
Tomorrow
The number of children is constantly increasing and as a result the need for further living space has also grown. The Foundation is already expanding the school and residential building, adding services and assistance. The real goal to be achieved is to hand over a new Children's Village to Father Sibi as soon as possible.
This new area is made up of three buildings and it is now under construction. Only one building is finished. In June 2011 Father Sibi and some of the children moved there.
Visit our photo gallery to see the construction work in progress.
- AFRICA
- FONKO AND LAREBA SCHOOLS
- ITALIAN BOUSSOUM' TOMAT
- PRET-A-PORTER
- AMERICA
- FUTURE4HAITI
- ASIA
- FASHION IN KABUL
- VANAPRASTHA
- VOICE OF WOMEN
- WOMEN JOURNALISTS
- EUROPA
- HOME CARE
WHY TAKE ACTION?
The data speak for themselves: 78 children out of a 1000 die before reaching the age of 5 while the illiteracy rate is 35% and child labour is the rule. Schools are few and inaccessible; they lack furniture, school equipment and funds to pay teachers' salaries. All of this is happening close to Bangalore, known as the Silicon Valley of India: a place where the future and innovation have played a leading part for years and yet failed to erase the tragedy of a past that will not go away.