In 2017, we began work on our second Shanti Bhavan school. Twenty-five acres of beautiful land, perfect for a new campus, has been purchased in Karnataka, India. Architectural plans have been drawn up. The emergence of COVID-19 provided a setback, but as we look ahead to our 25th anniversary in 2022, we are excited to conclude the fundraising begun in 2017 and start construction on Phase 1 of our second Shanti Bhavan school.
The first Shanti Bhavan was a grand experiment: provide impoverished children with 17 years of high-quality education, surround them with a philosophy of giving and empathy, support them with meals, clothes, housing, medical care—everything a growing child needs—and then see what happens. Would these children go on to become change-makers in the world? Would not only their lives be altered, but also the lives of their families, communities, and the many others with whom they came into contact?
Twenty-five years later, the answer is clear: Yes! In 2021, we have alumni in the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs, in the halls of Ivy League schools such as Dartmouth, on the fields of India’s professional football leagues, and giving back to their communities through service and charity.
Dr. Abraham George never envisioned just one Shanti Bhavan. Each year, Shanti Bhavan receives more than 500 applications from families in need—500 deserving children to fill just 28 spots. And those are just the children near our existing campus; there are countless communities throughout India and all across the world who deserve the opportunity Shanti Bhavan provides. To truly impact poverty on a widespread scale, we must expand the Shanti Bhavan model to new locales. And that all starts with our second Shanti Bhavan school!
To learn more about how you can support Shanti Bhavan 2, visit our Shanti Bhavan 2 page.
