Slum Children Beat All Odds

BANGALORE, India, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The popularity of the
movie "Slumdog Millionaire" has highlighted the plight of the impoverished,
but beyond the glitz and glamour, there are still 700 million people in India
living on less than $1 a day. Among them are the country's 250 million
"Untouchables" (known as "Dalits") who have faced systematic persecution and
discrimination for over 2,500 years. One institution, the Shanti Bhavan
School, is trying to reverse the fortunes of this underprivileged segment of
society through long-term, high-quality education.

Shanti Bhavan is a tuition-free school and home for India's most vulnerable
and disadvantaged children. Located an hour outside of Bangalore, it has been
serving the poorest of the poor for over thirteen years. And it has produced
real results: its entire first two graduating classes finished the national
ICSE high school examination with top marks, achieving a 3.5 GPA and higher.
This has been a landmark achievement, a first for any school for Dalits in
India.

"I knew the ICSE would be difficult, but I studied hard and my teachers made
sure I was prepared," says Amrita, a 10th grader who came from the slums but
excelled in the examinations. "I feel as if the whole world is open to me, and
now I have the confidence to compete with anyone."

Most educational programs for the poor focus on basic literacy without
offering a stable environment. However, the minimal skills taught during these
courses are not enough to prepare the disadvantaged for college or
professional jobs. Consequently, they have been trapped in poverty for
generations.

Shanti Bhavan has rewritten the poverty alleviation model with a revolutionary
approach on the principle that every child, regardless of his/her social and
economic background, deserves the opportunity to gain a good education. All
children are provided a secure, nurturing environment at "homes" on its
campus, providing them with nutritious daily meals, clothing and proper
medical care. The adjoining school in the campus offers excellent education
from pre-school to 12th grade, preparing the children for college study in
good institutions.

Michelle Miller, a NYC music performer who has volunteered twice at Shanti
Bhavan had this to say about her experiences there: "Shanti Bhavan fully
embodies its name as a 'haven of peace'. The children are taken from the grips
of malnutrition, abuse, and neglect and are given loving care, nurtured
emotionally and educated with expectations of excellence. The result is an
intellectual curiosity, a deep sense of compassion for others, optimism in
their future, and a desire to use these tools to help others in abject
poverty."

Even in this recession, Shanti Bhavan has managed to continue its operations
through grassroots funding, primarily in the U.S. and the UK. The school hopes
to continue its mission with the assistance and generosity of those interested
in the welfare of deprived children.

To contact Shanti Bhavan:
U.S.: 121 Hawkins Place, PMB 192, Boonton, NJ, 07005 (phone: 940-368-4370)
Website: www.shantibhavanonline.org or email shantibhavanchildren@gmail.com

SOURCE Shanti Bhavan

Ajit George, +1-940-368-4370, shantibhavanchildren@gmail.com, for Shanti
Bhavan