"Our dream is very simple: to send each of these kids, get them prepared to be educated but also to live peacefully, contented in this conflict-ridden chaotic globalized world."
Educating the poor is more than just a numbers game, says Shukla Bose. She tells the story of her groundbreaking Parikrma Humanity Foundation, which brings hope to India's slums by looking past the daunting statistics and focusing on treating each child as an individual.
Shukla is the founder and head of this Foundation, a nonprofit that runs four extraordinary schools for poor children. The word "Parikrma" implies a full revolution, a complete path around -- and Parikrma Humanity Foundation offers literally that to kids in poor urban areas around Bangalore. Parikrma's four Schools of Hope teach the full, standard Indian curriculum to children who might not otherwise see the inside of a classroom, with impressive results. Equally important, the schools build an "end-to-end" environment that supports learning -- offering lunch every day, health-care and family support. They also promote a unique fund-raising initiative called Heart For Art that showcases their children's art to the world. They have already held 3 art shows in the US - two in Manhattan, NY and one in San Francisco. Inspiring people, inspiring results.
"When I started Parikrma I began with a great deal of arrogance of transforming the world. But today I have been transformed. I have been changed with my children. I've learned so much from them: love, compassion, imagination and such creativity."
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