Gift A Smile

Since 1985, the Art of Living Foundation has helped support Gift A Smile, an innovative school and service program for children and their communities in rural India. The school is now so popular that many parents in this traditionally agricultural area (with no history of education or schooling) now send their children to school instead of to work in the fields.

Gift A Smile is pleased to sponsor the "Dollar-a-Day" Program for the children in the poorer regions of India. For only a dollar a day, you can house, feed, clothe and provide education for a school-aged child.

Students from five to twenty years of age are provided with balanced meals, regular medical care, school supplies, and two sets of uniforms.

Since public schooling is not available in the villages and tuition for distant private schools is too costly, Dollar-a-Day offers the only opportunity these youngsters will have to acquire the education and skills they need to become self-sufficient adults.

At present there are three kinds of schools - tribal schools, rural schools and schools for the weaker sections in cities. Although the philosophy behind all the schools is the same, the working methodology is slightly different. In the tribal areas, there are non-conventional schools, which lay more emphasis on enabling the students to shine in the fast changing world. In the rural areas, normal conventional schools provide all round education to fully tap the creativity of the child. In the schools for the weaker sections, a greater emphasis is laid on human values and inculcation of good habits like cleanliness and hygiene.

Our schools nurture the complete child, including mind, body and spirit. Family values are strengthened and social barriers are replaced by progressive attitudes. In addition to the basic curriculum of science, math, reading, language and arts, several innovative approaches are incorporated into the students' daily routing. These include:

Laughter: Studies are presented as an enjoyable challenge instead of as an overly-serious undertaking.

Friendliness: Students are encouraged to make new friends continually, fostering a feeling of closeness and togetherness.

Belonging: Each child is encouraged to feel that his/her teacher is also his/her friend and confidant. On this ground of mutual trust and admiration, a feeling of belonging to a caring community is cultivated.

Vocational and art classes provide older students with the practical and creative skills required to make a living and to help make their personal lives fuller. Women, who have traditionally remained at home with little opportunity for social contact or vocational training, now have a chance to expand their opportunities and to find new purpose in their lives. Classes for women include tailoring, typing, and traditional Indian crafts such as art, painting and music.

source: http://www.artofliving.org.sg