Education Instead of Begging

View of the river island of Omkareshwar. It is located on the sacred Narmada River. From a bird’s-eye view, the island has the form of the holy OM. The school is located on a hill directly on the southern pilgrim trail.

The current focus of our activities is the pilgrimage island Omkareshwar in the state of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. A small religious community, inspired by the well-known spiritual master Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), established an ashram there in 1999 and after then a small school for the children of the impoverished rural population of this region, especially for the indigenous adivasi. The religious community was able to convince the parents living there of the need for their children to attend the school instead of begging.

Lunch together – an essential motive for parents to attend school

The association is supporting this school since 2014. After a change of the school management as well as large parts of the school staff in 2015, the school went through a reinvention process, supported by our Association, in order to allow these children to continue their school attendance.

In the summer of 2019, about 250 girls and boys attended the school and kindergarten. The first classes having left the school have already taken their exams and developed good foundations for a self-determined life in the dynamically changing Indian society.

The school does not receive any state funding. It is exclusively dependent on donations. The donation income are managed by the nearby “Mother Ashram” and its trust organisation in Indore.

Any support from Europe, who is so prosperous by comparison, will improve the living conditions of pupils and parents on Omkareshwar island.

Small break after the cleaning task – View from the ashram to the river Narmada