The School

While Dean was working in Bangalore, I had a desire to connect with people who were helping the poor. Kumar Swamy picked me up at the hotel. A very caring man, we were instantly long time friends.

In the heart of the city and next to relatively nice homes, we came to unbelievable slums where Kumar and his wife Jeeva are helping the untouchables. I heard and saw for the first time what life is like for the untouchables (Dalits) of India.

They are unable to access education, and because of the social stigma of "untouchability", society forces them to take low-paying jobs that provide inadequate income. They cannot afford food, clothing, shelter, medical care or education. They have no resources to work toward a better life.

The cows roam freely and because there are no pastures for grazing to speak of, they eat the trash which is piled up everywhere.

There are approximately 1,000 remote villages and city slums in India where 300 million untouchables live.

I found out later that this wonderful, caring gentle Indian man who was taking the time to show me his work, has been very influential in fighting for the Dalits in Indian government.

Right in the middle of these slums, we came to a very basic school building. I was greeted by children who were clean, happy and had incredible hope in their eyes. They presented me with flowers and sang for me. It brought tears to my eyes. This school is providing Dalit children in these slums with a quality, English education built on high academic standards and a world view based on human dignity and self-worth.

I noticed an American doctor over in a corner with lines and lines of children waiting for medical treatment. I learned that he is "giving himself away" in his retirement years to help others. I was incredibly impressed.

All around this school was squalor and poverty. I asked if I might visit some of these families in their shacks. I was told that they would be honored that I would want to. As I started walking, two of the children ran ahead of me and shouted, the English woman is coming, the English woman is coming.

Kumar and his staff are working to establish a network of schools for the untouchables. His goal is to build 1,000 schools throughout the slums and remote villages of India. To date almost 100 schools have been built with over 15,000 students. I asked Kumar, how can I help? What is your most immediate need? It was like he fanned out a deck of cards and said, pick one.