The Shanti Bhavan Children's Project (in Hindi: haven of peace) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) and India 80-G non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 based in Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, that operates a K-12 residential school in Baliganapalli

Baliganapalli

Baliganapalli is a village in the Hosur taluk of Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, India....

, Tamil Nadu. The school is accredited by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and administers the ICSE and ISC exams.

At present, the school houses 200 students, 180 of which are Dalits.

History

Shanti Bhavan was established in August 1997 as a project of The George Foundation

The George Foundation

The George Foundation is a non-governmental organization established in 1995 with head office in Bangalore, India. Its founder is Dr. Abraham M...

 to help economically and socially disadvantaged children, mostly Dalit

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

 children, in rural India, specifically in the Tamil Nadu, Andra Pradesh, and Karnataka areas.

On September 10, 2008, it became a separate non-profit organization run under the Shanti Bhavan Educational Trust.

Mission

The organization aims to provide holistic,quality education to India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

's most underprivileged children, mostly from the lower caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

 or the Dalits to make them become successful and productive members of the society.

Method

The school takes in children as young as four years old who are below poverty level and have never been exposed to any form of education and financially supports them throughout college.

Partners and programs

The organization has a volunteer program which employs volunteer educators from some educational and non-profit organizations such as ASTEP,IGCC, U.S.-India Business Council, Indian Society of the Church of Jesus Christ - Latter Day Saints, and She's the First

She's the First

She's the First is a non-profit organization based in New York. It was launched on 1 November 2009 under the leadership of Tammy Tibbetts and Christen Brandt...

to teach academic and non-academic subjects.