Holy Bells, Our Favorite So Far

Holy Bells is a K-5 school for street children; that is, their parents live in tents with no water or electricity and mostly beg for a living. They require their children to do the same or send them to do menial jobs because children will be hired before the parents. (Many organizations are trying to eliminate child labor.)

Ani and Syam saw this situation and felt that the Lord told them to help these children. They started with two in their home in 1998 which grew to 50 in 2003. Then they found the facilities above and have expanded enrollment to 150. They had to visit and counsel with parents to convince them to let their children come to school. Free government schools are too far away and without Ani and Syam, the fate of these children would be no better than their parents because children without an education in India have no chance at all. Syam envisions eventually helping 30,000 of these children through the junior college level so that they can get jobs and move their parents off the streets. Their only income is what Syam makes at his job, 25,000 Rs/mo (about $625 US). They depend on donations to run the school. Most of what they need does not qualify for us to submit. Furniture for the classrooms is a possibility but they might not have room for it. More children than desks can fit on the floor. Uniforms are common in the schools and needed at Holy Bells because children often don't have anything to wear. A young boy came one day in his mother's saree blouse. He knew he'd be teased but he wanted to be there. The red uniforms were donated by LDSC (Latter Day Saint Charities--us).

We loved these children who said, "Good morning, madam; good morning, sir" in each classroom as we entered. Then a group in each class sang a song for us. They were so respectful, so orderly when they filed outdoors to sing all together and then to do the Hokey Pokey with us. Any teacher would love to work with these children who are so eager to learn and so appreciative of their opportunities. The children everywhere are beautiful and tug at our heartstrings.