These young people have finished their 10th year at High School.
The tenth year in Indian schools is equivalent to the fifth form and the exams thay take are equivalent to our old 'O' levels or the GCSE's taken in years 10 /11. The Indian students take 6 subjects, which for our children in the State of Andhra Pradesh are, Telugu, Hindi, English, Social Science, Maths and Science. They must pass in all subjects.
Brighter Future's children this year include Rainbow Children and children from Prem Nivas and Shanti Nivas.If they pass all subjects they are eligible to go on to tertiary education in a separate College, like a sixth form College here in the UK.
That these people have been able to get an education is because of the principal aim of Brighter Future. In 2004 Victor and Danny set up the charity to enable children from leprosy colonies and from slum areas to go to school, and have regular medical and loving care, so that they could overcome the poverty and stigma of leprosy into which they had been born. They would no longer need to go begging on the streets with their parents, With education they would be regarded as 'normal children' and equiped to lead independent lives.
In 2006 another stigmatized and ostracised group of children, those born with HIV/AIDS were welcomed under Brighter Future's umbrella.
The fact that we have two young men at university and thirty students in colleges speaks for the success of Brighter Future's strategy. Every year more and more children make it to college, and the predominance of girls among them is encouraging. The majority of these children did not start formal education until they came to Brighter Future. The children from colonies went begging with their parents or stayed at home as their parents could not afford the books or uniforms.
Children whose parents died of AIDS were asked to leave school.Some did not even start school because of the death of the family breadwinner or because they themselves were too sick .
For three years the children at Prem Nivas were refused admittance by all the local schools, government, as well as private.That is why we started our own primary school at Prem Nivas.
The bad news is that college and university places cost money!
University places cost about £500 a year and colleges last year were asking £250 per annum per student. Let us pray that the 10% inflation has not reached the education sector!
We are in great need of student sponsors - kind people to pay a young person's fees (which includes the compulsory uniforms, books and a bicycle to get there).
Could you support a student or gather together in a group to educate one!
Gather 12 friends, relations or colleagues together
at £2 each a month?
