BUDDHA SMIILES

Stone quarries in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state draw unskilled, lower caste laborers in search of work from across the region.  Traveling great distances, migrants typically arrive with their families, or even entire communities, in tow.  Impromptu settlements sprout up with little or no access to clean water, sanitation, or health services.

For the children of these families, education is an extraordinary challenge.  Although public schooling is provided for free, they quickly fall behind and frequently drop out.  Lotus Outreach’s partner, Spirit in Life, has identified a root cause of their difficulties - stone quarry children typically have no adult at home to turn to for help.  More often than not, parents are illiterate and even less educated than their children. 

Buddha Smiles, a network of local volunteer teachers, was developed to assist struggling primary school students with free after-school tutoring.  For less than $15 per student per year, the program not only reinforces formal teaching of basic literacy and mathematics, but also seeks to imbue the program’s children with broader concepts such as critical thinking, conflict-resolution, and human rights.

This inexpensive, nimble program generates a rewarding bond for the children and mentors alike, who are then able to pass an appreciation of education on to a population that most stands to benefit from it.  Pushing back against class discrimination, Buddha Smiles prepares these disadvantaged children to compete with those from more privileged sectors.

Partner: Spirit in Life Movement

Supported by: Lotus Outreach Germany