Don and Jen Knebel

On a visit to Christel House in Bangalore, India, we watched as some students played a three-on-three basketball game on a court yard just outside the school building.  The equipment and the game looked just like they would in the United States.  But the players were not wearing traditional basketball outfits.  Instead, they were wearing the jumpers and blouses that constitute the Christel House India uniform.  The reason these students were not wearing athletic shorts and shirts is part of the Christel House story.

For people living in some parts of the world, it is immodest or even immoral for women to expose their legs or shoulders in the presence of men other than their husbands or brothers.  There is no exception for basketball games.  As a result, if students in India were required to don traditional uniforms in order to play basketball, at least some students would not be able to play.  And if they couldn't play, they would not learn the valuable lessons of team work and discipline that playing basketball or any other team sports can provide.  So Christel House students in India play basketball with all the vigor of their counterparts in the U.S., but with the modesty their culture requires.

The leaders of Christel House International understand that its schools in India, Mexico and South Africa include students whose cultural values can be different from those of students in the United States.  So local administrators, attuned to the morals and values of their communities, make sure that Christel House schools stay true to their educational missions while respecting the unique cultures in which they operate.  The results speak for themselves.  That is why we are proud to support Christel House.