Carey Dahncke is the principal of Christel House Academy in Indianapolis. He recently visited our learning center in Bangalore for the first time. Since he works with our students in the United States every day, Carey knows what poverty looks like here, but it didn't completely prepare him for traveling abroad. He writes:

Spending a week in Bangalore, I was struck with how warm and welcoming the Indian people were during our visit.  While at Christel House India, I was welcomed by the students and staff.  The school was clearly a special place. 

During one classroom visit, I was particularly impressed with how focused and attentive the students were.  They absolutely had a desire to learn.  The respect and drive exhibited by these children was similar to what you might expect at a private school in an international setting. 

Later that same day, I had the privilege to visit the neighborhood of a few of these children.  Unlike children who typically attend private schools, these children did not have parents with means who were searching for an edge in a competitive world.  These children and families came from a tightly knit neighborhood with meager resources.   By American standards, this was a desperate neighborhood.  In the US, visiting this community would have been considered risky and dangerous.  Dirt streets, communal toilets and showers, over crowded homes; poorly constructed with no regard to any sort of construction standards.   Some of the homes could best be described as quickly constructed shelters.  Despite the extreme poverty, there was no graffiti.   There were no drunks or druggies in the streets.  No one yelled or shouted profanity at us.  I saw no locks on the doors, but there seemed to be no evidence of crime.  At times, it was hard to reconcile what I was seeing. 

What we experienced was in sharp contrast to what I might expect had we been in the US.  Our group was graciously welcomed into this community.  No one apologized or seemed ashamed.  Quite the opposite, the entire neighborhood was proud and eager to show off their homes to us.  Small possessions that might seem insignificant to Americans, were prized possessions for these families. 

Stepping into the homes, I found it challenging to understand how an entire family could live in one or two rooms, with almost no modern amenities.  Despite this, these Indian families were not angry or bitter. 

Thinking back to the morning in the classroom, I wondered how children could manage so well in these two drastically different worlds.  The resiliency and determination of these students to succeed is something very special.  These children are not fighting for an edge in the world, they are looking for a survival path.   I found myself impressed beyond words with how determined these children were to succeed. 

I have no doubt that the work being done at Christel House India is truly transformational. 

Pantaloons Femina Miss India World, Miss India Earth, and Miss India International visited the Christel House kids at Lavasa to inaugurate the Resource Center. See more about their visit, and hear the students signing the Christel House song, in this clip from Planet Bollywood:

India Infoline also covered the event: http://www.indiainfoline.com/Markets/News/Pantaloons-Femina-Miss-India-winners-play-goodwill-ambassadors-at-Lavasa/5144189974