Prajna Vihar School

When I told our local Indian guide that I wanted to visit a school for poor children, he cautioned me that many are more about soliciting money than really helping poor children. When I gave him the name of the school—Prajna Vihar—his tone totally changed. “Oh that one is a good one! They really help children who would otherwise be beggars and they have a close relationship with parents in the poorest communities."

The children of Prajna Vihar School are just delightful! It is hard to imagine the poverty they live in because their smiles are always so bright. I have visited the school several times and am impressed by the creativity and enthusiasm of the students and the friendly dedication of the teachers. In the Prajna Vihar community children are nurtured and encouraged to do their best.

You cannot imagine the happiness of the parents, many who are illiterate themselves, as they witness their children become confident citizens, making real contributions to society, their community, and their families. Education has the power to liberate young and old from desperate hardship.

I was very touched by my visit to the Prajna Vihar School. The girls and boys expressed their deep gratitude to us that they are able to go to school, receive an education and have a good future. I could see, walking in the very poor neighborhood, that if there were no school, the children would simply hang out in the streets and remain stuck in poverty. This school makes the world a better place to live in.

A highlight of my time in Bodh Gaya was a visit to the Prajna Vihar School. It was apparent that this school is professionally run with loving attention to the students who are given a chance to enter into life in India with a sound education.

I had the honor to visit the Prajna Vihar School and met a few alumni of adult age. The education offered to them 10, 20, 30 years ago changed the course of their lives. In this environment of great poverty at mass scale, the alumni’s stories were enormously joyful and uplifting. Their lives demonstrate beautiful manifestations of loving care for humanity across continents.

The visit to the school was inspiring. We visited eight different classrooms and their progress in English speaking ability and math was marked through the grade levels. They had a playground for recess, and the screams of laughter from uniformed smiling children were in sharp contrast to their age-mates who we would see grim and begging on the streets.

These children have the power to give you more than what you give them.