The Care for Children program was founded in 1981 during the construction of the Art of Living International Centre in in Udayapura village, Bangalore, India. His Holiness Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar noticed the many small children of the men and women who were constructing the center and recognized the need to reach out to these children and provide proper education, food, clothing and medicine. This led to the creation of Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth, a school providing a combination of modern and holistic education to children from rural communities.
Since then the Care for Children program has grown to include 210 schools serving over 24,000 children.
The Care for Children program offers:
- Education for children up to the age of 15
- Uniforms, shoes, books, writing materials
- A nutritious midday meal
- Medical facilities and mobile dispensaries
In addition, there are ancillary programs that
- Train women in useful vocations
- Give vocational training to unemployed youth in the community
- Plant trees in tribal school areas and teach organic farming techniques
To learn more about the Care for Children program and donation information please click here.