Our Affiliated Project: Kothagudem Girls’ Home – St. Paul’s Kothagudem, Andhra Pradesh, India

 

facts about Kothagudem Girls’ Home – St. Paul’s:

  • Ages served: 6 – 19
  • Facility description: A complex of buildings including a dormitory, a dining hall and offices.
  • Education: The girls attend school within the Church of South India compound where the home is located. Core academic subjects are taught, including Telugu (the regional language), Hindi and English (in the higher grade levels). Frequent field trips enhance students’ learning experience.
  • Academic schedule: In India, the school year varies some by region but typically begins in late June and ends in late April, with a two-to-three week break in December.
  • Daily schedule: The girls rise each day at 5:30 A.M., attend chapel, eat breakfast, complete assigned chores and then study until it is time to walk the short distance to school. They return to the home at noon for lunch and then walk back to school to resume classes, which end for the day at 4:00 P.M. Supper is served at 6:00 P.M. The evening is set aside for studying and recreation, and bedtime is early.
  • Activities: Recreational activities include volleyball, jump-rope and distinctly Indian games such as kho-kho (a form of tag). The girls also frequent a nearby “mango garden” for picnics.

From the snowcapped Himalayans to tropical beaches, India is truly a nation of contrasts. It boasts a rich history spanning tens of thousands of years. In fact, the earliest known civilization in South Asia once called India’s fertile Indus Valley home. Today, with the world’s second-largest population, India includes a staggering variety of ethnicities, languages, religions and cultures. Its wealth of natural resources and vibrant cultures, however, belie the abject poverty in which so many of India’s citizens live.

The town of Kothagudem — located in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh — is no exception to these maladies. This is especially true for girls, who essentially begin life at a disadvantage in India, with markedly lower literacy rates and socioeconomic status than their male counterparts. For this reason, the Church of South India established the Kothagudem Girls’ Home. In conjunction with Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program, the home serves as a beacon of hope. It strives to provide underprivileged girls basic needs along with a well-rounded education — the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.