The Vivekananda Public School

The Vivekananda Public School is situated in Orissa, one of the poorest states of India. Only 10% of the local population has received any formal education.

The majority of the students come from families who rely on subsistence farming and fall well below the poverty line established by the Indian government. In 1999, a devastating cyclone destroyed what few government schools existed.  In 2001, with the collaboration of the Michael A. Daube Charitable Trust, the Vivekananda Public School was registered with the educational board in the state of Orissa and opened with 140 students and has grown to serve over 300 students.

The students show great enthusiasm for their education and travel to the school from many local villages, some traveling as far as 8km (5 miles) by foot or bicycle. The school offers underprivileged children the only opportunity for an education in the area.

Becuase of social constraints, many families feel girls should remain safely at home until they are married. The school recently acquired a school bus in order to provide safe transportation for girls. This encourages families to allow their daughters to attend school, helping us attain our goal of equal opportunities for both boys and girls.

Our vitamin program provides a daily multivitamin to the students found to be deficient due to lack of food variety or who are unable to have three meals a day.

The students are taught math, science, social studies, art, music, and ethics. Language classes include Oriya, English, Hindi, and Sanskrit. On Saturdays the entire student body gathers under the canopy of the school’s banyan tree for their yoga class.