Kids Paradise School
Kids Paradise was born from a vision: the prospect of education to Dalit children in India, who are otherwise locked in a vicious cycle of poverty.
We believe educational opportunities should exist for all in equal measure, regardless of race, religion or background.
Dalits form the lowest rung of the Hindu caste hierarchy, and are disproportionately poorer than other castes - one third of Dalits are below the poverty line¹. They are too often deprived of education, with their settlements far from schools². This severely restricts their employment prospects, forcing Dalits into low-paying, menial jobs. Casteism (discrimination) from their employers means that Dalit workers are mistreated, underpaid and malnourished, driving this vicious cycle further³.
Our chairman, Revd Dr Joseph Suray, had first-hand experience of this harsh reality, and was painfully aware that many children in his South Indian home village of Turukanadoni still lacked the means to empower themselves through education, and ultimately live above the poverty line.
Through his position as a lay worker in the Methodist Church in Bristol, UK, Joseph met several like-minded people who recognised the urgent need to provide the children of Turukanadoni with the same opportunities he had once been given. This passion, and the resources provided by friends and family of these people, led to the formation of Cross Roads for Human Development.
The first Kids Paradise School: a nursery adjoining the local church. The school had 20 children and two teachers.
Fundraising led to the first incarnation of Kids Paradise School in 2002: a small nursery classroom, built onto the village church property, with the first teachers hired. Despite this milestone, CRHD knew much more was possible. They wanted Kids Paradise School to be an established institution in its own right, with education available for a wider range of students.
They envisioned a separate school building, with three classrooms, a dining hall and kitchen - as the villagers frequently experience malnutrition - and a bore-well, to provide clean drinking water. A vegetable plot was also planned, where tomatoes, chillies, aubergines, green beans and daal (lentils) are grown and used for the school meals.
The 2005/2006 cohort of Kids Paradise students, celebrating India’s Independence Day.
The new Kids Paradise building opened in 2004, with 40+ children attending nursery and 52 students in the primary school. Growing numbers of children registering with the school once again necessitated expansion: in 2005, the bore-well was constructed, and more land was purchased for a playground/P.E area. In 2008, a second storey was added to the Kids Paradise building. This included two more classrooms, and an on-site office for the teachers.
The CRHD chairman (left) and president (centre-left) with CRHD India trustees, opening the new Kids Paradise School building in 2004.
Thanks to support from the state government and the efforts of our fundraisers, Kids Paradise now has nine teachers, two cooks and a caretaker. Students are currently able to study up to the age of 12 years old. The school curriculum consists of Kannada (the local language), English, Maths, Science, Environmental Studies and Physical Education. The students take annual written exams in line with the state program, and consistently receive gold medals for their academic results. Furthermore, Education Department inspectors have always commended the school’s teaching practices.
“I am grateful to be part of the Kids Paradise School, and that I have helped in developing the project to its current standard, thanks to your prayers and donations. The support that I receive from the academic and ancillary staff in running the school has drawn us together and we all feel like a family, putting our best efforts forward to serve the children.
Many of our former students have gone on to have respectable careers, and this reminds me of how much work we have dedicated to Kids Paradise. I am always motivated to learn more, and am so excited for the facilities we can add to the school building in the future”.
- Mrs Snehalatha Martin, Kids Paradise School Headmistress
