Project Shanti Bhavan was launched in August 1997 to provide educational opportunities and support to children from the poorest families and orphans in the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka areas of Southern India. It is an original project of The George Foundation that targets children from the "untouchable" caste.
Shanti Bhavan is, in simple terms, a boarding school for these children of deprived backgrounds. Given proper care, support and educational opportunities, these children will have a good chance of being successful in life. It is The George Foundations belief that only through this level of commitment to the children that the conditions of poverty and social deprivation can be overcome for the "untouchables" of India.
In line with ASTEPs mission, the collaborative project with The George Foundation is grounded in the belief that the deleterious consequences of extreme poverty can be overcome if the problems are tackled in the early stages of a child's development. ASTEPs volunteer educators are sent to Shanti Bhavan to provide invaluable support in the way of academics, and using the arts to teach health education, self sufficiency and HIV/AIDS education and awareness.
2007 was ASTEPs first official summer working at Shanti Bhavan. ASTEP sent 10 volunteer educators over the course of 3 months and elevated the ASTEP experience to new heights. Through our volunteers, the children were exposed to a diverse array of Western philosophies, traditions and art, helping to build on the development of a hybrid [Eastern/Western] cross cultural exchange. There was a major focus on using the arts to teach HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness -- something that is in dire need throughout the country.
In August 2007 The Shanti Bhavan 10th Anniversary School Day Performance featured ASTEP artists and ASTEP Broadway Stars accompanied by equally talented foreign artists who also performed solo musical pieces. In the fall, the 9th and 10th grade class worked with ASTEP Program Director and Juilliard graduate Mauicio Salgado to create their own full length adaptation of Shakespeares Julius Caesar. In 2008 ASTEP sent 10 volunteer educators, several of whom spent 2 months or more delivering ASTEPs curriculum and bringing a vital living arts component to the school. These artists exposed the children to many new art forms such as puppetry, opera, hip-hop and tango as well as administrated academic subjects in the areas of English Literature & Grammar, Math, Science, History and Social Studies.
In India there are four main castes into which everyone is born. At the very top are the Brahmins -- the priests, scholars, and philosophers. The second highest caste is the Kshatriyas. These people are considered the warriors, rulers, and those concerned with the defense and administration of village or state. Third are the Vaishyas, who are traders, merchants, and people involved in agricultural production.The lowest caste is the Shudras -- the laborers and servants for the other castes. Each caste includes many hierarchical sub castes divided by occupation.
Below even the Shudras are the Dalit which roughly translated means the 'Untouchables'. These people have no caste at all. They have suffered serious social segregation and restrictions, in addition to extreme poverty. They are not allowed to temple worship with others, nor drink water from the same sources.
Loyalty to a caste is much harder to eliminate mostly because it still provides a sense of community and belonging, particularly in rural areas. The caste system is still intact today but the rules are not as rigid as they were in the past. In practice however, discrimination still continues today as it does for many people all over the world.
The 250 children (approximately) at Shanti Bhavan are a select number of these very poor children from the 'Untouchable' caste of India. They are children from the poorest families, and orphans, who have a reasonable chance for success because they have been chosen to be the first in generations of their caste to receive an education.
