Prashanti School and orphanage was started in 2000 in response to a terrible cyclone that hit the Indian state of Orissa late in 1999, killing at least ten thousand people, destroying many villages, and leaving many orphans and children whose families could not support them.  At the request of the local government, the existing Prashanti Preschool Chatasalis was expanded to become the Indian non-profit Prashanti School and orphanage.  In 2000, a piece of land was purchased with funds that were raised through benefit performances of Odissi Classical Dance in the USA. 

On the property there was a one-story building and a strong boundary wall with a large entry gate.  The first group of 21 orphaned and fatherless children came in May of 2000.  They were still wearing the same ragged clothes from six months earlier, when the cyclone destroyed their homes.  All were malnourished, traumatized, and several were ill and had severe nightmares.  The building on our new property, although it was not fancy by Western standards, was well constructed, and it felt safe and sturdy to the children who were used to small huts that had blown down and caved in around them during the cyclone.  Over time they settled in, became well, and began to flourish.  See photos

To meet the growing needs of these orphaned and fatherless children, and as more children arrived over time, expansion was needed.  In 2003, the non-profit World Family Foundation (WFF) was established in the USA to raise funds and manage individual sponsorships to support the children.  By the third year, we had added a second story to the existing building, and then in 2003-2004, thanks to our wonderful WFF sponsors and the fund-raising they did, we added a second building on the property. 

Prashanti School now has separate boys and girls dormitories, space for daily tutoring, a computer lab, a staff room, a hall for school functions, as well as a kitchen, sick room, bathrooms, and an administrative office.  We re-landscaped the property to create a playground, a small meditation garden, and a vegetable garden plus coconut and banana trees.  In 2005 we purchased an additional area just down the road for a sports field, where the children play cricket.  This land was again donated by sponsors.

We now have approximately sixty children living at Prashanti School , and we have eleven staff members and ten tutors.  The staff members lovingly care for the children, cook, clean, and do the shopping, gardening, security, transportation to school, and maintenance for the property.  Our dedicated and professional tutors teach the children English, computers, art, dance and music after school, six days a week.  During the day, the children go to the local government schools. 

The WFF Monthly Sponsorship pays for food, housing, clothing, medical needs, the staff and the tutors.   The School Fees Sponsorship option pays for school tuition, text books, uniforms, and school outings.

The Prashanti School children are raised in a very loving and supportive environment, where they are taught strong values and a deep respect for their local culture and all religions.  They learn how to care for and support each other with love and respect as brothers and sisters. 

The education that WFF Sponsorship provides is opening a whole new future for these children!  Because of the excellent tutoring provided, all of our students have passed the High School exams, which is very difficult for normal village children to do, and we now have ten students in college, including three girls!  These students are able to go on to college through their continued Sponsorship.  We have now begun a College Fund to help all the children go on to college if they are academically inclined.  (College tuition is about $500 per year.) Those who do not go on to college, receive vocational training through internships, etc., so that they are able to get good jobs.

Prashanti International School
Our new big project is the construction and opening of Prashanti International School.  In order for our Prashanti School orphans and fatherless children to be better able to get jobs in the new Indian economy, and become self-supporting as they grow into adulthood, they need a strong grasp of the English language. They do not receive adequate training in English in the government schools, where classes are taught in the local language, Oriya.  In order for them to become competent in English, they must receive instruction from an early age.  So we knew we needed an English medium school for our students.  As wild as this dream seemed to us, it actually came to fruition this past summer!  An amazing opportunity presented itself to us…  Click here to read more on our Updates Page.