Shanti Bhavan Celebrates 25-Year Anniversary of Creating Socioeconomic Change in India

Enabling generational change through education,
Shanti Bhavan reveals plans for second school 

Public invited to attend gala events around the world, 
including Toronto and London 
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT HERE

SEATTLE and BANGALORE, India, Oct. 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, renowned nonprofit The Shanti Bhavan Children's Project celebrates 25 years of commitment to creating systemic change and breaking the cycle of poverty in India, unveiling details for its next chapter—a second school. Founded by Dr. Abraham George, Shanti Bhavan (featured in the Netflix docu-series Daughters of Destiny) provides high-quality education for children born into India's lowest socioeconomic class, from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, providing additional support through college and their early career.

Ranked as the 76th of 82 economies on World Economic Forum's Social Mobility Index, India's diverse population has struggled to achieve a viable economic baseline. Recognizing a critical need to solve abject poverty in Dr. George's home country, Shanti Bhavan was developed in 1997 to create a fundamental shift that would counter cultural discrimination, and enable upward mobility, equity, and equality.

"If we invest in children from disenfranchised communities and give them the education, resources, support, and love that they need, they will thrive," said Shanti Bhavan Founder and Principal Dr. Abraham George. "What we set out to achieve 25 years ago with Shanti Bhavan is coming to fruition. Our students are attending university and working in high-paying professions––the first in their families to do so. More than that, they pay it forward, changing their families and their communities forever. It has created a ripple effect, and we will–with the help of contributors–uplift thousands from poverty, permanently."

Shanti Bhavan's success is now bringing forth a sea change with its next phase. It has broken ground on a second school located on more than 25 acres, with plans to open the new school's doors to an expanded group of students in 2024. The school will be solar-powered and energy independent, and feature an organic farm and fruit orchard, playgrounds, areas for athletics and games, and more. With more than 500 applicants every year, this Shanti Bhavan school will more than double the number of students the organization can directly help, enabling exponential change in India.

With 169 total graduates, and 280 students enrolled for the 2022-2023 school year, the Shanti Bhavan school promotes academic achievement, instills values of global citizenship, and emphasizes leadership development. Beyond core academia, Shanti Bhavan provides offerings such as a comprehensive music program with Broadway for Arts Education, Advanced Placement (AP) and SAT coaching, and higher education opportunities in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Asia. One hundred percent of graduates have gone onto higher education, including schools like Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, and Christ University. Alumni have entered the white-collar workplace at global companies such as Google, Amazon, EY, Mercedes-Benz, and Deloitte.

With 100 percent of graduates earning more in the first five years of their careers than their parents will in a lifetime, Shanti Bhavan is creating an incredible socioeconomic impact. For the first time families are seeing a way out of poverty, as 100 percent of Shanti Bhavan alumni give 20 to 60 percent of their salaries to their families and communities as well as volunteer their time to instill positive change through mentorship.

To further mobilize Shanti Bhavan's work and support its current students and alumni, global chapters and hubs have been created in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United States, with immediate plans for Australia. Additionally, Shanti Bhavan is grateful for the support of global partners and corporations joining in breaking the barriers of inequity, including Padma Lakshmi, Aneesh Raman, Lord Waverley, Kate Barton, Critical Role Foundation, Matthew Mercer, and Adam Dell.

To celebrate its 25 years and the development of its second school, Shanti Bhavan is hosting a series of gala events around the world, open to all members of the public. Gala events will take place in Boston and Toronto on November 5, Austin on November 16, London at the House of Lords on December 1, and Chicago and New York on December 10. Additional events are planned for 2023 in San Francisco and Australia.

There are many opportunities to join Shanti Bhavan in paving the way for change. For more information about Shanti Bhavan, or to get involved or donate, please see: https://www.shantibhavanchildren.org/.

Shanti Bhavan is a residential school for socioeconomically disadvantaged children, located in the rural village of Baliganapalli, Tamil Nadu. Our school has been featured in the Netflix docuseries Daughters of Destiny, as well as on the Discovery Channel and ABC World News and in books and periodicals such as Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat and The New York Times. Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty for India's most disenfranchised children by providing them with a complete holistic education, equal to the education available to India's most privileged children. Our intervention begins at the age of four and continues through college and into their careers with companies such as Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, and Goldman Sachs.

Press Contact:
Kat Jones, Motiv PR, [email protected]

SOURCE Shanti Bhavan Children's Project