Jeevan School

Jeevan School, School of life, was an initiative of the organisation Basic Human Needs, that devotes itself to the poorest of the poor in Varanasi: the people who live on the street. Their children received in the Jeevan School – in the past no more than a corrugated roof on top of bamboo poles – not only lessons in Hindi, English, music and yoga; Basic Human Needs offered them also daily a breakfast consisting of fruit and, at lunchtime, another nutritious meal. 

The small school has gradually become a real school, in a new building. A lot of effort is being put into the curriculum, into monitoring the children, training the teachers and providing meals.

For many years, Kati Richter from Germany served as the school’s passionate and ambitious director. She provided excellent educational resources, mostly German Montessori materials. She also conducted weekly training sessions for the teachers. The quality of education improved.

Since her departure, director Sheelu Kujur has successfully maintained the high standard of education. There is still a strong focus on the content of the curriculum, monitoring the children’s progress, and the teachers’ qualifications.

In the past, there was a hostel next to the school for the poorest residents of the nearby slum.
With Kati’s departure, the school’s largest sponsor has also left. There is currently no funding for a hostel. The hostel’s facilities have been incorporated into the school.

However, thanks to additional donations, students have been receiving a school lunch again since 2024, usually consisting of fruit, an egg, and milk.

Sheelu is working hard to give the school a more solid financial foundation; new sponsors are desperately needed. He can barely afford to pay his teachers’ salaries, however low they may be.

The high, and ever-rising, rent is also a major concern.

Sheelu has plans to build his own simple school.

The board admires Sheelu’s perseverance and his ability to achieve a great deal with limited resources. However, the school is facing a significant funding shortfall.

Jeevan School deserves and receives our generous support; at the same time, we are helping Sheelu find additional sponsors to ensure the school’s long-term financial stability. His recently obtained FCRA (permission to receive funds from abroad) will certainly help.

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