Issuu

25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

CONTENTS

01 Remembering Our Founder Messages

CEO, Christel House India

Board Chair, Christel House India

President & CEO, Christel House International

Christel House Over the Years

Empowering the Poorest to Break the Cycle of Poverty

A yearly snapshot of the highlights of our 25-year journey.

A brief introduction to our mission, our theory of change and our transformative model.

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25 Years. 25 Stories of Transformation. 25 stories, divided into five topics, that explain the efficacy of our transformative model and methods, and illustrate the success of our mission.

Holistic Education

Career Development & Employment

Nutrition & Healthcare

Parent & Community Engagement

Change Makers

79 Our Schools

Brief descriptions of the four Christel House schools in India.

81 Looking Ahead

Christel House India’s vision for the future.

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THE HOUSE THAT

CHRISTEL BUILT Christel DeHaan (1942-2020)

Remembering Our Founder! Born in Germany in 1942, in the thick of the second world war, Christel DeHaan’s life was shaped by hardship long before she became a globally respected entrepreneur and philanthropist. Growing up in a country rebuilding itself after the devastation of war, scarcity and uncertainty were everyday realities in her childhood. Those early experiences left a deep impression on her and would later influence the mission that came to define her life: giving disadvantaged children the opportunity to build a future with dignity, confidence and independence. In her twenties, she moved to the United States with little money and unlimited resilience and determination. She worked a variety of jobs before entering the travel industry, where she displayed a natural flair for business and an instinctive understanding of customer aspirations. In the 1970s, she co-founded RCI (Resort Condominiums International), a company that transformed the global timeshare industry by creating a vacation exchange network that allowed owners to swap holiday properties across destinations worldwide. Under Christel DeHaan’s leadership, RCI grew from a small entrepreneurial venture into a global powerhouse operating across multiple countries, driven by her sharp business acumen, relentless work ethic and exacting standards.

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Even as she achieved extraordinary financial success, however, she had a profoundly transformative experience that changed the course of her own life and the lives of thousands of children around the world. Christel sold RCI in 1996 and turned her attention entirely to philanthropy. “After she sold RCI, I introduced her to the in-charge of orphans and abandoned kids in Mexico City,” remembers Gabriel Oropeza, former President of RCI Latin America and now Board Chair at Christel House Mexico. “I asked

Christel for a cheque to help these kids. Christel came back not only with a cheque but with a new mission in her life.” Christel DeHaan quickly realised that for children to break the cycle of poverty, they needed access to a strong education along with all the necessary support

succeed:

nutrition,

healthcare,

Today, Christel House schools across countries including India, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa and the United States have impacted thousands of students and families. Christel House stands as a powerful embodiment of her vision, creating opportunities for children from under-resourced communities to aspire, achieve and lead meaningful lives. What distinguished Christel DeHaan was not merely her generosity, but the clarity and discipline with which she approached philanthropy. She believed in measurable outcomes, accountability and creating systems that produced lasting change rather than temporary relief. To her, every child

deserved not sympathy, but the chance to realise his or her full potential. Christel DeHaan passed away in 2020, but her legacy continues through the countless young lives transformed by the institution she built. Her story remains a remarkable

testament to how personal adversity, entrepreneurial success and compassionate purpose can come together to create enduring social change.

character education, family assistance, career support and more. From that moment on, she devoted her time, energy and financial resources to this cause. In 1998, she founded Christel House International and developed a holistic school model designed to move children and their families out of poverty.

“The obstacles facing Christel House students are daunting. But every day our students come to school, learn and set their sights on a better tomorrow. They are breaking through the barriers of poverty to build a new and better life for themselves and a future for their families. They are our heroes and role models for others to follow.” Christel DeHaan

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A SEAT AT THE TABLE OF LIFE Jaison C. Mathew | CEO, Christel House India

Twenty-five years ago, Christel House India opened its doors to just 320 children. Today, that single school has grown into four vibrant campuses serving over 3,500 students. Beyond our classrooms, thousands of alumni are rewriting the future for themselves, their families and their communities. Having had the privilege of walking this journey from the very beginning, I often reflect on what has made this transformation possible. The answer is simple: PEOPLE. Our founder, Christel DeHaan, believed that education should not merely interrupt poverty—it should break its cycle forever. That vision continues to guide us today. We know that lasting change requires far more than a classroom. It calls for quality education, healthcare, nutrition, counselling, career guidance, strong family engagement and deep community partnerships. Like a jigsaw puzzle, every piece matters. When every piece comes together with empathy, purpose and consistency, transformation becomes possible.

At Christel House, our measure of success has always been the depth of transformation in every child who walks through our doors. Quality has been our compass, guiding our measured expansion over the past twenty-five years.

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In education, depth is not the opposite of scale; depth is what makes scale meaningful and sustainable. When transformation runs deep enough to change the trajectory of a child’s life, its impact reaches families, communities and future generations.

Our journey has not been without challenges. We have faced financial constraints, operational hurdles and communities where trust had to be earned one family at a time. Yet those challenges only strengthened our belief that lasting change is built on patience, resilience, compassion and consistency.

Today, our alumni are software engineers, architects, teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, musicians, healthcare professionals and business leaders.

More importantly, they are daughters and sons who have broken the cycle of poverty for their families, becoming role models and creating opportunities for generations to come. This book celebrates twenty-five extraordinary stories, but behind every story are countless people who chose to care, to believe and to walk alongside a child until that child could stand confidently on their own. None of this has been achieved by Christel House alone. To our students, parents, communities, the entire Christel House family, donors, partners, Board members, governments, volunteers and friends - THANK YOU! Your trust, compassion and commitment have shaped every milestone of this journey. They also inspire our unwavering commitment to accountability, transparency and responsible stewardship in everything we do. What began twenty-five years ago as Christel DeHaan’s bold vision has grown into a living model of transformation. As we look to the future, our aspiration is simple yet ambitious- to bring this model to many more communities across India through new schools, stronger government partnerships, deeper corporate collaborations and the continued generosity of people who believe, as we do, in the limitless potential of every child. These stories are a celebration of what becomes possible when people come together with a shared purpose. Thank you for being part of Christel House India’s first twenty-five years. Together, we are ensuring that every child has a seat at the table of life - and every opportunity to thrive.

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25 YEARS OF PURPOSE, POSSIBILITY AND TRANSFORMATION Raju Shahani

Board Chair, Christel House India

It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to be associated with Christel House India since its early years and to witness the extraordinary journey of an institution built on the powerful vision of Christel DeHaan - a vision rooted in the belief that no child’s destiny should be determined by the circumstances of their birth.

emotional well-being. By integrating education with nutrition, healthcare, mental health support, life skills, college and career guidance and long-term alumni support, Christel House India has created an ecosystem that empowers children not merely to survive, but to thrive.

Over the last twenty-five years, Christel House India has grown from a single school into four thriving schools across Bengaluru, Pune, Raipur and Thane, touching the lives of thousands of children and families from some of the most under-served communities in the country. Yet, beyond the numbers and milestones, what truly defines this journey is the hope, dignity, confidence and opportunity that have been restored to generations of young people.

Today, it is deeply gratifying to see our students earning admission into leading colleges and universities, securing employment in respected corporate organisations and emerging as confident, compassionate, and responsible citizens who are transforming not only their own futures, but also those of their families and communities. This is the true legacy of Christel DeHaan’s vision — creating generational change through education, opportunity and human dignity.

What has always inspired me most about Christel House India is its unwavering commitment to holistic human development. The organisation has consistently gone far beyond academics to nurture character, values, resilience, creativity, discipline, leadership and

As we celebrate this important milestone, I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my fellow Board members for their steadfast commitment, wisdom and sense of responsibility

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over the years. Their dedication towards upholding the highest standards of governance, transparency, accountability, ethics and compliance has played a critical role in strengthening the institution and ensuring that Christel House India remains worthy of the trust placed in it by students, families, donors, partners and society at large. I also extend my deepest gratitude to the leadership team, teachers, staff, alumni, donors, volunteers and well-wishers whose unwavering dedication and belief in our mission have carried this institution forward with integrity and compassion. As we look ahead, I do so with immense optimism and confidence. The first twenty-five years have demonstrated what is possible when vision, purpose and perseverance come together in service of children. I have no doubt that Christel House India will continue to expand its impact, remain true to its founding values and transform many more lives in the decades to come.

A QUARTER CENTURY OF UNWAVERING DEDICATION TO CHANGING LIFE OUTCOMES David Harris

President and CEO, Christel House International

Dear Christel House India Friends,

Among employed alumni, 98% are in formal employment, far

Pune and Thane. Each new campus builds on what has been proven

Congratulations to Christel House India on celebrating 25 years

exceeding the national average of 10%. Most recently, in 2026,

to work—scaling opportunity while maintaining the high standards

of impact. This milestone represents to students, families, and

100% of Christel House Bengaluru Grade 12 students passed the

that define Christel House.

communities—and a steadfast commitment to changing life

Karnataka State Education Board examination, compared to a

outcomes through education.

statewide pass rate of 86%.

At Christel House, our mission is to prepare graduates to achieve

These outcomes reflect the dream of our Founder, Christel

Christel House India continues to change what is possible for

upward economic mobility, demonstrate good citizenship, and

DeHaan, who believed deeply in the power of education to

students and communities. This 25th anniversary is both a

become empowered to identify and realise their goals, dreams, and

transform lives. Her vision was simple and powerful: to serve more

celebration and a launching point. Built on strong results and

human potential. For 25 years, Christel House India has brought

children and do it with excellence. The success of Christel House

expanded reach, Christel House India is well positioned to continue

this mission to life with remarkable results. Today, 81% of graduates

India – Bengaluru put that vision into action and laid the foundation

changing life outcomes for students – from classrooms to life!

secure high-quality early-career jobs within five years of high school

for growth, leading to the opening of Christel House India – Atal

graduation and 99% of recent graduates are working or studying.

Nagar and most recently, the expansion to two new schools in 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

Thank you to the teachers, staff, families, partners, donors and supporters who make this impact possible. You are the reason

MILESTONES OF CHRISTEL HOUSE INDIA

Christel House Bengaluru students and faculty participate in the Adobe Youth Voices Summit in Stanford University, California, USA.

2004 New campus inaugurated in Kannuru, Bengaluru.

2000 Christel House India comes into being.

2013 2013 Christel House Bengaluru students and faculty participate in the Adobe Youth Voices Summit in Stanford University, California, USA.

Christel House Bengaluru reaches its full capacity of 910 students.

First international participation - a Christel House Bengaluru student participates in the International Film Festival for Kids in Naples, Italy.

2001

2002

Christel House India’s second school opens in Atal Nagar, Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Christel House Bengaluru’s first Grade 12 cohort graduates. 100% of the graduates enroll in tertiary education.

Christel House Bengaluru students win the Adobe Achievement Awards 2007 for the movie Request from Earth.

First school opens in Bengaluru with 320 students from KG to Grade 2.

2016

2011

2007

2000 - 2001 7

2010

2003 Foundation stone laid for the construction of the new campus in Kannuru, Bengaluru.

Christel House India celebrates 10 years.

2014

MoU signed with the Government of Chhattisgarh.

Shiva Sagar becomes the first alumnus to return as a staff member - joins Christel House Bengaluru as a Science Teacher.

2009

Hon’ble First Lady of UK, Ms. Cherie Blair, visits Christel House India.

Christel House Bengaluru students participate in the Culver Leadership Camp in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

2002 - 2003

2009 - 2010 2004 - 2007 FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE

2013 - 2015 2011

2016

2022

2026

The first Christel House Girls Football Team formed. 100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education.

2019 100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education.

2021

2020

2018 Students of Christel House Atal Nagar interact with The Prime Minister of India, Hon’ble Shri Narendra Modi.

2025 MoU signed with Pune Zilla Parishad and Thane Municipal Corporation to set up schools.

Girls from Christel House Bengaluru play in the Under-13 National Football League and bring home the national championship title.

2023

Construction of the High School Building in Atal Nagar completed.

100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education. Christel House India celebrates 20 years.

First Grade 10 cohort of Christel House Atal Nagar graduates.

100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education.

Christel House schools shift to remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. All student families supported with daily essentials.

2024

100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education.

Christel House schools open in Pune and Thane.

100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education. Christel House Atal Nagar school campus receives approval for second phase.

Christel House Homework Club formed.

Christel House nominated by Asian Football Confederation for the Best Women’s Initiative in Sports. Christel House India’s first All Girl Music Band formed.

Christel House Bengaluru welcomes its 10th graduating cohort.

Christel House Bengaluru marked significant milestone in May 2025 with a 50% expansion in school capacity. 100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education, for the 7th year.

A Grade 10 student in Christel House Bengaluru scores 624/625 in the Grade 10 Board Examinations.

100% of the Grade 12 students pass the Board exams and enroll for tertiary education, for the 8th year. Our student secures the 3rd rank in the state.

Christel House celebrates 25 years in India

Construction of a new school block commences in Christel House Bengaluru.

2018 - 2019

2021 2020

2026

2024 2022-2023 2 5 Y E A R S2 5- Y2 E5ASRTSO-R 2 I E5S S T O R I E S

2025 8

EMPOWERING THE POOREST TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY CHANGING LIFE OUTCOMES - THE CHRISTEL HOUSE THEORY OF CHANGE

FOUNDATION BLOCK

Strong community ties Strategic management Sustainable fundraising Quality facilities Dedicated local leadership An equity mindset

HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

Student meals Basic medical services Trauma-informed approach School supplies Mental health support Supportive environment Health education

RIGOROUS & HOLISTIC ACADEMICS

Engaging instruction Data driven, evidence-based practices Academic interventions Extended academic time Technology English language acquisition Critical thinking & employability skills In-country academic standards

PARENT & CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT

Co-creation of student success Support family economic goals Family-school feedback loop Family volunteering Parent workshops

CHARACTER, CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Character curricula Global citizenship principles Adult role models Core values Leadership opportunities Community service Socio-emotional development Culturally affirming approach

COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS

Career exposure & guidance Post-secondary & vocational preparation 5 years of graduate mentoring, career workshops & financial support Social capital Professional networks Scholarships Job placement

GRADUATE OUTCOMES

A strong academic foundation Self confidence A plan to achieve goals Social consciousness Supportive networks

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FINAL OUTCOMES

Fully-realized human potential Responsible citizenship Upward economic mobility

The Christel House model of creating enduring positive transformation is built on a sustained, long-term intervention that addresses the multi-dimensional barriers faced by children from under-resourced communities. We focus on the ‘whole child’, addressing the root causes of poverty through a holistic human development model. We don’t just educate, or feed, or provide healthcare. We do all of these, from early childhood through early adulthood, providing a comprehensive 360° ecosystem of support, integrating high-quality academics with daily nutrition, healthcare, counselling, life-skills education, family engagement, community development and safe transportation. Admissions are strictly poverty-based, ensuring that children from the most vulnerable households are prioritised. All our students are from families living in impoverished communities, whose income per household member per month is below a defined threshold. Our Admissions and Community Development department does a careful and thorough background check before the child is admitted. Our model is designed to walk with each child for up to 18 years, from early childhood through Grade 12 and five additional years of College & Career support, creating continuity, stability and measurable upward mobility. This integrated approach is implemented across all Christel House India schools ensuring consistency in quality, accountability and long-term impact across locations. OUR VISION A world where poverty doesn’t limit potential. OUR MISSION Christel House prepares graduates to achieve upward economic mobility, demonstrate good citizenship, and become empowered to identify and realise their goals, dreams, and human potential. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

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Our structure ensures that 100% of donations will fund programmes and services directly benefiting the children of Christel House. All general, administrative and fundraising expenses are borne in perpetuity by the founder’s bequest.

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OUTCOMES A FEW COMPANIES WHERE OUR ALUMNI WORK

Amazon Dell

Accenture

ANZ

Deutsche Bank

Grant Thornton

Ernst & Young

Gallagher

Infosys

KPMG

Nokia

Northern Trust

Princess Cruises

Cognizant

HCL

Mercedez-Benz

TCS

A FEW UNIVERSITIES WHERE OUR GRADUATES STUDY

Costa Cruises

Govt. of Karnataka HSBC

HPE

Mindtree

Omega

IBM

Mphasis

Prestige Group

Wise

CHRISTEL HOUSE INDIA’S WORK ALIGNS WITH THE UNITED NATION’S 8 SDGs

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OUR SUCCESS

IMPACT STUDIES Christel House India periodically conducts independent impact assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of our programmes, measure long-term outcomes and strengthen evidence-based decision-making. The first two studies were conducted in 2016 and 2020 by education and CSR domain experts from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP. These twelve-week long studies evaluated the impact of our programmes on test groups selected randomly from Christel House Bengaluru graduates. In 2026, the third impact assessment study was conducted by the domain experts from KPMG. In 2022, a leading legal firm, Khaitan & Co, was commissioned to conduct a legal assessment, which showed that Christel House was in complete compliance with all applicable laws and regulations that govern NGOs.

3500+

17500+

Number of Christel House schools in India

Total number of students served

Number of indirect beneficiaries

100%

Christel House India cohorts who have proficiency in English & Computers/Technology

Tertiary Enrollment Rate for University programmes

Pass rate in Grade 12 Board Exams over the past 8 years

98%

90%

99%

Christel House India graduates who are employed in the formal sector/corporates

Christel House India graduates who have achieved upward economic mobility across generations

Christel House India graduates who are employed or continuing education

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Mother and Child A Tribute Sculpted by Students and Parents This sculpture, which is titled Mother and Child and occupies pride of place at Christel House, Bengaluru, is a metaphor for the school and its mission.

Envisioned as a tribute to our founder Christel DeHaan, it was created by a team of students and parents, who worked under the guidance of the school’s art department.

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The sculpture holds deep meaning and precious significance for the Christel House community, for whom it symbolises the founder’s nurturing role in their life’s journey. As one of the student sculptors articulated, “Christel holds each child by the hand and leads them through life, helping them grow into independent, contributing members of society who can brighten their families’ future and become responsible citizens of the nation.”

Art teacher Dhanaraj says the sculpture also exemplifies collaborative creative effort. Many hands came together to create this sculpture.

“Students from Grades 8 to 12, along with parents, contributed their time and effort to bring it alive. Each person’s touch has helped shape it into a symbol of positivity and hope.”

In form, the sculpture reflects Christel DeHaan lifting a child out of their circumstance and giving them wings to fly.

In spirit, it mirrors the very process that created it, a community coming together to raise something, and someone, higher.

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25 YEARS. 25 STORIES OF TRANSFORM

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RMATION

Almost all our students’ parents have had little or no formal education and their financial circumstances make high quality education inaccessible. Many live in single-parent families and lack the guidance and buttress of a stable adult figure. The domestic comforts that most people take for granted are unaffordable luxuries to them. The socio-cultural norms that define progressive society are usually alien to their milieus. To get them accustomed to the demands of modern education, to abide by classroom discipline and to practise accepted social etiquette and comportment is no small challenge. It requires high degrees of forbearance and tolerance, inventive thinking beyond conventional pedagogy, and a commitment to do more than would be normally required at any other school. Our dedicated team of teachers, counsellors, nurses and social workers, works closely and patiently with our students to help them acquire not just academic learning but also a deep understanding of their civic duties and

25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

responsibilities as citizens, the importance of personal hygiene and the finer points of social etiquette. Our school environment is designed to offer students emotional and psychological support, fostering resilience and inspiring hope. We thus enable them to focus completely on getting the best out of their education, making the most of the opportunities that open up before them and building a brighter, sustainable future for themselves and their families. We provide our students with Holistic Education to enable them to grow into well-rounded and contributing citizens. We ensure they get comprehensive Nutrition and Healthcare support, guiding them out of the labyrinth of stress, anxiety and other challenges, so that they focus entirely on their schoolwork. We work with their Parents and their Community to drive enduring and far reaching change. The following pages showcase a few success stories that illustrate the efficacy of our model and intervention.

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We aim to enable our children to develop into wellrounded individuals - academically, culturally, socially and physically.

HOLISTIC EDUCATION

As students progress, greater academic rigour is steadily introduced, so that along with subject knowledge they acquire the discipline, resilience and problem-solving attitude that are necessary for success in the real world. That said, we equally emphasise co-curricular activities, physical education, and character and citizenship development to enable students to discover their talents and realise their potential. All students are exposed to diverse activities including art & craft, creative writing, music, theatre, sports and fitness, yoga and more. Our students have equal opportunities to participate in leadership roles and training sessions. They also regularly participate in inter-school competitions, olympiads and tournaments, and are taken on field/ educational excursions, to maximise their exposure. Our innovative teaching methods make learning engaging and render the child’s background irrelevant. Our medium of instruction is English and students learn the language from Kindergarten. To promote multilingual proficiency, Hindi, Sanskrit and Regional Languages are also integral parts of the curriculum.

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It is a Girl’s WORLD! Nagashree H, Alumna

Post Graduate Student in Product Management, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

“My daughter is studying in the US!” These days, Nagashree’s father is never tired of proclaiming this to anyone who will listen. His pride is unmistakable, which makes her story all the more remarkable. Like most of our children, Nagashree’s family too lived life hand to mouth, day to day. Her father was a daily wage labourer, her mother worked in a garment factory, and the family of five, including her two older sisters, lived in a singleroom house. What made it worse was that in their closed-

Questions were raised about safety. Remarks were made about the irrelevance of education for a girl. There was constant pressure to ‘fall in line’.

minded community, a girl’s preordained fate was marriage and caring for the husband’s family. Educating girls was

frowned upon. Sending them abroad to study was scandalous.

But Nagashree and her family were undeterred.

Thus, when Nagashree joined Christel House her horizons were limited. She recollects staring in wide-eyed wonder at visitors from the US and waving at them as a kindergartner, never imagining that she would one day live and study there.

The school’s daily rhythm became her lifeline. The mantra she recited each morning, “At Christel House, I believe I

While Christel House freed her and parents from the financial burden of education, the community she went home to remained wrapped in its generational prejudices.

to life. She knew that she could counter anything the world threw at her.

can realise my fullest potential by working hard, being a responsible citizen and giving back” shaped her attitude

Joining the Pieces

Christel House opens up new perspectives. Faced deep gender prejudice growing up.

Discovers new paths to higher education. Career counselling gives confidence and clarity.

Pursuing her PG in the US. Completes her graduation.

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Christel House’s Career Counselling sessions opened Nagashree’s eyes to new paths to higher education that she could access. The visits that the school organised to large multinational companies kindled in her the desire to be part of such advanced environments.

Most important, Nagashree slowly gained the confidence that her gender was irrelevant to her success. All that mattered was her determination and focus, and how well she honed her knowledge and skills. Today Nagashree is studying in Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, walking corridors that would have otherwise remained closed to her.

She is the first girl in her community to complete college and pursue post-graduate education overseas. Even as she looks ahead to a

secure future, her past is still on her radar. She is keen to smooth the path for young girls in her community, so that ambition rises naturally in them without fear of societal disapproval. She is passionate about proving, by example, that it is a girl’s world, no matter what the world believes. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

Different Strokes for Different Folks - It’s not How You Learn but What You Learn that Matters

Sharan S, Alumnus, Legal Executive, Orkla India

Severe financial hardship, extreme socio-cultural imbalances and truncated childhoods form the common pattern of every Christel House student’s life. Survival is their only goal. Career dreams and social ambitions have no place in their lives. Now imagine dyslexia being added to this mix of challenges and you have Sharan’s life before Christel House in a nutshell.

When a child has a learning disorder, even parents with college education may find it difficult to cope. Sharan’s family had no conception of learning disorders or dyslexia, leave alone knowing how to support him.

This meant that learning was a difficult experience for Sharan in his early days at Christel House. He found that he had to work twice as hard just to keep pace with the rest of the class. When even simple tasks like reading aloud began to feel overwhelming, Sharan found himself questioning his abilities and avoiding participation in classroom activities. Beset by a constant fear of being judged for not meeting expectations, his self-esteem and confidence plummeted to an all-time low.

Sharan says that this was where Christel House helped him the most. Recognizing his battle with Dyslexia, his teachers through a small group learning support program created a customised learning plan for him.

Joining the Pieces His academic, artistic, sporting and musical talents bloom.

Loses confidence and avoids participating. Diagnosed with dyslexia.

Teachers successfully use modified teaching methods.

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Works as a Legal Executive in Orkla. Completes a five-year law degree.

Alongside, Sharan’s activity expanded into the cultural and sporting arenas as well. He co-founded a band and began performing on stage. He learned videography, began painting and discovered how to tell visual stories imaginatively. He also took up basketball and developed his physical fitness and athletic ability.

Growing into a confident wellrounded young man, Sharan went on to complete a fiveyear degree in law and publish numerous research papers. They encouraged him to learn hands-on, focusing on understanding concepts through discussion and practice rather than verbal definitions. Gradually, Sharan’s confidence grew. He opened up and began participating in discussions, articulating his points clearly and asking questions effectively. Learning became enjoyable. His friends and his family became more supportive and recognised his progress.

Today, working as a Legal Executive at Orkla India Limited, a Norwegian conglomerate, Sharan has acquired a stable and sustainable income. His financial problems have not vanished completely but they are no longer a significant factor in his decisions, and he enjoys the

freedom to gaze beyond the narrow horizons of survival that defined his childhood.

To students who feel discouraged in class he has only one thing to say,

“Everyone learns differently. Do not be afraid to ask for help or take your time to understand concepts. Believe in yourself, focus on your strengths, and remember that one small improvement can change how you see yourself and your abilities.” 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE THROUGH TECH ENABLED LEARNING.

Madan S, Alumnus, Graduated from Grade 12 in 2026

Madan candidly says that he was the first person in his house to ever handle a computer. Ten years, or so, ago, when he first sat before one in Christel House, it was a strange and surreal experience. He had no idea what it was or what it did, leave alone how to use it. Today, as he effortlessly juggles with Google, Perplexity and ChatGPT, his challenge is diametrically opposite: how not to become overly dependent on these new technologies.

This one hundred and eighty degree transformative trajectory is unique to the children of Christel House. Every one of them was the first in their family to see a computer. Contrast this with most other schools, where a smartphone, internet connectivity and basic computer literacy are all taken for granted, and it will become apparent how much more of a challenge it is for the students here to cope with digital learning which is now the default pedagogic paradigm.

Madan recognised Christel House’s impact on his development at an early age, realising, for instance, that he was streets ahead of his friends in the community when it came to language skills, understanding of concepts, and awareness of civic and social issues.

Madan has been using technology to learn from Kindergarten and sees digital learning as a gamechanger, as it enables him to access knowledge from multiple sources. 25

He credits the school’s ever-available, patient teachers, the supportive and encouraging academic environment, and the well-equipped labs for fostering his drive to master subjects. FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE

Madan is thankful that Christel House has reduced the financial burden on his family as both he and his brother study there. He especially remembers the Covid-19 pandemic years when he sometimes deliberately ate less so that everyone in the family got food. He says it was the school’s grocery package which ensured that the whole family was well fed every day. The family still has outstanding loans to clear but with the education of Madan and his brother looked after, along with their daily nutrition and medical support, the future no longer seems fearful. He looks forward to a career as a research scientist and confidently awaits the day he will earn enough to support his family. As he puts it, “Christel House has given me all that is necessary. Now it is up to me to work hard.” Joining the Pieces Took to tech learning from Kindergarten. First in the family to use a computer.

Uses digital aids to learn from multiple sources. Saw the advantage it gave him over his peers.

Looks ahead to a secure future. Pursues computer science in high school.

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LEARNING

TO LEAD… Sangeetha S, Alumna, Graduated from Grade 12 in 2026

Are leaders born or made? Sangeetha, Head Girl of Christel House in 2025-26, is inclined to think the latter. A few years ago, she was the typical carefree, fun-loving schoolchild, not bothered about being a leader and perhaps consequently, never volunteering her ideas. When not in the classroom, she loved spending time in the library, indulging in art and music, and playing with her friends. Taking on a leadership role was not something she had given the slightest thought to.

It was her teachers who spotted the leader that lay hidden in Sangeetha and, in line with Christel House’s emphasis on character and leadership building, she was made part of the Student Disciplinary Committee. That’s when her outlook transformed. The leadership development sessions she had to attend opened her eyes to a new reality: not only did she have the potential to lead but also a duty to. For instance, by encouraging schoolmates, who were hesitant to voice their thoughts, to speak up, and giving them the confidence to get involved. 27

Joining the Pieces Lived carefree, no thought of leadership.

Leadership sessions stir the latent leader in her. Appointed to the Leadership Committee.

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Elected Head Girl of the school. Begins taking the initiative and participating.

Strives to be a good role model.

While enjoying her stint as a student leader Sangeetha also realisesd that she was now a role model, observed, judged and emulated by the larger student population, especially the younger ones. She is happy that she could inspire positive changes in their attitudes and actions.

Sangeetha’s aim is to become a Computer Scientist specialising in Artificial Intelligence. Having scored 93% in the Grade 12 Board exams, her next goal is to ace the Common Entrance Test and secure admission to a premier engineering college.

Once she placed her foot on the ladder to leadership there was no backward step. Slowly but surely, her confidence grew and she learned to articulate her thoughts precisely and evocatively. She reined in her impatience with details and learned the importance of weighing options before making decisions.

The student council elections elicited the best out of her. Speaking with clarity and conviction, she successfully swayed the votes her way and emerged as Head Girl. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

She has no doubt that she will do so thanks to the abiding confidence that her student leadership has imbued in her.

BALANCING BOOKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Jennifer K, Alumna, B. Com Student, United International Degree College A pre-teen’s life should be about bubbly days brimming with laughter and active evenings overflowing with mischief, returning home only when that stern note creeps into Mom’s voice. The only questions that trouble them should be where to hide in tomorrow’s hide and seek, or whether there would be noodles for dinner. The only responsibility that their small shoulders bear should be their schoolwork. When Christel House’s social workers visited Jennifer’s house in 2010, what they encountered was disturbingly the opposite.

They found a shy, bright-eyed child, whose father had abandoned the family when she was just a year old.

A child who had no time to go out and play, and never even knew what noodles were. Her little hands were occupied, night and day, in helping her grandmother with her chores, managing her ailing mother and caring for her younger sister. All of 5 years of age, she had to be domestic assistant, nurse and mother, all at once. And yet, there was a spark in her smile that spoke of resilience and maturity far beyond her years.

dreaming dreams. From basic sustenance through timely and nourishing meals to emotional support and wise counsel on navigating through life’s vicissitudes, Christel House became the family that she had lacked. For the first time, she knew what it was to go to sleep unafraid of what the morning would bring.

That day marked an inflection point in Jennifer’s life. She joined Christel House and found doors opening that she never knew existed. It was for the first time in her life that she felt she belonged in the world, as a normal child doing what children do, going to school, playing games, reading books, making friends and

Joining the Pieces Loses grandmom when 14. Considers dropping out.

Joins Christel House at 6 years of age. Father deserts family. Mother ailing. Under grandmom’s care.

Resolutely balances domestic chores with schoolwork.

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Joins UIBS bengaluru for her B. Com degree. Stays the course with teachers’ support.

Her teachers helped Jennifer keep the faith, visiting her at home and showing her that she was not alone. Her natural resilience asserted itself, kindling a new hope that spurred her, and Jennifer bravely battled on.

The problems and responsibilities at home persisted, however. Jennifer’s day began early, helping grandmom with the cooking and cleaning, and making sure her mother’s needs were met, before leaving for school. Evenings had a similar routine. Money was hard to come by and food not enough to go around. The continued ill-health of family members often forced Jennifer to miss school and she considered dropping out several times. When she was in the fifth grade, her grandmother passed away. The one warm presence at home was gone and Jennifer was distraught.

This was when, Jennifer says, her teachers supported her with the motherly affection that she had never experienced, “They always kept track of what we were going through and spoke to us about it. We used to share our happiness as well as our sorrows with them.”

As the years went by, Jennifer immersed herself in the joys of school life, growing, developing and maturing as a child should in the company of children like herself.

Today, as she pursues a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, she has only one word of advice for the children joining the school, “Every painful story has a successful ending. And every successful person has to experience pain. Accept the pain and get ready to experience success.”

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WALK WITH CHILDREN WHERE THEY ARE... INTERVENING TO TRANSFORM Sangeetha Rao Special Educator and RTI Coordinator, Christel House Bengaluru

Faseeha, an alumna of Christel House from the 2020 cohort, is a top performing Sales Representative for the cosmetic brand Beauty & Beyond, who has been recognised and rewarded for exceeding her targets. She now looks forward with confidence to a blossoming career in the beauty business, a dream she had always nurtured from her childhood.

Just ten years back, however, all this seemed to be just an impossible fantasy as Faseeha struggled with dyslexia. Unable to read and write at the expected pace and fluency, she found herself falling behind her classmates. It looked like Faseeha’s aspiration to be a beautician would remain unrealised. However, the situation though fraught was not irreversible.

Response to Intervention provided the remedy. Faseeha was taken under the wing of the Response To Intervention (RTI) team at Christel House. RTI is a remedial education programme for children with learning difficulties. It is a research-based methodology in which the instructional framework is modified and matched to the students’ specific needs to enable them to learn at the required pace. The intervention happens early to minimise the learning gap and the child’s progress is monitored continuously. 31

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Sangeetha explains the RTI philosophy in a simple maxim: ‘Walk with the child where they are, not where we want them to be.” As she puts it, “No teacher can push a child beyond their capacity; our role is to provide consistent support, build confidence and create opportunities for growth while respecting each child’s unique pace.”

And when teachers do that beautiful miracles do happen, like Faseeha! RTI Coordinator Sangeetha got Faseeha to enroll in the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and created a personalised learning plan for her that included scaffolded lessons and oneon-one sessions. She took special classes after school and connected online on holidays and weekends. The process was slow and not easy. Sometimes it felt like every step forward was followed by two steps back and frustration reigned in Faseeha’s mind. Patience and persistence were the remedy. Faseeha stayed the course, never giving up, with Sangeetha holding her hand every step of the way.

The improvement was gradual, in small incremental measures, but discernible and real. Every indication of progress was recognised, howsoever small, and with each passing day, confidence began to course once more through Faseeha’s veins.

A year later, Faseeha was unrecognisable from the child who struggled to read and form simple sentences. Not only did she successfully graduate from the NIOS programme, she also subsequently completed a Beauty Culture course from St. Joseph’s Institute of Skills (SJIS) putting her irreversibly on the path to realise her dream. All thanks to the right intervention at the right time.

Joining the Pieces Dyslexia affecting Faseeha’s performance and self esteem.

Faseeha passes NIOS, and completes a Beauty Culture course.

Enrolls Faseeha in NIOS. RTI Specialist Sangeetha takes her under her wing.

Creates a personalised learning plan and schedule.

Today, Faseeha is employed as a Sales Representative with Beauty & Beyond.

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INNOVATIVELY CODING RESPONSIBLE

DIGITAL CITIZENS Naveena Narthagi D, IT Teacher, Christel House Bengaluru

Teaching core programming is a challenge by itself because it asks students to think in a language that doesn’t exist in the physical world. Now imagine that you have to

teach computing to children from under-resourced backgrounds who have never even seen a computer let alone used one. The challenge is exponentially more daunting.

This is what faces IT teachers like Naveena Narthagi at Christel House. And that’s why the school’s IT and STEM

programme, which begins as early as Kindergarten, 33

departs from traditional approaches to computer education to better suit our students. Our IT teachers focus on stimulating the child’s curiosity to get them thinking, so that concepts are internalised naturally. Their approach is deeply experiential, hands-on and rooted in blended learning approaches that combine classroom instruction with practical application, collaborative projects, technology-enabled learning and real-world exposure. FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE

Students actively engage in coding, artificial intelligence, app creation, computational thinking, STEM exploration and project-based learning. Through coding sessions, hackathons, game design challenges and technology-based assignments, they are encouraged to create, experiment, innovate and apply their learning meaningfully.

Naveena’s classroom, for example, is an adventure of discovery. In the Kindergarten, before the students even touch a keyboard, she gets them to understand concepts using logic puzzles and movement based activities, and makes invisible processes visible with animated simulations and simple games. When students can physically act out an algorithm, or see how memory shifts step-by-step, complexity dissolves into clarity.

Joining the Pieces Challenge: teaching coding concepts to children who’ve never heard of computers.

Learning becomes discovery and experiential.

Naveena devises her own teaching methods.

The strategy has paid off handsomely.

Students absorb coding fundamentals intuitively. Puzzles, kinetic tasks and games turn complexity into clarity.

Students evolve into confident, creative problem solvers.

Most important, they are anchored in a strong value system and are emerging as responsible digital citizens whose ambitions are ethically grounded.

The computer science students in Christel House are not passive coders but proactive problem solvers. They are

unfazed by unfamiliar challenges, question assumptions sharply and confidently, and collaboratively explore new approaches. To them, programming is like a life-lesson in setting goals and creating paths to attain them and debugging is a crash course in resilience, patience and the power of a growth mindset.

Technology drives and is driven by innovation. It is, thus, apt that Christel House’s willingness to break free of convention and devise their own teaching methods for computer science has proven to be the most effective way to bridge the digital divide.

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GOING BEYOND TO HELP

STUDENTS COPE WITH PERSONAL LOSS

Purti Singh Parihar, Academic Coordinator (K-2), Christel House Atal Nagar

Purti Singh Parihar is the Primary School Academic Coordinator at Christel House, Atal Nagar.

One morning, in 2024, she arrived at school to hear the most horrifying news. A brother and sister studying in Grades 5 and 3 respectively, had lost their parents - their father had killed their mother and then committed suicide. Naturally, the children were emotionally shattered. The boy, Girish (name changed), who was introverted by nature, now withdrew completely into his shell. His sister, Priya (name changed), likewise, refused to interact with anyone. Both stopped coming to school and, for a while, it seemed like they never would return.

Purti was troubled. She had taught them both in Grade 2 and knew that they were bright children. It would be compounding a tragedy if nothing was done to bring them back to school and put their lives back on the rails.

Through Christel House’s Admissions and Community Development department, she contacted the children’s relatives and asked if she could speak to them. Both siblings refused. But Purti was patient and persistent. After a while, Girish opened up and agreed to meet them. Purti and the school’s counsellors spent time with him and Priya, gently getting them to share their feelings, listening patiently, and often just sitting quietly with them and showing them that they were not alone.

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Several days later, the siblings returned to school. Though she did not teach their grades, Purti continued to guide them, her presence becoming a silent reassurance of support. A year on, Girish and Priya are coping well and doing excellently in school. While nothing could compensate for their loss, the love, caring and emotional support showered on them by Purti and the whole Christel House team gave them the strength to put it behind them, and look ahead to building a future for themselves.

Teaching at Christel House calls for more than just subject expertise and communicative ability. It entails deep emotional resilience, a high degree of empathy, pastoral care and a commitment to go beyond that stems from sincerity of purpose. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

Purti sees this difference daily, having worked in other schools in an administrative capacity before completing her B. Ed and joining Christel House. She is glad that she is helping to make positive change in society. As she puts it, “If I am

able to make a difference in even one child’s life, that is more than enough for me.”

CAREER DEVELOPMENT & EMPLOYMENT We believe that breaking the cycle of poverty is a generational journey and our commitment to our students is for 18 years or more: from Kindergarten till they secure sustainable livelihoods. Our aim is to make them self-reliant while also being able to pursue their dreams. Students receive scholarships for higher education, career guidance, employability training, mentoring, and job placement assistance. They acquire the dignity, comportment, values, skills and abilities to make a positive contribution to society. 99% of Christel House graduates are gainfully engaged: either studying in universities or working in the formal sector or both. 37

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An Impact Study conducted by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP in 2020 found that over 90% of those who have graduated from Christel House Bengaluru have witnessed significant intergenerational economic and social mobility and have broken the cycle of intergenerational poverty, thereby, making our mission successful. Our skill development efforts encompass the students’ parents as well. The Admissions and Community Development Department conducts regular workshops and programmes for parents and community members to enhance their capability to secure sustainable livelihoods.

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Grab the Golden Wings of Opportunity. PUT YOURSELF ON THE FAST TRACK TO SUCCESS Varalakshmi R, Alumna, Program Executive, Katalyst India

“Golden Student of the Month – Varalakshmi!” It was a pivotal moment in Varalakshmi’s life when she heard these words. It was the first time that her efforts were being rewarded and her eyes glistened with tears as she received the award.

Born in an impoverished community in Bengaluru, life had always been a struggle for Varalakshmi. When she was just two, she lost her father. Her mother, who worked at a garment factory, earning barely enough for one meal a day, gradually slipped into depression.

Varalakshmi was forced to eke things out by washing vessels at a nearby eatery. All this with no running water and no electricity, in an unsafe crime-ridden neighbourhood.

That is why Varalakshmi asserts that the one wise and far-reaching decision her mother made was to admit her in Christel House at the age of five. When she donned her bright school uniform for the first time and boarded the bus, arms loaded with a stack of new books, she set out on a path where survival was no more a challenge and nothing mattered but her inner resolve. The challenges at home didn’t vanish. Varalakshmi often studied beneath a streetlight, or by the flickering light of an oil lamp occasionally nodding off and singeing her hair. Life was painful, difficult and lonely. But what kept her going was Christel House, which became her anchor, her safe and happy place.

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Used to fending for herself and living by her own rules, Varalakshmi struggled to conform to the discipline of school life at first, and acquired a reputation for recalcitrance and mischief. It was her mother’s death that triggered a change. Forced to live with her grandmother in a slum twenty kilometres away, she realised that she needed to pull herself together. What propelled her most deeply was her mother’s final phone call to Christel House, telling the school that she was leaving Varalakshmi in their hands.

At that moment, her life took a U-turn. From the naughtiest girl in class, Varalakshmi became the model student

Today, as a Program Executive at Katalyst India, Varalakshmi is involved in preparing women in STEM for leadership roles, a role that she finds deeply fulfilling.

The teachers encouraged her by declaring Varalakshmi as Golden Student of the Month, a muchcoveted distinction, and there was no looking back.

For the rest of her tenure at Christel House, Varalakshmi won the award every single month. Such was her determination to lift herself out of the morass she had stuck herself in and scale the heights that she knew she could. Varalakshmi initially aimed at a career in accountancy or banking and opted for Commerce in Grades 11 and 12. She then discovered

KREA University, a multi-disciplinary institution that opened up the opportunity to explore diverse domains. Eager to broaden her horizons, Varalakshmi joined KREA, after graduating from Christel House, majoring in Politics with a minor in Business Studies and Economics.

Joining the Pieces Transforms from naughtiest child to model student.

Joins Christel House and struggles to conform. Loses her father at two. Forced to work as a child.

Loses her mother. The school’s support pivots her.

Works with Katalyst India. Completes her BA.

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Varalakshmi’s story tells us that there is only one sure fast track to success: grab the golden opportunity when it knocks and rise on its wings to the stars you want to reach. 40

The Girl Who Would Be a Chemical Engineer... OUR FIRST DOCTORAL STUDENT Sylvia Charles

Alumna, Doctoral Student in Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, UK She saw herself breaching frontiers and succeeding in areas that girls were never expected to even enter. She saw herself becoming the role model that she had lacked for other girls in her circumstances. This questing impulse drove her to pursue science in college, which she quickly found she had a flair for, and suddenly new highways to the future became visible. After graduating with Honours in Biology, she went on pursue her Master’s in Biotechnology. The coursework was demanding

As a child, all Sylvia Charles wanted to do was escape from the environment that she was born into and enjoy a better standard of living. But she had no idea of the possibilities that lay beyond.

Christel House opened her eyes to a world she never knew existed. Resilient and competitive by nature, Sylvia’s imagination was kindled. 41

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and challenges were aplenty. There were voices of dissuasion among her relatives and self-doubt crept in as well, especially when the academic pressure became intense. But Sylvia never let her focus and her efforts waver. When the results were announced and she learned that she had topped the course, a quiet confidence suffused her. She now knew without any doubt that there was nothing that she could not achieve. Scaling that summit proved pivotal and Sylvia raised her sights higher.

Eager to combine her knowledge of biology and biotechnology with engineering and deep dive into research, while also teaching and mentoring women in science, she opted to work towards a PhD in Chemical Engineering in the UK. Again, her choice was met with surprise in her family and community because Chemical Engineering was not regarded as a natural choice of study for women. Sylvia was not discouraged, however, as her family backed her plan after overcoming their initial doubt.

Sylvia is the first of our alumni to pursue a doctorate and bears the best testimony to the success of our methods and mission. Today, as she works in her lab in the UK, designing experiments, analysing data and exploring solutions to real-world scientific problems, her family and community bask in the pride of her achievement. Sylvia’s success has inspired them to shed their fears and prejudices and encourage their youth to pursue their dreams.

Sylvia, herself, is keen to give back and is actively engaged in teaching and mentoring students, especially girls. To young girls who are afraid to dream big, her message is clear:

Joining the Pieces Discovers new possibilities at Christel House. Lives in a community with strict gender roles.

Pursuing her PhD in Chemical Engineering in the UK.

Graduates in Biology. Acquires a passion for science.

Does her Masters in Biotech despite dissuasion.

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“Your dreams may seem big and scary, but they are valid, no matter what anyone tells you. Believe in yourself, stay focused. The world needs your ideas, your strength, and your voice. Dream big and go after it with everything you’ve got!”

RIDING ON THREE WHEELS TO A BETTER LIFE Chandrakala, Mother of Harshita (Grade 4), Auto Driver

It is 7:30 am on a Monday. Chandrakala’s autorickshaw comes to a smooth halt outside a school. Getting off, she helps the three children sitting inside to alight, making sure that they take their bags and lunch boxes, and sees them safely through the gates into the school. Waving goodbye to the kids, Chandrakala zooms off, ready to take on another productive workday ferrying passengers in her autorickshaw. Chandrakala wasn’t always an independent auto driver. For many years, she and her mother supported the family by working as domestic helps in multiple houses. The work was hard, the hours were demanding and the earnings were meagre. Yet they persisted, driven by their desire to educate Chandrakala’s daughter and give her a better life than they had known.

Being a single mother, who had to drop out of school after the fifth grade, only made Chandrakala that much more determined.

First, by easing the financial burden. Her daughter’s education, healthcare and nutrition were now looked after completely, thanks to Christel House’s tie-up with MS Ramaiah Hospital.

When her daughter joined Christel House, the school helped Chandrakala accelerate her family’s transformation in two ways. Joining the Pieces Worked as a help in multiple homes. Single mother.

Assisted to learn auto driving and acquire a licence. Attends parent workshops at Christel House.

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Loans facilitated to procure an autorickshaw.

Earns a sustainable income today.

Second, by empowering Chandrakala to acquire a more sustainable and independent livelihood. Christel House’s Admissions and Community Development department helped her train as an autorickshaw driver, obtain a licence and become the proud owner of her own autorickshaw.

Today, running school trips twice a day and taking passengers to destinations across the city, Chandrakala earns enough to support the family and also save for her daughter’s future. She is experiencing a sense of security, not just financial but also emotional, psychological and social, that she never has known before. She is not complacent, however, and knows that she has to keep doing her bit as well. Thus, her gratitude to Christel House is overlaid with a resolve to relentlessly fight the good fight.

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A smooth road to the future now stretches before Chandrakala and she is firmly in the driver’s seat, navigating her family towards greater opportunities, stability and hope.

It was when he was in middle school at Christel House that Syed Fazil formed his first career ambition, to become an aerospace engineer. A session with the school’s career counsellor helped him realise where his true strengths lay and how he could more effectively use his talents and abilities.

Today, as an Associate Engineer at Nokia, Syed recollects how his tech journey began when he typed his first letters on a computer keyboard in his early years at Christel House. Syed says the structured digital learning at the school made technology a transformative factor in his life. Beginning with Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word that helped him analyse and organise information coherently, present ideas with clarity and develop a stronger understanding of data, he moved on to more complex visual tools like Adobe Photoshop that opened up creative possibilities he had never imagined, while building practical skills that continue to serve him in his career today.

FROM ZERO TECH AT HOME TO AN ADVANCED HIGH TECH CAREER! Syed Fazil, Alumnus, Associate Engineer, Nokia 45

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The son of an electrician who was dependent on job work income, Syed has known days when the family had to forego meals. Before he joined Christel House, his father struggled to put him and his brother through kindergarten, not being able to afford the fees.

Syed also remembers how digital learning became his only lifeline to education during the Covid-19 lockdown.

All that has changed. Syed now has a steady, well-paying job and is able to take good care of his family. Yes, unpaid loans still remain but they don’t seem insurmountable any more.

The tablet and internet connectivity that the school had provided him enabled him to participate in online classes, take tests and submit assignments. There were moments of frustration as well. Power cuts were frequent and internet connectivity was unstable. Asking questions remotely was not the same as clarifying problems with someone sitting before him.

But his teachers were incredibly patient, he says, making efforts to help understand not just the academic topics but how to effectively use the digital tools themselves.

Ultimately, Syed gives a thumbs up to digital learning because it armed him with the power to learn on his own terms, without someone to hold his hand. He became more independent and enjoyed discovering things himself, which bolstered his confidence enormously.

Joining the Pieces No access to technology at home. Had to forego meals in childhood.

Works as Associate Engineer at Nokia.

Acquires proficiency in various tools. Digital tools help him learn on his terms.

Syed’s future is now in his hands and technology continues to play a pivotal role in helping him attain his life goals.

Completes his engineering degree.

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THE STUDENT WHO RETURNED TO TEACH… AND LEAD

Shiva Sagar, Alumnus, Principal, Christel House Pune

Shiva Sagar lost both his parents when he was a young boy.

Forced to live with his aunt, who was herself fighting poverty and could not afford to feed another mouth, Shiva often lay awake at night, wondering what the morning would bring.

Snatches of conversation that floated into the room told him he may be sent to an orphanage. For two years, life was scary and uncertain. That was when his aunt heard about Christel House, contacted us and the trajectory of Shiva’s life changed forever.

The world was his oyster and the road to a bright globetrotting career lay open before him. However, Shiva’s compass was oriented in a different direction.

Shiva joined the school in Grade 4, two years behind his peers. Today, when viewed against the longer calendar of his life, that lag is irrelevant. After completing Grade 12 at Christel House, Shiva went on to take a BE in Computer Science, topping his class. Joining the Pieces Almost sent to an orphanage. Loses both parents as a young boy.

Appointed Principal of Christel House Pune.

Completes his BE in Computer Science. Joins Christel House, two years behind.

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Returns to Christel House as a teacher.

In 2016, Shiva returned to Christel House as a Math and Physics teacher, the first alumnus to do so, and his teachers were proud to be his colleagues. Today, he serves as Principal of our school in Pune, leading with the same values that sustained him. While pursuing his engineering degree, Shiva had regularly volunteered at Christel House during his semester breaks helping 10th and 12th graders prepare for their Board examinations. These experiences showed him that his true calling lay with his

alma mater. Shiva decided to dedicate his life to the

institution that had helped him rebuild it.

Shiva understands intimately what it means for their school to be

the safest place in children’s lives. When he sees students

sitting with their teachers during Quality Circle Time, Christel House’s structured socio-emotional learning practice, he sees reflections of his younger self: unsure, untrusting and fearful but also resilient and full of

potential. His resolve to propel them out of the cycle of poverty into sustainable livelihoods strengthens.

His aunt, who once worried about his future, now looks upon his journey with pride. Shiva’s life has come full circle: from being the child who was given a chance, to the leader who creates those chances for other children. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

YOUR BACKGROUND DOESN’T SHAPE YOUR FUTURE, YOU DO! Prabhu K, Alumnus, Vendor Manager, Wise, Singapore On a bright Monday morning in Singapore, Prabhu K, Vendor Manager (Compliance) at Wise Payments, has just got off a conference call with vendors in different continents. Satisfied with the outcome, as Prabhu leans back and sips a cup of tea, his mind slips into a reverie, traversing a career that has seen him visit more than thirty-five countries.

A journey that had seemed unimaginable, when he joined Christel House, as a young boy. Uncertainty had hung like a cloud over Prabhu’s home in those days. Though his parents wished to give him a high quality education, they lacked the means. They could only afford to send him to a small school in the vicinity where he barely acquired the rudiments of reading, writing and numeracy. Prabhu knew he had the intelligence and the drive to succeed but his family’s straitened circumstances meant that schools that could open doors to success were closed to him.

All that changed when he joined Christel House. Life acquired a certainty, an assurance of stability and constancy.

As he progressed from class to class, his diffidence vanished and his confidence grew. He began to believe that his past did not define his future. His latent leadership abilities bloomed when he became the captain of the Red Robins group, learning practical lessons that continue to prove invaluable in his professional career. Finance, which had been his biggest hurdle, was no longer a consideration. Nothing seemed impossible any more.

Setting his sights on a career in Business Management, Prabhu acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce followed by a Master’s degree in International Business in Estonia. Today, as he works out of a skyscraper in Singapore and indulges in a globetrotting lifestyle, for both business and pleasure, Prabhu has never forgotten where his journey began. He continues to give back to Christel House financially, advocates for its mission and lives by the values it instilled in him.

Happily, Prabhu also found his soulmate at Christel House. His wife Maldren, an engineering graduate, is an alumna of the school and works in Wise as well. FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE

Joining the Pieces Completes B. Com and MBA in International Business.

Joins Christel House at nine years of age. Desirous of education but hamstrung by poverty.

Gains confidence and sets career goals.

Well employed as Vendor Manager of an MNC in Singapore. Marries childhood sweetheart, also an alumna.

Prabhu’s success has had a ripple effect beyond his own life. His extended family sees him as a role model and living testimony to the transformative power of education. Once cynical relatives now encourage their own children to pursue their studies seriously, inspired by his journey.

For students in circumstances similar to his own childhood, Prabhu’s advice is simple: your background does not shape your future, you do! 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

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NUTRITION & HEALTH CARE We take complete care of the health and wellness of our students, as most have little access to quality medical care. All our students undergo periodic comprehensive health check-ups with our hospital partners, covering hearing, vision, dermatology, dental care and immunisations, along with necessary treatments. The procedures and treatments are provided free of cost and include the students’ parents as well. The Christel House kitchen and cafeteria works from dawn to dusk to give every student breakfast, lunch, and an evening snack with milk. The menu is scientifically planned to meet 75-80% of the students’ daily nutritional needs. It has been reviewed by the Food Science and Nutrition Department of a highly reputed institution and their recommendations, based on Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) standards, have been incorporated. Cooked food samples are tested at an external lab for caloric & nutritional values. For many students, these meals are the primary source of nourishment, as the family income may not suffice for three nutritious meals. Missing dinner thus has minimal impact. Newly enrolled students often come with malnutrition related problems and health issues. With access to proper nutrition and medical care, they regain good health within a year. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

FROM ANTAGONISM TO ADMIRATION HOW EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE WON OVER A COMMUNITY Maria Angelina, Student, Grade 10 David Simon, Alumnus, R&D Engineer, Nokia

Maria Angelina is one of a family of six living in a one-room tenement in an impoverished community.

Progressive in outlook, Maria’s parents had enrolled her older two brothers in a school. However, financial constraints eventually forced them to drop out. Things began to look up when Maria’s third brother David Simon joined Christel House. The realisation dawned upon the family that they could break out of their circumstances.

When her parents subsequently enrolled Maria as well in Christel House, their decision did not go down well in the community. They were told it wasn’t safe, that the school was too far away, that educating a girl was foolish.

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Joining the Pieces

The criticism continued as Maria progressed up the grades. Her neighbours taunted her, telling her to focus on housework instead of homework. Maria and her parents strove to turn a deaf ear but the stress eventually took its toll on her. This is when Christel House became Maria’s safe haven. She opened up to the counsellors at the school, who patiently and gently helped her cope. Her teachers, trained in Quality Circle Time techniques, spent time with her and helped her regain her self-belief.

Slowly, as Maria began to excel at school, her musical skills flourished and she started bringing home awards, things changed.

Enrolled in Christel House. Had to forego meals in childhood.

Begins to excel academically and culturally. Scorned by the community.

Studying hard in high school - aims to be a neurosurgeon.

Earns the community’s admiration.

When in the 8th grade Maria was selected in HundrED’s Youth Ambassador programme, a global initiative, in partnership with the International Baccalaureate (IB), that unites passionate youth to develop and enhance social impact projects that address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. She is actively developing a blog platform to showcase communities in need, share their challenges and connect them with potential supporters.

The girls in the neighbourhood began telling her that she was their role model. The community’s antipathy to education turned into a grudging acceptance and eventually admiration. The naysayers were not only silenced but converted. In fact, they became convinced that girls must not be confined to domestic chores but be educated to script their own destiny.

Now in high school, Maria is working harder than ever, fully aware of the opportunities Christel House has given her. Her brother David Simon (Christel House Alumnus, 2019 Cohort) is now employed with Nokia as an R&D Engineer and also contributes to the family income.

Maria realises that her current task is to devote her energies entirely to the pursuit of academic excellence and acquire the education necessary to transform her life. Only then will she be able to achieve her ambition of becoming a neurosurgeon and realise her dream of housing her parents in a spacious multi-room house. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

THE CAFETERIA AND KITCHEN… A WELL FED CHILD IS HUNGRY TO LEARN Satish Ahuja, Proprietor- Mitesh Caterers, the Cafeteria Partner of Christel House India At 6 am in Bengaluru, when the sun is just peeping above the horizon, a bird flying over the Christel House campus would only see empty, silent and still grounds, where no activity is expected for another few hours. Yet appearances can be deceptive. Listen closely and faint sounds become audible. The hum of mixers and grinders, the clicking of vegetable knives, the murmur of voices issuing instructions…the twenty-five member team at the Christel House kitchen is deep in the process of preparing the day’s meals. At the centre of operations is the genial Satish Ahuja of Mitesh Caterers, who has been managing Christel House’s kitchen and cafeteria for twenty-three years. His twinkling, sharp eyes monitor everything and everyone. Giving a quiet instruction here, a word of praise there and a gentle rebuke wherever necessary, Satish runs the kitchen and cafeteria with military efficiency. Preparing nutritious, tasty and timely meals twice a day, every day, for over 2000 children is a complex task and Satish leads by example in his commitment to quality and discipline.

Balanced Daily Nutrition for Every Child The nutrition programme at Christel House is one of the most important dimensions of the school’s activities. Every child is served two balanced meals daily: breakfast and lunch, as well as a wholesome snack with milk, each scientifically planned by an external nutrition consultant for every age group. Fresh ingredients are sourced and inspected daily. Strict hygiene standards are maintained, and all equipment and utensils are cleaned and sanitised regularly. Most important, all staff and students have the same food (breakfast & lunch) together. The nutrition programme is both an assurance and an attraction. Children love the food and parents are relieved knowing that they are well fed at school.

Joining the Pieces Develops the kitchen and cafeteria into an efficient operation.

Acquires a real passion for food and service. Begins taking small catering contracts.

Takes on the Christel House kitchen in 2003.

Manages kitchens at all our four schools today.

Ensures consistently high quality and nutritional value.

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In line with our policy of maintaining high standards in quality, hygiene and nutritional value, the Christel House Food Committee (consisting of staff and student leaders) periodically reviews the food and inspects the ingredients. Satish works closely with the committee and ensures that its feedback is acted upon.

Satish began his journey as a caterer by accepting freelance catering projects to support a friend who ran a small eatery. Slowly, as the scale of his operations grew, what began as a casual attempt to help a friend evolved into a genuine passion for food and service.

He unequivocally declares that it was the best decision of his life, which made him the person he is today.

In October 2003, when he signed the contract to manage Christel House’s kitchen, Satish was unsure how far it would go. Today, he oversees the kitchens at four Christel House schools: in Bengaluru, Atal Nagar, Pune and Thane, assuming overall responsibility for their entire operations from the moment the stoves are lit in the morning till their flames are extinguished in the afternoon.

“It feels like my destiny to serve food to these children, and we cook with the same attention and honesty we would for our own families. Knowing that our meals help the children stay healthy, focused and ready to learn gives meaning to all the hard work.” he says.

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Satish and his team regard their work more as a calling than a career.

BUILDING A FUTURE, ONE GOAL AT A TIME! Shilpa, Alumna, Professional Football Coach If you said the words ‘professional football coach’, few would imagine that you were talking about a girl. And yet, if you rise with the sun and peep over the wall of the LaLiga Football Academy in Sarjapur, you will see the unusual sight of a cohort of little girls being efficiently put through their paces by an earnest young lady. Shilpa H, alumna of Christel House, Bengaluru, is hard at work as a Football Coach. Growing up, Shilpa, her brother and mother lived with her grandmother. Her mother was the sole earning member and the family had to eke out a living by stretching every rupee as thin as possible. Going to school was seen as a privilege. Football was a game played by boys. Joining Christel House changed all that. Shilpa immersed herself completely into school-life, gaining confidence and broadening her horizons with every passing day. Her independent spirit blossomed and her latent leadership abilities broke the surface, leading to her becoming Head Girl in Grade 12.

Joining the Pieces Takes up coaching gigs to support herself.

Completes her B. Com. Joins Christel House and develops a passion for football.

Working at a professional football academy as a coach.

Decides to pursue a career in football.

Completes courses and becomes a certified coach.

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It was in Christel House that Shilpa discovered and fell in love with football. Recognising her talent, the school got her the opportunity to train and play with a local sports academy, Boca Juniors Football School. It was not a tale of unbroken smoothness, as domestic responsibilities forced Shilpa to discontinue her

training. But her passion remained unabated and two years later, when the circumstances became favourable again, the school enabled her to resume her football journey. Shilpa went on to complete her B.Com after graduating from Christel House but her passion for the ‘beautiful game’ inevitably saw her tracing her steps back to the turf.

Never one to shy away from a risk, she began taking up coaching assignments with local academies. The work was hard and irregular, and the pay was low. Shilpa had no formal coaching qualifications and realised that there was a vast difference between playing football and training players. Determined to conquer what was regarded as male territory, she signed up for

and successfully completed courses in football coaching and gradually earned the respect of the football fraternity. Today, Shilpa is sought after as a coach, by both academies and parents, and combines her coaching duties with playing for clubs. Her mother, who had always supported her sporting ambitions, speaks of her with pride, and the disparagement of relatives has turned into admiration. Shilpa remembers Christel House’s role in her success with gratitude as well, and regularly volunteers at the school. With financial worries no longer a factor, she looks forward to a bright future built on the game she loves.

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PARENT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

At Christel House, we recognise the significant impact that their milieu can have on children. Most of our students live in poor communities that are shaped by violence, crime, substance abuse and poverty. The gains they make in school can be undone when they return home. To prevent this and to ensure that the effects of our work endure, our ameliorative efforts necessarily include the parents and the community. Our Admissions and Community Development department conducts workshops regularly to make them aware of their civic responsibilities, equip them with basic financial literacy, support them in skill development and empower them with the knowledge of how to use 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

governmental welfare programmes. Parents are counselled on their responsibilities and duties to their children, so that they too can contribute to their success. They are also encouraged to volunteer 40 hours per year at the school. This active involvement fosters a stronger bond between families and the school, creating a supportive network for the students. Many of our parents are now leaders in their respective communities helping other families transform economically, socially and culturally, and strengthening the community as a whole.

LEADING THE COMMUNITY,

DRIVING CHANGE… Madhu, Mother of Kundan Rao (Grade 9), Employed, part-time, in the Garment Industry; Community Coordinator for Christel House’s Maternity Health Project “Include copies of all these documents, as well as your Aadhar cards.” So saying, Madhu winds up her conversation with two parents seeking to admit their daughter in Christel House.

Self-employed as a tailor, Madhu is the go-to person in the slum settlement where she lives, for advice on banking transactions, to learn about Governmental welfare and skill development programmes and more such practical matters. She helps run an informal co-operative savings scheme, based on monthly contributions, from which micro-loans are provided. In the evenings, she monitors the combined study sessions for the children and keeps parents informed of their child’s progress.

Yet Madhu was determined to give her younger son a high-quality education. She admitted him in a school nearby but had to withdraw him as she could not afford the fees.

Madhu’s life wasn’t always like this. Growing up in a remote village, her parents could only afford to educate her up to the SSLC (10th grade) in a government school. When she arrived in Bengaluru and took up residence in the slum community, times were tough. Her physically challenged older daughter needed constant care. Her income from tailoring jobwork barely sufficed for three meals a day.

Just when she had lost all hope, she learned about and enrolled him in Christel House.

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Today, six years later, Madhu’s life is unrecognisable from what it used to be. All her life she had been told that a woman’s place was in the home. Attending the parent seminars and workshops at Christel House opened her eyes and armed her with practical worldly knowledge that had always been outside her ambit. Social and cultural etiquette, civic and community issues, banking and financial procedures, governmental programmes… window after window kept opening up and Madhu realised that there was a whole world out there that she had been completely shut out from. It was at that instant that her leadership journey began. She says, “When I saw the women moderators speaking from the stage, I was inspired. I decided that, one day, I too should be doing this and helping other women like me make a better life for themselves.” Guided by social workers from Christel House, Madhu and her fellow community members organised the ninety families in the slum into three groups, with Madhu herself assuming charge of one along with two other ladies. The groups meet regularly, discuss their problems, conduct awareness programmes, run co-operative savings schemes and more, in a collective effort to better all their lives, and gain financial, social and cultural stability. Madhu is also the community coordinator for Christel House’s community maternity health programme, which provides physical and mental health support to pregnant mothers. Her role is to ensure the wellbeing of the mothers and help them avail of government schemes. Madhu’s own life has improved as well. Taking a bank loan, she invested in an automated sewing machine that has tripled her productivity and boosted her income. Her only aim now is to give both her children a secure future. “I want my younger son to study well and get a well-paying job, so that he can look after his sister. I am also saving money so that the burden is not entirely on him,” she says.

Joining the Pieces Older son is physically challenged. Lives in a slum, earns from tailoring job-work.

Attends parent workshops diligently. Enrolls younger son in Christel House.

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Enhances her tailoring business and income. Shares her knowledge, earns respect in the community.

I AM NOT VOLUNTEERING. IT’S MY DUTY TO GIVE BACK! M Anthony, Father of Merlin (Grade 8) and Andrea (Grade 5), Painter Anthony Raj stands, brush in hand inspecting a wall he has just painted. Happy with what he sees, he heaves a satisfied sigh. He has completed his volunteering duties for the day.

Putting away the painting materials and cleaning up, he hurries to the sports field, where the school’s athletes are being put through their paces by their coach. From the perimeter, he proudly watches his daughters, Merlin and Andrea, practising. Both have won gold in the state meet and are now preparing for the nationals. Half an hour later, father and daughters are heading home in the Christel House school bus. Anthony’s mind drifts back seven years, when he was living on daily wages in a semi-permanent tin-roof house. He had just secured admission for Merlin in Christel House, realising a long cherished dream to give her the education that his parents could not give him. Three years later, Andrea joined her sister and Anthony’s life pivoted into a new future, one that was defined by confidence, clarity and certainty.

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Joining the Pieces Grateful to Christel House, Anthony believes that he has a duty to give back and is ever ready to offer his services, whenever the school requests him to. Painting, gardening, simple civil works, maintenance tasks… whatever is the need of the hour.

Keen to educate his daughters. Daily wager with meagre income.

Both performing well, in academics and sports. Enrolls them in Christel House.

Christel House has a Parent Volunteer Programme that encourages students’ families to support the school for a few days each year in ways that align with their skills and abilities. The Programme also gives parents a firsthand view of their child’s growth and the learning environment that enables their success. An enthusiastic participant in the Programme, who generously gives of his time and effort, Anthony exemplifies how Christel House successful coopts parents as partners in their child’s progress.

Today, Anthony is a happy father of daughters who make him and the school proud, both in the classroom and on the race track. So much so that he is fast running out of space to display their certificates and medals.

Regards it as his duty to give back.

Regular volunteer at the school. Anthony is happy to visit and serve the school also because he gets to interact with the teachers more closely, who counsel him on how to manage the children at home, the proper way to speak to them and the right way to discipline them. He says, “I have learnt a lot about parenting and the importance of my role in my children’s development.”

Anthony advises all parents to visit the school whenever they are called upon to and offer their services. “After all”, he says, “the school is doing so much for us and our children, without charging a single rupee. This is the least we can do in return! Besides, we get the opportunity to observe how our children are doing and get more involved in their growth.”

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MARRIAGE IS NOT CHILD’S PLAY! Shahanaz, Mother of Abdul (Grade 9)

Born in a poor family in an impoverished community in Bengaluru, where she still lives today, Shahanaz had to bury deep inside her heart any dream she may have nurtured of studying or pursuing a career. The moment she completed her SSLC, her parents got her married, and she was forced to be wife, mother and homemaker though she was unprepared for all three roles. While Shahanaz accepted her lot in life as a battle she could not win, she mentally resolved to wage war against child marriage. She knew that hers would be a lone voice, that she may even be vilified and isolated, because most people in her locality shared a worldview that girls should be married off soon after they attained puberty. But she was determined to fight, come what may. Her only problem was that she lacked the knowledge to articulate her arguments with conviction and authority.

Shahanaz’s course shifted when her children joined Christel House. While she saw visible changes in Abdul, her son, who became more disciplined, never going out to play until his homework was done, scolding his father for smoking inside the house, and even admonishing the neighbours for littering, she herself underwent a seismic shift in personality.

The workshops conducted for parents at the school provided a fillip to her anti-child-marriage mission. Armed with scientific facts and data, she began systematically dissuading people from getting their minor daughters married. Expectedly, her interventions were met with hostility and regarded as officious interference by many. She was openly told to mind her own business.

Joining the Pieces Gains confidence and knowledge from parent workshops.

Resolves to fight child marriage. Married at 15. First child at 16.

Enrolls children at Christel House.

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Slowly overcomes the community’s hostility. Vocally advocates education of girls.

Shahanaz was resolute and relentless, however, and gradually her sincerity and earnestness began winning people over.

Her first success came, when she convinced the parents of a girl who had failed in the 9th standard to give her another chance to complete her studies and not to simply marry her off. That girl eventually went on to complete her degree and today, her parents are proud of her and thankful to Shahanaz.

This, of course, has had a ripple effect in the community but, while more girls now go to college than before, the attitude to child marriage is still mixed. Shahanaz continues to bear the torch and is confident that it is only a matter of time before no girl in her neighbourhood is married while a minor.

Meanwhile, she looks on with pride as her own children do well at school and wishes that they too one day will actively give back to the community and work for the larger common good.

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CHILDREN MUST GO TO SCHOOL, NOT TO WORK –

TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES ONE PARENT AT A TIME

Sabanna, Father of Meenakshi (Grade 10), Petty Shopkeeper As a child, Sabanna could not do the things that children do in their free time. Play with their friends, go for a movie, share sweets and snacks, or just simply sit and chat. The problem was that he had very little free time to speak of because from a very young age he had to go out to work and supplement the family income, even as he went to school. It may have been this additional strain, along with the family’s straitened circumstances, that prevented Sabanna from studying beyond pre-university. This deficit in his life is something that he regrets to this day and it strengthened his resolve never to let it happen to his children.

Today, Sabanna ekes out a living from his ‘chillare angadi’, a micro-store that sells essential household consumables. Both Sabanna’s children study at Christel House, which has removed three sources of anxiety: their nutrition, as they are well fed at school, funding their education, which is completely free, and their future, which he knows is secure thanks to Christel House’s policy of supporting students till they are gainfully employed. 67

FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE

Joining the Pieces Strives to be a beacon for child rights in his community.

He enrolls his children in Christel House. All families in Sabanna’s community send children to work.

Attends parent workshops, realises education’s full potential.

The most significant outcome that Sabanna is most thankful for? He doesn’t have to send his children to work. In that respect, however, he is in a minority in the slum community in which he resides. Most of the families there regard education as both undesirable and unaffordable, preferring instead to get their children employed as unskilled labour. In fact, they criticised Sabanna for choosing to send his children to school. They even told him that he could have led a much better life with the additional income the kids would have brought in had he got them employed.

More families now keen to educate their children. Visible change in his children becomes a positive influence.

Sabanna believes that he has a duty to spread the knowledge he has gained at Christel House and strives to be a beacon of child rights in the community. He says that there is a perceptible change in attitude among the parents, after seeing the sea change in the conduct and deportment of his children. He knows that there is a long way to go but is confident that the day will come when every child in the community goes to school and not to work.

Remaining unfazed, Sabanna

patiently countered them with the broader perspective that the special parent workshops at Christel House had opened his eyes to. He made it clear that his aim was

to enable his children to break into a totally new and better standard of living, competing for the best jobs on the same level with those from more privileged backgrounds. He did not want them to merely live a better life in their existing circumstances.

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HOPE REGAINED… FUTURE SECURED… A SINGLE FATHER DARES TO DREAM AGAIN! Albert A

Father of Kevin (Grade 4), Sump Cleaner

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Albert is a single father bringing up two children on a daily wager’s income. Like any fond father, he too dreamed of his giving his kids a good education and a secure future but entertained no real hope of turning dream into reality. The good schools were simply too far beyond his reach. Just when he had resigned himself to seeing his children follow him into manual labour, he came to know of Christel House. Admitting both his children in the school, Albert saw their lives undergoing a radical upward shift. Something he had never imagined as possible before.

For the first time, his children were eating regular nutritious meals every day, in fact food of the sort he could ill afford to provide them with his lean wages. He was no longer worried, if they fell sick. Christel House’s tie up with MS Ramaiah Hospital meant they got the finest treatment free of cost.

He began to notice a remarkable difference in his children’s behaviour and the way they conducted themselves, as well. They became altogether more disciplined, responsible and respectful. In a reversal of roles, they began guiding him in social etiquette, displaying maturity beyond their years.

Albert found himself changing too. Attending the parent workshops at the school gave him a clear and coherent understanding of his role and responsibilities as a father, more so as a single parent. It was an epiphany that would not have happened without Christel House, he says. Albert is a happy man now, his brow no longer creased by worry lines. He now dares to dream again and sees his children growing up to serve the community as successful doctors or lawyers. He knows that the journey has only begun but is both confident and hopeful that it will culminate in a better life for his children.

Joining the Pieces Deportment and conduct undergo a sea change.

Admits them in Christel House. Daily wager single father unable to educate his two children.

Daily nutrition and healthcare assured for the first time.

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Dreams once more with confidence and hope.

Parent workshops open his eyes to his parental role. 70

Christel House Pune Academic Staff

Christel House Atal Nagar Academic Staff Christel House Thane Academic Staff

O M CBengaluru L ASSROO M S T O Staff LIFE ChristelF RHouse Academic

Teaching at Christel House is unlike teaching anywhere else. Our educators step into classrooms that are shaped by complex realities with students navigating economic hardship, disrupted home environments and barriers that extend far beyond academics. They need to have abundant empathy, deep emotional resilience, rich reservoirs of patience and

an unwavering belief in every child’s potential. They need to be inventive, with the ability to reimagine and shape pedagogic methods to suit each individual learner. Often our teachers need to go even further as they help students turn obstacles into opportunities to create change that endures for a lifetime.

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The Art of Education -

DRIVING CHANGE CREATIVELY Dhanaraj Keezhara, Art Teacher, Christel House Bengaluru

“ACTION!” If this stentorian command rings through the air any time you visit Christel House Bengaluru, don’t worry. You haven’t mistakenly strayed into a film studio. It is just our students shooting a short film.

attitudes and behaviour begin to transcend mere survival and strive for meaningful self -expression. This, we regard as equally, if not more, important than academic success and this is why our students are encouraged to explore visual art, music, dance, creative writing and more, right from the Kindergarten. Our faculty understands that their role as art educators extends well beyond the syllabus and the classroom. The head of our art department, Dhanaraj, for example, spends time talking and listening to the children to gain their confidence and build mutual respect. This emotional reassurance opens the floodgates of their creativity which begins to flow without inhibition. Today, the entire Christel House campus is a canvas on which the students give expression to their artistry.

Likewise, when you wander through our corridors, the works of art that adorn them may give you the impression that you are at an art exhibition. And you are, in a sense, because all of them are the fruit of the imaginations of our students, over the last twenty five years, for which our walls form a gallery. At Christel House, the creative arts are an intrinsic and important part of our holistic educational model. For our children, who come from deprived backgrounds, art education is not merely about developing talent but about building emotional confidence and maturity. The school is where they can freely articulate their feelings. It is where they can give free rein to their imagination. It is where their social

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Art is also a means for our children to engage with the real world and think critically.

Over the years, while the role of art has stayed the same, its media have changed significantly. Digital art has become the primary driver of creativity and creative career paths, and our arts programme keeps pace. Our art teacher, Dhanaraj, is an officially certified Adobe Educator, who has visited the United States twice to attend Adobe Summits and has served as a jury member for the Adobe Youth Voices Awards.

What makes the Christel House model work is that arts education is strengthened by the presence of nutrition support, healthcare, counselling, socio-emotional care, character development, career guidance, scholarships, family outreach and long-term mentorship. This integrated approach creates an ecosystem in which creativity can genuinely flourish, because children are not only encouraged to express themselves, but are also made to feel safe, nourished, emotionally supported, valued and stable.

They are actively involved in external creative projects, facilitating art workshops and decorating public spaces. Often, donor organisations invite them to create artworks and murals in their offices. Artworks and greeting cards designed by Christel House students are much sought after as well.

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CULTIVATING READERS… HONING MINDS… BUILDING INFORMED CITIZENS! Saramma John, Librarian, Christel House Bengaluru It’s a typical school day morning in the Christel House library. The silence is broken only by the soft voice of the librarian reading from a book, enunciating each word clearly and slowly. Seated with her at the same table is a group of first graders, each of whom has a copy of the same book opened at the same page.

The children are engrossed in the book, tracking every word she voices with their index fingers, taking in the sound and accent of every syllable. The librarian stops at the end of the page and as if on cue, the children begin to read the page together from the first sentence, the librarian listening attentively, making sure every child is reading and pronouncing the words correctly.

the Christel House library has had to create its own practices to make books and reading a part of the children’s lives.

Another such initiative is “Tell your neighbour the story you read.” After reading a book the child tells their neighbour the story. This motivates them to read with better attention and helps them articulate their thoughts more clearly as well. Pair Reading is a similar exercise: two children read a book together and help each other. As their reading ability matures, children participate in Quiet Reading sessions in which they select a book they like from a prepared assortment and read it by themselves. The librarians are always at hand if they need help.

What has just been described is a ‘Reading Out and Choral Reading for Early Readers’ session, a method used at Christel House to sow and cultivate the reading habit in our children.

The Christel House library also goes beyond reading to be a place of active, purposeful learning.

When they join Christel House, our children have no conception of reading for entertainment or knowledge. Nobody in their home environment reads books, neither their parents, who for most part are poorly educated, nor their neighbours. This presents a unique challenge not faced by most other schools, and

For example, from Grade 5 onwards, students are introduced to research. Working in groups, they learn to how to efficiently source the information or data they need and prepare presentations in which the source books are cited. They thus learn analytical thinking, realise the value of academic rigour and hone their communication skills.

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Many of these initiatives are the brainchild of Saramma John, who has headed the Christel House library for more than twenty years and transformed it from a fledgling facility into a structured centre of focused learning, and the children’s favourite corner of the school.

children’s reading preferences and help them select the right books. They read aloud to children who are reluctant to read to get them interested in books. To encourage students to think critically about what they read and articulate their thoughts, they hold focused sessions for senior students where passages from books or articles in magazines are read and discussed together.

Saramma and her team run the library in a proactive and interactive manner. They make the effort to understand

Sometimes, the library doubles as a study hub for children who need extra support and Saramma’s team is there to assist. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

At Christel House, the library is an important part of the child’s educational and developmental process. It is where they broaden their horizons, sharpen their minds and enrich their communicative ability. And yes, along the way they also acquire the pleasure of reading! 76

not believe that education was useful and preferred to send their children to work instead. As a result, dropout rates were high and Beschi and his team had to work hard with the children and their parents to coax them back to school. This tough grassroots experience of those early years helped to shape Christel House’s admissions and community development policies and practices.

Today, Christel House has a rigorous admissions process that commences about nine months before the start of the new academic year. The only criterion for admission is evidence of poverty, not evidence of talent or academic ability.

“IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO RAISE A CHILD!” Beschi Amalarasu, Senior Manager - Admissions and Community Development (ACD), Christel House Bengaluru

There is an ancient proverb that says, “it takes a village to raise a child.” Christel House understands this

and Community Development department, is one of Christel House India’s earliest staff members.

Beschi Amalarasu, the head of the Admissions

Twenty five years back, when Beschi came on board, one of the biggest challenges was to gain the trust of the community and convince them of the genuineness of Christel House’s mission. People were suspicious and doubtful when they were told that everything was free. Many parents did

reality and our Admissions and Community Development department works closely with students’ parents and the communities they live in to bring about positive change in attitudes, beliefs and behaviour.

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The team closely assesses poverty levels through an evaluation of living conditions, including three surprise visits by our staff and corroboration by external volunteers. Profiles of shortlisted candidates are then reviewed by the school’s admission committee for final selection.

The ACD team also works closely with the children, their parents and the wider community to drive lasting change through workshops, seminars and community outreach programmes. For instance, they hold registration drives for the Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Scheme, help parents enroll in the Construction Workers' Welfare Board and assist them with accessing a range of government benefit schemes. Women and girls are provided vocational and skill development training to empower them to become selfreliant. The department also conducts sessions with the support of experts on parenting skills, adolescent development, reproductive health, family planning, prenatal and

postnatal care, human rights, legal rights and access to pro bono legal guidance. Eye and dental check-up camps are regularly conducted for parents and the wider community. The department, along with banking professionals, organises financial literacy workshops and assists students in opening bank accounts to encourage banking and savings habits. Community-based initiatives such as Homework Clubs provide additional academic support for children.

Child rights and safety is another key area that the ACD team works on. They engage with families and community elders closely to open their eyes to the evils of child labour and convince them of the long term benefits of education. Awareness programmes are conducted regularly on the prevention of sexual abuse, substance abuse and device addiction, as well as on mental health and emotional well-being, while helping parents recognise early signs of addiction and support their children effectively. The aim is to create a safe, supportive environment where children can thrive academically, socially and emotionally. Through this three-pronged approach, that touches the child, the family and the community, Beschi and his team contribute to Christel House India’s broader mission of breaking the cycle of poverty and setting students on the path to sustained long-term success that endures over generations. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

Christel House India’s partnership with the Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) represents a strategic Public–Private Partnership aligned with the State of Chhattisgarh’s vision of developing Atal Nagar as a modern administrative and knowledge hub. Under this collaboration, NRDA provided land and infrastructure support for the establishment of the Christel House school, integrating it within the broader urban development framework of the capital region. Within this PPP framework, the government’s role centres on capital investment and policy facilitation, while Christel House India assumes full academic and operational responsibility for the school. The campus currently serves around 915 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school caters to children from 26 severely impoverished rural villages in the Nava Raipur Atal Nagar area. At full capacity, including students supported through college, the school will serve up to 1,260 students.

Christel House India – Bengaluru Christel House India’s Bengaluru school was established in 2001 and began with 320 students. Today, it serves approximately 1025 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, drawing children from 28 urban slum and under-resourced communities across Bengaluru. At full capacity, including students supported through college, the Bengaluru campus will serve up to 1,890 students.

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ATAL NAGAR

BENGALURU

OUR SCHOOLS 79

Christel House India – Atal Nagar (Raipur), Chhattisgarh

Christel House India – Pune

Inspired by a shared commitment to equitable education, Christel House India has partnered with Thane Municipal Corporation to establish a Christel House school in Thane, marking its fourth campus in India. The school expands access to highquality, structured education for children from urban slums and under-resourced communities in Thane, particularly those facing economic hardship, disrupted schooling and limited academic support at home. Christel House Thane has 180 students across Kindergarten and Grade 2 and will add a new Kindergarten cohort each year as it progressively expands. Built and owned by the Thane Municipal Corporation, the two-acre, 60,500 sq. ft. CBSE-aligned campus will include well-appointed classrooms, four laboratories, a library and a full administrative block, providing international-standard infrastructure at no cost to students. At full capacity, including students supported through college, the school will serve up to 1,200 students.

Christel House India has partnered with Pune Zilla Parishad to operate the Jyoti Savitri Zilla Parishad School in Khanavdi, Purandar Taluka, Pune. This landmark public–private partnership draws inspiration from the legacy of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule, bringing together the vision and resources of the government, the private sector, local communities and Christel House to deliver transformational education and long-term opportunities to children from severely impoverished rural villages. Christel House Pune has 260 students from Kindergarten to Grade 2 and will add a new Kindergarten cohort each year as the school expands. Designed to serve approximately 1,840 students up to Grade 12—and up to 2,640 students including those supported through college—the campus features administrative offices, well-equipped classrooms, science and computer laboratories, activity spaces and modern sanitation facilities, establishing a strong foundation for sustained, long-term impact. 25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

THANE

PUNE

Christel House India – Thane

FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE

LOOKING AHEAD, WITH HOPE, DETERMINATION AND GRATITUDE… Christel House India’s transformative mission remains as relevant and imperative as it was when our founder Christel DeHaan established our first school in Bengaluru. The world has advanced and transformed in remarkable ways in these last twenty-five years. What remains unchanged, however, is the need to keep fighting the debilitating impact of poverty. This is where our work will continue, ceaselessly and untiringly, driving trans-generational transformation in families and communities that live at the margins of society. We are committed to carrying forward our founder’s mission and transforming the lives of more needy students by opening more schools in more regions in India. All of us at Christel House – the management, staff, our students and their families remain eternally grateful to our donors and supporters. It is your faith in our mission that enabled us to traverse these last twenty-five years and we continue to forge ahead inspired by your generous and unfailing support.

25 Y E A R S - 25 STO R I E S

FROM CL ASSROOMS TO LIFE