About to St Mary’s & Christopher’s School(SMC)

St Mary’s & Christopher’s School(SMC) works in partnership with the Don Bosco boarding home to offer high-quality subsidised education, to children in the boarding home and from the surrounding villages. It stands apart from Government run institutions, as it offers all lessons in English (as well as Telugu) and is run by professionals who believe in the intelligence and worth of the children they teach.

The school opened in 2007 and now teaches 1080 pupils at both primary and secondary level.

• Increase the level of subsidy and number of free places at the school.

• Provision of new information technology-orientated classes and computer-lab facilities.

• A new building to house the kindergarten classes with better facilities for young children.

• Numerous overdue quality-of-life improvements to the school campus, such as paving between all the buildings and staff rest and toilet facilities.

Our Mission

• MEDICAL FACILITIES

With support from local doctors, the school runs medical camps every 2–3 months, not only for children who attend the school but also for all those living in the surrounding villages. All are given free consultations and treatment by local medical professionals, with efforts made to improve awareness of broader health issues. This is vital, as there is a lack of adequate and affordable health care in the Pedavegi mandal, where potentially fatal snake bites and other medical emergencies are a routine occurrence.

The Trust’s ability to offer access to medical services through these camps makes a significant impact on the quality of life of in the area. The school and Trust are in the early stages of constructing a new medical clinic, located beside the school, that will transform healthcare for the local people. New sponsorship and donations are necessary to ensure this facility is able to meet the demands of the local community and make healthcare accessible for all.

* Community Awareness and Education Schemes

The Trust believes that involving the wider community in education is crucial to ensuring real change. Awareness programmes are regularly conducted in those villages with the highest number of child labourers, to teach parents of the value of a good education for their children. Village elders are also approached to help identify those children who are trapped in bonded labour and families that desperately need support.

As part of its commitment to education the wider community, the Trust runs regular programmes to give adults the opportunity to learn how to read, write and improve basic skills. Several income generating schemes are also being supported, which give women help in setting up small business ventures. For example, the Trust recently supported the training and donation of 10 sewing machines to local women.