In 2013, Leena was visiting someone at the hospital in Markapur, three hours away from Narasaraopet. She saw a group of people, mostly children, picking through piles of debris looking for items that could be salvaged and sold. Noticing their malnourishment, she decided to visit their village on the outskirts of Markapur to provide them food. There she discovered a small, barren community of about 25 families living in one room cinder block houses. She came to discover that these families made their living by salvaging through garbage for paper, cardboard and other scrap items that they could sell - $1 per bundle. Their story was all too common - the children were unable to attend school because their families relied on their income from “scrap-picking.” Leena befriended the community, visiting regularly, and slowly gained the confidence of the leaders. They allowed ServeTrust to begin a school in this village for these children.
Today, about 23 children receive a basic education in an open-air, cinder-block building, providing some shelter from sun and rain. As with the other schools, this school provides children who have few choices in life with an opportunity for education and improvement in their standard of living.
Financial support is needed to cover the costs of running the school:
- Paying the salaries of 1 full-time teacher and 1 part-time teacher
- Providing basic necessities and school supplies
