Students gather outside Kamal School in May 2024.
The Co-Founders of Kamal School talk to BE Change about their school
We founded our organization, Seva Welfare Trust, in 2004. We provide services mainly in Jaitya Village and other rural, poor, under-served areas with Dalit communities outside Bodhgaya. Dalits are regarded as the lowest caste in India and are even called “untouchables. The majority live in mud and straw huts, with no running water or sanitation.
Our objective is to train and educate children, women and elders, mainly in the Dalit community, so that they can break the cycle of poverty. We consider this the best way for them to reach a minimum, lasting standard of living.
Kamal School’s Co-founders at the school in May 2024 (from left): Jackie Vishawakarma, Vishwanath Roy and Kamlesh Prasad Singh
“We are not here just to give—we are here to participate in the community.”
“SEVA” is the Hindi word for 'service without expectation'. Seva Welfare Trust has worked because we are a group of local professionals in Bodhgaya who each bring unique strengths to the table. Vishwanath, a lawyer, handles our organization’s legal needs. Jackie is primarily responsible for fundraising and Kamlesh handles our finances. Through our advisory committee, we are supported by professionals with years of experience working with the underserved in and around Bodhgaya. We work together to create positive change where we can.
When we first visited Jaitiya Village, we found neither schools nor NGOs supporting a community in need. After discussing with members of the community, we formulated a plan for a school that would be more than a place to teach children. We are not here just to give—we are here to participate in the community. This is why our support goes beyond the school’s four walls, with programs that help parents and seniors in Jaitiya Village, as well.
The school building was completed with local, natural materials, using as little concrete as possible.
We were able to start classes outside and in rented spaces at first. Thanks to two main sponsors, construction of the Kamal School building began in May 2019. With their help, we built the most important parts, and completed the school with other donations two months later.
The school is constructed with local, natural materials, using as little concrete as possible. The students’ parents were a volunteer labour force. The school is now located in an open area, cooled by the shade of an enormous mango tree and a bamboo plant. It is fully floored to avoid mud and water during the monsoons, and garden spaces have been left so the children can learn to take care of plants. It has the only toilet in the village.
We currently need funding to ensure that we can pay teachers, so that Kamal School can continue to fulfil its promise to the residents of Jaitiya Village.
Fast Facts
Kamal School was founded in 2013. It’s located in Jaitiya Village, approximately 16 kilometers from Bodhgaya.
The school consists of a one-room school building. The school had a second building that has fallen into disrepair and is currently unusable.
The school currently has over 80 students, three teachers and one non-teaching staff member.
Students learn English, General Knowledge, Hindi, Math, Science, Social Studies, Sanskrit and Computers. Students attend from the nursery to fifth-grade levels.
On Saturdays, students attend school “bagless” and participate in creative activities and athletics, helping to build a sense of community.
Kamal School needs funding to pay teacher salaries and purchase new materials for the students.
