Sometimes our job titles can become simply that—just a title. But when Mr. Sathish Kumar tells you he is a principal of a primary government school in Doddahejjuru village in India, he embraces all that it is to be a principal. Out of everything that comes with his job, caring for his students is priority number one for him. Many of the students in his school come from families that don’t have much…they live in the Nagarahole forest area of India, and they face an interesting economic issue. There are many efforts in place to preserve the forest and wildlife within it, which is a good thing, but because of this preservation, there is little economic activity. Little economic activity leads to financial difficulties for communities and families, which is then felt among the children who aren’t able to get school supplies and a quality education, because their families simply don’t have the money.
Mr. Sathish Kumar sees the need his students have and wants to help because he longs for them to succeed, to achieve things they never thought possible. However, it seemed like not everyone longed for that same success for the students. Over time many people had visited the school and promised to help the children, but when they would leave, they never followed through on their word. This happened over and over until our partner, Sam, stepped in and followed through.
On June 5, 2023, Sam and his team followed through and distributed backpacks to 125 students at Mr. Sathish Kumar’s school! Getting to see the kids’ own excitement from this great gift, Mr. Sathish Kumar was overwhelmed and so, SO grateful. He had been waiting to see his students receive help for years, although he had no idea who would actually help them. The help was finally delivered in the form of backpacks!
Getting a backpack distribution to happen is no small task. Our partners loaded all the backpacks and supplies into a van and drove six hours one way to the village to distribute them to these kids! It’s encouraging to us, to know that our partners are full of integrity and grit, and are being the hands and feet of Jesus to the local people. They know the needs of these communities, they see it, and they want to do something to help—so they do.
There was incredible excitement buzzing among the kids, which also excited Mr. Sathish Kumar. He wanted to remember this incredible moment for his students, for himself. He asked our partners to plant a tree sapling on the school grounds to help remember the moment! It’s a sweet symbol…the tree will grow bigger and stronger with time, producing fruit, just like these kids will grow in their education since they can attend with all the supplies they need in these backpacks.
