Respected Sir/Madam,

Greetings to you from the Global Vision Trust International, may I get your permission to introduce myself, I am Sr. Thankamma Varkey-President of Global Vision Trust International(Registered as a Trust with Government of Karnataka)Global Vision Trust International is a voluntary organization committed to the education and empowerment of women and children from socially and economically disadvantaged communities including construction workers, slum and pavement dwellers, maid servants, auto driven and the like.

About the founder/President of the Trust.

Born in Kanjirapally, Kerala in the year 1942, Sr. Thankamma Varkey was the eldest child of a large family where she grew up with deep family ties and all the endearments of a loving home. This brought out in her a great love for people and deep care for those who are in need of help.

Very early in life, she dedicated herself to Church work. She received her training from Madras, India and Bachelor of Divinity (B.D) (Marthoma Seminary, Kottayam later pursued her Master’s in Theology from Pennsylvania in the United States of America. She presented herself for a life of sisterhood with the Church of South India (CSI) and was later ordained as a Presbyter of the Church. The saga of service and Christian ministry spans 35 years during which she served and  rendered her service Diocese of Madhya Kerala for 29 years, Member, Forum for Women rights (CCI), Member, Voice for Social Justice (CSI), Member, AICC women wing, General Secretary for the least coin project for several years, General Secretary of the CSI Women’s Fellowship (22 Dioceses and four region) for five years and also as the Secretary of the Order of Sisters.

In 1998, Rev. Sister Thankamma Varkey, during her tenure spearheading the Women’s Fellowship of the Church of South India  as General Secretary became deeply concerned with various issues, which gave new dimensions to the CSI Women’s Ministry. The ground realities helped her find her true vocation in life to serve and free the downtrodden children from hunger, pain and suffering. In appreciation of her work among the slum-dwellers, she was presented with a meritorious award by the Governor of Karnataka on the occasion of the celebration of the Republic Day in the year 2002.  

Upon completion of her term of office from the CSI Women’s Fellowship and in continuation of her ministry among the poor, Krupalaya was launched from her residence in Munnekolalu, Marathahalli in Bangalore. This was in continuation of her calling and commitment to welfare ministries with a view to improve the quality of life of the less fortunate. She is joyfully living for the glory of God and in service to Christ’s Church and the surrounding human community as a whole. In the eyes of the people who have interacted with her, she is a simple and truly humane person.  She is serving a rural CSI Malayalam Congregation near Marthahally

The activities of the Global Vision Trust International are:-

Education-We have classes from Nursery to standard 8^th.Altogether 86 students are enrolled. The students are provided free education, school uniforms, books stationeries and all their needs. We provide milk and biscuits and a balanced diet lunch from 12:30 to 1:00pm.No education fee or any other amount is charged for the children. All expenses on teachers, books, food, remunerations etc ... are met by the Trust through donation of kind hearted souls.

Activities:

Medical camp: Once in three months we have medical camp for our children and mothers. Once a month we have mothers meeting to empower them in their lives.

Tailoring Classes: We have a tailoring center to give training to children’s mothers so that they can raise some money for their family by utilizing their free time with sewing dresses or can be employed in garment factories.

Present Needs of GVTI: Expense for 86 students who are studying in Global Vision Trust International and other expenses for student’s education, food and treatment, estimated budget for one child for one year is Rs.30000.

As the school is running for the last 10 years. The functioning of the school for such a long period is not less than any miracle. So many kind hearted people have been the pillar of strength and have supported the school.

When the school was started, the price for rice, daal, oil etc was lot more cheaper. Along with the time the price has increased and the school is finding very difficult to go along with the price hike. The recession has affected those kind hearted people also. People have discontinued their support and donation due to the recession. Some people have even said, “Now even our children have reached the college level and it’s been difficult to manage the financial part in our family so we are very sorry to say that we will not be able to support you anymore”.

Thus the price of the things is increasing and the supports from the people are decreasing and the little children of the St. Mary’s School are affected negatively.  We request you to kindly expedite the process of your support towards Global Vision Trust International

The story of St. Mary’s Primary School

How it all began

Ten years ago Rev. Sr. Thankamma Varkey who had a deep concern for the women and children in the slums of Bangalore set up a base in Marathahalli- at the time a remote village but now a built-up suburb of Bangalore.

Day one of the development of St. Mary’s School

One day while working she noticed two small children playing in an open sewer. They each had two sticks and were hitting them against each other – but each time they did so, the filthy water splashed into their faces. She asked a nearby woman why nobody was caring for the children and received the answer that the children were orphans who begged on the street for food and then slept wherever they could. She brought the children to her house and gave them bread. Thus began a ten years crusade to provide education, food and stability to local children.

The next stage – St. Mary’s Primary School becomes a reality

Rev. Sr. Thankamma soon realized that there were many more children in similarly dire situations. She began a daycare centre in her home for these children, to clothe and feed them, as well as keep them safe while their parents worked, often as laborers on construction sites or maids in nearby houses. Within a year the daycare centre had 40 children. At this point she divided the children into different classes depending on their age and renamed the daycare centre “St. Mary’s Primary School”. All of this work was undertaken based on generous donations from friends and private funds.

Ten years of growth to 2013

Since then, again with the help of generous donations, St. Mary’s Primary School has evolved from the small residence that was originally Rev. Sr. Thankamma Varkey’s home to a building that now educates and feeds 86 children.

Rev. Sr. Thankamma Varkey has founded the Global Vision Trust International to oversee the school and administer funds.  A board of Trustees is in place to provide governance. The Trust is a registered charity. The school has government of India recognition to deliver the curriculum and now has attained government registration to accept sponsorship and funds from overseas interests.

The students 10 years on

The school currently has 86 children, 32 of whom are in kindergarten. From humble beginnings the school now has a full complement of students from kindergarten to 5^th standard at St. Mary Primary School. 13 students have moved to a higher secondary school and their expenditure is supported by the trust. The movement of children through the school over ten years period has now resulted in 13 children moving on to high school, with the number set to increase year on year. These children are fully sponsored by St. Mary’s Primary School as their parents cannot afford to contribute to their education.

Impact of St. Mary’s Primary School on the children and the community

The education that they receive in St. Mary’s Primary School is of vital importance to the children who would otherwise end up on the street/in child labour with no hope of progress to a better life.

The presence of this school in the lives of the children has also impacted the community at large and the families of each individual child. It provides a stable environment for the children and their parents, daily food, medical check-ups, mother’s meetings and the social development of the entire family.

The school also empowers women by instilling in them an understanding of the nutritional value in different foods, as well as helping them to work by providing daytime care for their children. The school especially encourages girl children from the poorest section of society, who are most neglected and often denied even elementary education, to join the school. The many initiatives undertaken by the school have resulted in improved hygiene standards for the children and their parents, pride in oneself, responsibility, routines for the family, provision of training for mothers including stitching, purchase of cows for the community, provision of carts for vendors.

The ability of the children to converse fluently in English has enabled the community to interact at a level hitherto unattainable, thereby enhancing opportunities for work and raised living standards.

Issued arising at St. Mary’s—development vs costs

The development of St. Mary’s Primary School over a ten years period has been significant and it is now solely responsible for funding the education of 72 students, maintain the building which houses St. Mary’s Primary School, payment and management of 15 staff, provision of food to 72 pupils 5 days per week and ongoing fees and charges associated with operation of the school.

During the 10 years of growth the school has developed based on generous donations from friends and families. The growth in numbers of students attending and recent addition of the 14 high students has placed a strain on finances at St. Mary’s Primary School and the school needs to obtain support from other sources to maintain its commitments into the future. The number of students at high school will increase year on year, placing additional financial pressure on the school.

The school needs both financial and voluntary inputs:

You can help by contributing to the following:

·        Student sponsorship -  30,000 P.A per student

·        School supplies- books, notebooks, pen, pencils etc.

·        Building’s infrastructures –

·        Food supplies- Midday meal—rice 100 kgs per month, dal 8 kgs per month

·        Administrative costs

·        Staff salary’s maintenance

·        Cleaning materials supplies

We look forward for your generous help and support.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.... Amen.

Galatians: 6:9 [NLT]

On behalf of the children of St. Mary’s School.

Rev.Sr. Thankamma Varkey.

Founder / President । Global Vision Trust International