From Maurine and Scot Proctor: In 2019, Meridian Magazine readers came together to help the Rising Star Foundation build a large, modern school in Bihar, India to bless the children of the leprosy-affected in one of the poorest states of India. It is truly a school for “the least of these” who have so little in life. Together your generous donations came to more than $215,000, and with a matching donor, that total amount was more than $430,000. Thank you, remarkable readers for your big hearts.

Now we get the chance to help to sponsor the way for many students to attend this school. For only $30 monthly, you can change the life of a child and assure that they can be educated and escape the grueling life of poverty that would be their lot. You, who have read Becky Douglas’s monthly articles for so many years, have a glimpse of the unparalleled work that Rising Star Foundation is doing.

So, as editors or publishers of Meridian Magazine, we are offering readers the opportunity to continue the good work we started years ago. Each of us can sponsor a child to fill the school that we have built together. We know that Meridian readers will be up for this challenge. Do you think together we can have a goal of sponsoring 300 children?

Yes! We can do it. To start the ball rolling, we will pledge to support five children a month.

You can join us by sponsoring a child for $30 per month. Click here to make your donation. It is magnificent to see what can come when we all work together.

Not many people realize that at Rising Star Outreach we have a darling pre-school in Pune, India.  We started it with 25 little preschoolers right before Covid hit.  Even though it was a pre-school, the children ranged in age up to age nine, because none of the children from leprosy-affected families in this area had ever been to school before.  So, it was a preschool of ages 3-9!

The school is situated in the Kondhawa  leprosy colony.  The school limped its way through Covid and now is flourishing with an astonishing 130 students. And I must say, they are adorable!  We have also added a tutoring program.  As the students have graduated from preschool, we have encouraged their families to put them into the public school.  So, the older children come every afternoon after school to get tutoring.

It’s clear that each child has carefully had his/her talents nurtured.

To nurture one of these children’s talents, CLICK HERE. 

One of these children, whom I’ll call Kumar, has an interesting story.  He didn’t enroll in our preschool because he was too old.  His parents sent him to the public school, but he was completely lost because he was so many years behind.  He said he couldn’t understand anything that was being taught.  The other children teased him mercilessly and his teacher was impatient and dismissive of him.  She missed no opportunity to humiliate him in front of the other students.

He soon had no interest in the school.  Instead of attending, he started hanging out with the older boys in the colony.  This really distressed his parents because they didn’t want him to end up with a life of poverty like they had experienced.

In desperation, they contacted the Rising Star preschool.  Our teachers did a complete assessment of Kumar.  They detailed his strengths and weaknesses, and then planned some tutoring classes for him.  They assured him that if he studied regularly and diligently, he could understand the lessons.

These caring teachers counseled with him one on one and encouraged him when he struggled, to try to build up his confidence. Then the Pandemic hit.  His family did not own a phone.  Again, these amazing teachers stepped in and somehow scrounged up enough money to buy him a phone, so he could keep up his studies remotely.

At the end of the Pandemic our little preschool was abuzz with excitement.  We had announced a science and art exhibition for the school.  All the students began working to create a project.

Kumar suddenly came to life!  He knew exactly what he wanted to do.  He had no means to purchase any materials for his project, so he went to the garbage dump.  There he found some cardboard, loose wires, a discarded, squashed roll of yellow tape, and some old batteries that had a little bit of life left in them.

He went right to work and produced a backhoe and a steam shovel.  They were truly marvels!  When we attended the science fair, he proudly showed us his models.  They were amazing!  They lit up and made sounds.  They rolled back and forth.  The steam shovel went up and down, as he enthusiastically explained to us about hydraulics, force, and pressure.  He was in his element!  These were all things he had tinkered around with.

He was overjoyed as his project quickly became the star of the show.  This caused a true turnaround!

Today Kumar is the top student in the school!  Instead of moody and brooding,  he is enthusiastic and excited about learning.  He’s become an example to the younger children, and they all adore him.  Now HE is the one who encourages the others!  All this, because two caring teachers took an interest in him and refused to give up.

Science is clearly his favorite subject.  He aspires to become a successful engineer.  I have no doubt he will reach his goal!

You can help other enthusiastic children reach their goals by CLICKING HERE.

In addition to the fair, the children had also prepared a program for us.   We stood at the back of the room while they performed adorable songs and dances.

One little angel all dressed up for the program!

I had to smile when one of the little boys turned around during the program and impishly flashed us the “I love you” sign in sign language.

That day as we left, one little girl ran up to Prakash and handed him a card she had made for  him.  Prakash is our CEO in India.  This little girl had decorated her card lavishly with sequins and rhinestones.  She had written her heartfelt note in English—pretty impressive!

It turned out that all the children had made cards.  They could hardly wait to give them to us.  The cards were remarkably artistic, as Daniel quickly noticed.

When we visited the school during the science and art fair, Prakash noticed a little boy about eight years old. He stood apart from everyone else, with shoulders slumped and downcast eyes.  Prakash tried to engage him in conversation but got absolutely no response.

To join Meridian in sponsoring a child, CLICK HERE. 

Later, in talking with the teachers they confided that they also were concerned about him.  He is autistic.  He never smiled or interacted with either the teachers or the other children.  His teachers told me that at first, they thought he was deaf and also unable to speak.  But more disturbingly, he never looked at anyone or responded to anyone.  He seemed overwhelmed with sadness and anxiety.

These same amazing teachers decided to focus on him.  Progress was agonizingly slow at first, but he now comes up and sits with the other children, instead of sitting slumped over in the corner.  He smiles and is learning.  He’s even started to interact a little bit with the other kids.  When I got this report from the teachers, I could have hugged them both!

Altogether we are providing education for more than 1,100 students at our campus in Tamilnadu, our campus in Bihar, our preschool in Pune, our graduates in college,  and our Perpetual Education grants.

I hope that some of you can help us bring in more needy children by sponsoring a child.  Sponsorship is $30/month and includes school, teachers, housemothers, food and board for the children living on one of our campuses.  Attending one of our schools provides  children with an opportunity that would be completely out of their reach otherwise.  As the little girl noted on her card.  They are taught to dream and then they are given the skills to achieve their dreams.  They don’t have to beg on the streets!

I can’t help but believe that all this makes their Heavenly Father smile!

You can sponsor a child by CLICKING HERE.