Seniors adopt Indian orphanage

Northside Neighbor, October 5, 2005

by Jessica Thomas, Neighbor Newspapers Staff Writer

Through the effort of Atlanta International School teacher Shanta Kalyanasundaram, a group of students at AIS are able to help the 29 children who live in the Bethania Orphanage in Tamil Nadu, India.

Ms. Kalyanasundaram, a native of India, visited the country this past summer after being away for 14 years, through a Travel Study and Research Grant from AIS. The grant supports the professional development of teachers at the school.

After her return to the United States in the fall, Ms. Kalyanasundaram told her 12th grade advisory students about her experiences abroad and visiting the orphanage in Tamil Nadu which she had learned about through AIS's fund-raising efforts for the tsunami victims in Vellakanni, India, this past January.

AIS partnered with Kodaikanal International School, KIS, in Vellakanni to support the tsunami victims. Students at KIS had volunteered at the orphanage and done fundraising work there.

After Ms. Kalyanasundaram returned from India and talked about her experience in India at Bethania, the students indicated that they wanted to help raise money for the orphanage.

One of Ms. Kalyanasundaram's students, Zoe Meroney, is acting as the spokesman for the orphanage to the students at AIS.

"I will communicate with the heads of the orphanage and assist Ms. Kalyanasundaram in presenting our project to various community groups to raise money," said Zoe.

Zoe is even individually raising money for the orphanage by having a photography show.

The orphanage needs a large amount of support from AIS, said Ms. Kalyanasundaram.

Some of the main things it needs are a new van, a new dormitory, a clean water supply and school supplies, she said. AIS hopes to also send student volunteers to work and teach at the orphanage and to sponsor the children at the orphanage so they can go to college.

Ms. Kalyanasundaram and her studens have raised money and awareness for Bethania in many ways so far.

Ms. Kalyanasundaram and her daugher, Urmilla Sethuraman, also a teacher at AIS, conducted Indian cooking classes and raised $1,000, the German Department at AIS had a bake sale and raised $900 and a coin collection juar has been placed in the cafeteria at AIS.

Also the cafeteria at AIS had an Indian lunch day and raised $600 of which $300 will be donated to the orphanage, said Ms. Kalyanasundaram.

The school plans to collect books for the children at Bethania and lower and middle school students at AIS have regularly been writing to the children at Bethania as well.

When AIS has its fall festival Worldfest on Sunday, Oct. 30, guests at the event can take part in games which will raise money for the orphanages, as well as see photos of the children who live there currently.

James Brindley, a 2005 graduate of AIS, serves as the school's first ambassador to the orphanage and went to India on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

He will not only work in the orphanage but also work in the local village school.

He brought books to donate to both the school and the orphanage, Ms. Kalyanasundaram said.

The AIS Habitat for Humanity also hopes to send a group over to Bethania to aid in the building projects in and around the orphanage, said Ms. Kalyanasundaram.

To help AIS's efforts to fund-raise and support Bethania Orphanage, contact Shanta Kalyanasundaram at gikka66@hotmail.com.