At the sound of the final school bell, most children begin thinking about going home.
Twelve-year-old Jayasree grabs her notebook and heads toward another classroom.
She is a seventh-grade student who attends Embrace a Village’s After-School Center in Tamil Nadu.
Nevertheless, even after her regular school day ends, some of the most important hours of her day are just beginning.
This education for children affected by leprosy supports her learning beyond the classroom.
A Future Beyond the Circumstances She Inherited
Jayasree comes from a family touched by leprosy.
For generations of families affected by the disease, the challenges have extended far beyond its physical effects. Poverty and stigma can create barriers that follow children and grandchildren long after the disease itself.
For families struggling to meet basic needs, additional educational support may simply be unaffordable. Even a nutritious daily meal isn’t something every child can depend upon.
Embrace a Village wants the next generation to have another story.
A Place to Learn—and Believe
Each evening at EAV’s After-School Center, Jayasree receives free tutoring from teachers who patiently help her work through difficult lessons and complete her homework.
But something else happens there, too.
She is encouraged.
As each lesson is understood, confidence replaces uncertainty.
Additionally, education for children affected by leprosy strengthens self-belief and progress.
Jayasree is learning that the hardships her family has experienced don’t have to determine what her own future will become.
Before going home, she also receives a healthy meal.
It may seem like a simple thing, but good nutrition gives a growing child the energy needed to concentrate, learn, and face another day.
Changing a Family’s Story Through a Child
Across the leprosy colonies and villages of Tamil Nadu, EAV is investing in children just like Jayasree.
Free tutoring.
Nutritious meals.
Caring mentors.
A safe place to learn.
And perhaps most importantly, people who believe in them.
These children are discovering that the circumstances into which they were born do not have to define the lives they build.
Moreover, education for children affected by leprosy goes beyond simply aiming to improve a report card.
We are nurturing confidence.
We are protecting dignity.
We are opening doors.
And we are investing in a generation with the potential to move beyond the poverty and stigma that have affected their families for years.
Jayasree is only 12.
We don’t yet know where her dreams will take her.
But every afternoon, notebook in hand, she is taking another step toward discovering what her future might hold.
And because of the prayers and generosity of Embrace a Village supporters, she doesn’t have to take those steps alone.
Help us continue opening doors of opportunity for children like Jayasree.