User:RamanasGarden/Sandbox

Ramana’s Garden India was founded by a dedicated and forceful American woman, Prabhavati Dwabha, 18 years ago as a result of her spiritual practice on the banks of the River Ganga. Prabhavati’s heart overflowed with compassion for the numerous homeless, destitute, and abused children she met there, and she decided to make those children her life’s work. On a shoestring budget, she has for years provided a growing number of children with education, nourishment, and a future where they had little or no hope. Through her guidance and perseverance, Ramana’s Garden India has also instituted programs to educate local villages in practices of proper sanitation, safe drinking water, general health care, as well as support for the advancement of Indian women through vocational skills like Angora Rabbit Wool Weavings and establishment of Women’s Self Help Groups.

Today, a dozen years after opening its doors, Ramana’s Garden India is home to more than 60 resident children, many of whom have lost both parents. There are an additional 165 children from nearby impoverished families, many with a single parent, who come into school each day. Twelve paid professional teachers lead a solid curriculum of core classes, including Math, Science, English, Hindi, and the arts. The education provided is on a par with the best primary schools in India, and thus will serve to provide the kids with opportunities for adult careers that otherwise would be unimaginable. Ramana’s Garden India places a strong emphasis on environmental protection and creative expression such as painting, music, and dance. All children have the opportunity to study Classical Indian Dance. In Summer 2008, the Ramana’s Garden Dance Troupe traveled internationally, offering their message of love and oneness to hundreds of children and adults in hospitals, nursing homes, and some of London’s worst slums.