An oasis of peace and serenity in this noisy, sprawling metropolis of over eight million in southern India, Ashirvad (meaning blessing in the local language) is a Jesuit centre where Fr. Arun Luis and his brother Jesuits work, pray and live together, dedicated to serving the marginalized in the city where immense wealth, crushing poverty and a growing professional middle class exist as “three solitudes.”

From this centre, true to the Jesuit mission of bringing social justice to the marginalized, Luis directs a program of education for the children of slum dwellers, some of whom are forced to scavenge through garbage heaps for a subsistence living.

“During the Covid years we conducted medical camps in the slums,” explains Luis, his face and soft-spoken manner exuding Christian love and compassion, and a genuine desire to serve those who are ignored by the rest of society. “Middle-class children had access to an online education at the time, but these slum-dwelling children had none. They were often placed in Grade 3 (according to a government regulation of the time) with no foundation, no motivation and no interest in education.”

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Some slum parents appealed to him and his colleagues to do something about this. So he started the first of 18 study centres, providing free evening classes where children are tutored and mentored by teachers assisted by volunteers. These adults help with homework, explaining poorly understood lessons of the day and bringing joy and fun into the children’s lives by leading activities such as dancing, singing and indoor games.

“Now 623 kids attend these sessions at 18 centres scattered throughout the city,” Luis said. “They are tutored in English, math and science and supported up to a Grade 10 level.”

The program serves some of the poorest in the city, including children of illiterate construction workers, lower-level municipal employees, impoverished migrants from other regions of India who came to Bengaluru seeking employment and children from families that do manual scavenging work in the city. Living in crowded, unsanitary conditions and often in unstable family settings, they lack the most basic resources including little or no access to health care and education.

Ammu Julie is one of the success stories of Jesuit education. Now 28 years old, she graduated from St. Joseph’s College, a Jesuit-run university in Bengaluru. Inspired by her experience there, she now works as a (paid) teacher at one of these centres.

 “I have studied at Jesuit institutions (school and college) since I was a child, and now I teach a group of 15 kids from Grade 1 to 4 at this study centre,” she said, her face glowing with pride. 

Growing up in a slum, she was brought up by her mother after her father died. Her mother has heart issues, so the salary Julie brings home from her teaching job helps pay health-care costs in a country where government health benefits are often inadequate. It also helps her to provide for herself and her 14-year-old son, Preetam Kumar.

Every evening, after class, she walks the children to their homes in their slum neighbourhood to ensure their safety.

Jennifer Abraham and Valsam Kurien are volunteers who donate their time and skills to the centre at St. Joseph’s University, a Jesuit-run post-secondary institution. Both highly educated professional women with university degrees who live comfortable middle-class lives, they felt the need to contribute to the betterment of the less fortunate in their city.

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“I was working with aeronautical engineers during my career,” said Kurien, who retired from an aircraft manufacturing company in Bengaluru. “But since then, I felt the need to do something for people at the grassroots level.” 

Abraham, a travel agent with a hectic schedule throughout the week, makes time every Saturday to volunteer at the same centre. 

“The children come from all sorts of religious and linguistic backgrounds,” she said, pointing out that India is a land of many religions and languages, with English being used as the major language of communication at the study centres.

Luis said the study centre program has a strong connection to Canadian Jesuits International (CJI). One of its major donors is a Canadian from Montreal who sends generous donations through CJI which pays for the evening study centres and for special treats for the children to celebrate religious festivals such as Christmas and Diwali (a Hindu festival) and secular holidays such as India’s Republic Day. 

A parishioner of St. Peter’s Church in Montreal, the 96-year-old donor wishes to remain anonymous. Originally from Mangalore, a port city 350 kms to the west of Bengaluru — with a relatively large Catholic population of 360,000, according to diocesan statistics — the Montreal businessman emigrated to Canada 60 years ago. 

“I met Fr. Arun on a visit to India several years ago,” he told The Catholic Register. “Education is very important in India, especially for slum kids. And when you give money to Jesuits, you can be 100-per-cent sure the money goes to the program it’s intended for.”

He added that he figures out what he can afford to give and sends the money through Canadian Jesuits International where Jenny Cafiso is the executive director.

“At Canadian Jesuits International we are proud to support the work of the study centres in the slums of Bengaluru in India,” said Cafiso. “We are able to do this thanks to the generous support of Canadian donors who have been deeply moved by the plight of marginalized children and understand the importance of supporting education to give the children a better future.” 

She explained that CJI reviews all project proposals and selects those that demonstrate a commitment to serving the most marginalized sectors of society. 

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“This initiative continues to have a positive impact on the lives of children by offering them hope for a better future,” she said. 

“It lights the path to a better tomorrow and nurtures the whole child,” said Luis.