Project Education India
Project Education India (student sponsorship program) was created in 1996 by a leap of faith. Without any sponsors, LPGM promised to provide financial support in the first year for 217 students at three boarding homes of the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC) in Tamil Nadu, India.
That leap of faith paid off, and the program has grown significantly over the past three decades. Today, LPGM supports approximately 1,200 students annually across four ALC boarding homes.
Through housing, food, healthcare, spiritual guidance, and emotional support, LPGM allows students at the margins - especially girls - to thrive as they go to school, participate in extracurricular acitivities, build relationships with fellow students and teachers, and dream about bright futures. Their parents often work as day laborers in far-away cities, and it is a great relief for them to know that their children are receiving excellent care, supervision, and education at the boarding homes.
Your life-changing support helps students stay in school longer and lowers instances of early marriage, gender-based violence, and unmet material needs.
Sponsor a Student
$40 a month provides funds for shelter, food, clothing, medical care and school supplies. Children come from families in India who value education but cannot provide the kind of opportunities they would like for their children.
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in need of sponsors Support Project Education India
without sponsoring a specific student
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I sponsor a student through Project Education India?
LPGM offers a unique opportunity to connect directly with the student you sponsor.
We are a small, nimble organization that is constantly communicating with those who manage the boarding homes and therefore the lives of the students. We host a group trip once or twice a year and if you join us, you will meet the student you support and possibly even his or her family.
Do I need to support a single student, or can I simply support the program?
You don't need to be connected to a particular sponsored student to make a difference!
Any support of Project Education India helps to provide access to a quality education for students at the margins. You can make a one-time gift, or monthly gifts that make your donation go further.
How can such little money do so much?
It’s fortunate that a few dollars go a long way. The boarding homes are a ministry of the Arcot Lutheran Church. In addition to support through LPGM, the educational program receives assistance from the Indian government for teachers’ salaries. In addition, there are local contributions from various sources and parents/families contribute as they are able. It is a truly collaborative partnership.
How old are the students?
Children begin school at age 5 or 6 in the first standard (like U.S. first grade). Children study through the 12th standard, usually age 17 or 18.
How long am I committed as a sponsor?
We ask that you commit to at least one year.
It’s our hope that you will want to support the student for many years. Nearly 400 supporters have been loyal sponsors for more than ten years.
Can I communicate with my student?
Yes! While there’s no requirement to write, all sponsors are encouraged to build a relationship with their sponsored student. Writing an occasional letter and praying for the student connects you with the student and gives him/her the knowledge that someone really cares.
Your letter will be translated in India. The students are required to respond to each letter that they receive. The young children will draw you a picture and the older students will write a response in Tamil which will be translated to English for you. They are taught to pray daily for their sponsors.
Can I send a gift to my student?
Gifts to the students are not encouraged.
A greeting card or short letter with a picture of your family is a prized possession among students. They can easily carry it with them to share with family and friends. Communicate with your student here.
If you want to send something else be sure that it is small and flat and will fit in a letter or card envelope like stickers, hair ribbons, bookmarks, and postcards.
Large gifts that are bulky and/or expensive to mail are inappropriate. A student that receives a lavish gift can be excluded by other students. A large package may not even make it to the LPGM India Office and therefore will not be delivered to your sponsored student.
Please, never send cash to your sponsored student.
An extra amount (above the sponsorship rate) contributed to Project Education India will be added with other extra sponsor contributions to provide a small gift for all of the LPGM sponsored students. We provide one or two such gifts each year.
What happens when students graduate?
Many students return to their villages where they will serve as community and church leaders who will influence higher standards for education, health and productivity.
More and more students are continuing on to extended studies in a variety of disciplines at institutions of higher learning. Some go on to vocational or technical training. Increasing numbers are attending higher education for professions as nurses, doctors, pastors and teachers.
Today, some alumni are in Chennai working as teachers, nurses or pharmacists, as computer scientists or physical therapists. Some are in nearby villages teaching, serving as nurses, and raising a family. As the stories unfolded, the tears streamed down their cheeks and ours with gratitude for what has been given and received.
What is the Christian emphasis in these schools?
Most of the children enter the boarding homes as Hindus. Hindu families will allow their children to be exposed to the Christian faith knowing that they will also receive a very good education. Some become believers through Bible teaching in Sunday school, morning and evening devotions.
This is a very important mission of the Arcot Lutheran Church.
English+ Program
LPGM works with the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC) to improve literacy and enhance exposure to the English language. What began as the Library Program in 2007 has grown into a spoken English program in many of the ALC’s elementary schools.
English+ program staff are assigned to various ALC elementary schools and visit the schools to teach spoken English to the students. They make learning English fun and engaging through interactive activities, games, and skits.
Mobile Computer Lab
English Club
In 2024, the English+ Program expanded to the four ALC boarding homes in the form of English Clubs. Each boarding home has an English Club with 25-30 members at a time. English club members are selected based on interest, and each group continues for one academic year (June-June). The following academic year, new members are selected, but five members from the previous group continue in the club to support the new students
English+ instructors use a variety of strategies to teach English, from having students write paragraphs about their lives to matching photos to the correct vocabulary words. English club also members go on field trips - called "exposures" - to learn English words. They have visited train stations, hospitals, and grocery stores to learn new vocabulary words.
The Impact of English+
In addition to working with students, the English+ Program also provides spoken English training for teachers and spoken English experiences for families. English+ has transformed families and communities, many of whom never thought they would have the chance to learn English. English is the unifying language of India which elevates its importance and necessity.
- Parents and teachers exclaim, “English+ is a gift for us. Our students are improving in English every day.”
- School admissions have increased because of the enhanced English program. Students are asking, “Teacher, when will we have the next English+ class?”
- Keeping the libraries refreshed with new books, some bilingual, is helping the program to continue its effectiveness.
- “… the program removes the fear of learning English. Now great interest is created and they learn with pleasure and new vision.”
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“English is an international language. English+ makes a drastic change. Children try to come up with new words and vocabularies and to relate it to their lifestyles. For example, they learn words relating to kitchens, gardens, and conversations with friends. They are eager to learn English fluently and eager to go on field trips to learn more English. Every week, they ask me to go on more excursions.They are also interested in reading English books, so I have borrowed books from the British Council. They learn more words from the books and relate them to their own lives. They are probably 70-80% less afraid of English than when they started learning.”
Past Programs
ALC Community College
The ALC Community College was begun in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that devastated southeastern India. Today it serves as a glorious witness to God’s long-term vision. The Arcot Lutheran Church founded the institution after local leaders said they wanted their young adults to have more choices for their future occupations than fishing and living off the sea.
Owned and operated by the Arcot Lutheran Church, former ALC Bishop Raja Socrates calls it the “City of Hope.” Courses focus on education that leads to jobs in auto mechanics, electrical wiring, nursing assistants and tailoring.
The college campus is surrounded by a diverse community of Christians, Hindus and Muslims, all living together peacefully. We are proud of this campus and the potential for the college and its students.
The Timothy Center for Women & Children Empowerment
The Timothy Center for Women & Children Empowerment is a ministry of the Arcot Lutheran Church. A Child Rights curriculum exists in each of the church’s 94 schools.
Each day, staff members travel through Tiruvannamalai (Tami Nadu), looking for women and children being forced to work, most for very little money. Some children are referred by those who know about the center. Parents are invited to meetings that introduce rehabilitation programs and try to convince them that the long-term education and training of their children will pay off in far greater ways than the few pennies they earn as child laborers.
Courses include:
- tailoring
- computer education
- carpentry
- advocacy
- and other programs.
Income generation efforts include a business processing office and a ready-made garment unit. Future efforts may include a community kitchen, wood carving skill training, and seeking assistance from the National Skill dDevelopment Program.
