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 activities, 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.
VIEW ALL STUDENTS
in need of sponsors Support Project Education India
without sponsoring a specific student
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Project Education India (PEI)?
Project Education India (PEI) is the name of LPGM’s student sponsorship program in Tamil Nadu, India. PEI began in 1996. Since then, LPGM sponsors have given nearly 8,000 students in India access to quality education through PEI. Today, PEI sponsors students at four boarding homes owned and managed by the Arcot Lutheran Church, an Indian church body.
Why would I sponsor a student through PEI?
LPGM offers a unique opportunity to connect directly with the student you sponsor.
LPGM is a small, nimble organization that is constantly communicating with those who manage the boarding homes and care for the students. We also have an Indian team of Student Relation Coordinators (SRCs) who are liaisons between you and the students.
We host a group trip once a year. If you join us, you may meet the student you support and possibly even their family.
How does my sponsorship directly support my student?
Your sponsorship directly supports recurring expenses relating to food, education, health and hygiene, and staffing at the boarding homes.
Your sponsorship also provides a spiritual and emotional connection between you and your student(s). Students often pray for their sponsors by name, and you have the opportunity to communicate with them.
In addition to support from LPGM, the program receives assistance from the Indian government for teachers’ salaries. There are occasional local and international gifts, and parents/families contribute a small amount each month.
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 can I communicate with my student?
While there’s no requirement to write, all sponsors are encouraged to build a relationship with their sponsored students. Writing an occasional letter and praying for them connects you and reminds them that someone really cares.
Your letter will be translated in India. Students are asked to respond to each letter that they receive. Younger students often draw you a picture, and older students will write a response in Tamil, which will be translated to English for you.
May I send a gift to my student?
Physical gifts to students are discouraged, and never send cash to your sponsored student. A student who receives a lavish gift can be excluded by their peers
However, you may send a digital greeting to your student and attach a picture of your family. Our India team can print the photo, and your student can easily carry it with them.
If you’d like to celebrate your student’s birthday or achievements, you may consider giving to the Wish List program. The student council at each boarding home develops a wish list of items and experiences that sponsored and unsponsored students alike will enjoy.
Typical wish lists include sporting equipment, art supplies, musical instruments, games, personal care, and field trips.
What happens when my student graduates?
A large majority of graduates will go to college or university.
When PEI began in 1996, most students did not continue to higher education, but due to your faithful support over the years, the tide has turned. In fact, 80% of 2025 PEI graduates are currently enrolled in higher education!
Graduates often pursue degrees in nursing, teaching, commerce, engineering, or tech. Some students attend vocational school.
How is the Gospel proclaimed in these schools?
Education is a very important mission of the Arcot Lutheran Church because it believes in Jesus’ commandment to love one another. Most of the children in the boarding homes are Hindu. Families enroll their children in Christian schools because they know that they will receive a good education.
Students pray daily, attend worship services, and celebrate Christian holidays. Boarding home staff and managers are Lutheran Church members and pastors. They provide Christian love and care to their neighbors.
How long should I commit to sponsoring a student?
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.
Do I need to support a single student, or may I simply support the program?
You don't need to be connected to a particular sponsored student to make a difference!
Any support of PEI helps provide access to quality education for students at the margins. You may make a one-time gift or monthly gifts that make your donation go further.
English+ Program
English+ began as a library program in 2007, but it later grew into a spoken English program for ALC schools. For many years, the English+ team - Vidhya, Ruban, Priya, Nelson, and Epsi - traveled to ALC elementary schools all over Tamil Nadu to bring spoken English and computer skills to marginalized children living in remote villages. However, the team was stretched thin, and they spent much time traveling throughout the state.
To use resources more effectively - and to deepen the knowledge of students - the scale of the program has shifted to prioritize English instruction at the four boarding homes where LPGM supporters sponsor students, as well as at village schools near the boarding homes.
English Club
In 2024, the English+ Program shifted its emphasis to the four ALC boarding homes in the form of English Clubs. The clubs exist to reduce the fear of speaking English among students and to make it fun for them.
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 members also go on field trips - called "going into the world" - to learn English words. They have visited train stations, hospitals, and grocery stores to learn new vocabulary words.
Mobile Computer Lab
Summer Camps
English+ has run summer camps for many years, but summer 2025 was the first time they specifically brought the camp to boarding home students' villages.
From May 5-9 this year, the English+ staff, supported by six boarding home staff members, ran a summer camp for between 80-100 children from T Kunnathur Village and a cluster of surrounding villages. All students were welcome, including students from local schools.
Camp activities included song and rhymes, storytelling, bilingual story book reading, sight words, word families, simple basic grammar, games, and crafts. According to Priya, "All parents gave wonderful feedback during the final day program and requested us to organize this program every summer."
Village Schools
The Impact of English+
In addition to working with students, the English+ Program also provides English training for teachers and 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.
-
“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.
Travel to India
