Planting Seeds of Transformation: Tzu Chi’s Presence in India
Helping Schools and Students
Written by Ida Eva Zielinska
Published #77 | Summer 2025 Issue
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Recognizing the challenges faced by schools and students in Gaya District, Tzu Chi volunteers have taken steps to address these issues through a range of charitable ventures. From improving inadequate facilities to providing school supplies, backpacks, and shoes, as well as launching tutoring services, their support is making a meaningful difference.
Improving Infrastructure
Tzu Chi’s efforts to improve school infrastructure in Gaya District have focused on addressing basic, long-overlooked needs. The following two cases illustrate the kinds of challenges volunteers have encountered and the solutions they have helped implement.
In May 2023, Tzu Chi volunteers discovered that Rajkiya Madhya Vidyalaya, a government middle school in Ghato, had been without running water for two decades, relying on two buckets of water brought in daily by a teacher. The volunteers connected the school to a government water line, installing pipes to the kitchen, washbasins, and toilets. When farmers later diverted the water for irrigation, the team urged the principal to seek government help to restore access.
At Niranjana Public Welfare School in Bodh Gaya, where students endured stifling classrooms with no air conditioning and poor ventilation, Tzu Chi volunteers delivered 13 ceiling fans in July 2024. After a handover ceremony attended by 90 students from grades five to seven, the team installed the fans, bringing much-needed relief and allowing the children to better concentrate in the sweltering summer heat.
Distributing Supplies for Students
In addition to infrastructure improvements, Tzu Chi volunteers also provide essential school supplies and other goods, such as blackboards, soccer balls, tableware, shoes, notebooks, and backpacks.
For instance, in June 2024, as the new school term began, Tzu Chi volunteers distributed 143 backpacks filled with essential supplies to students at Buddha Gyan Niketan Residential School in Bodh Gaya. Receiving one, first-grader Anjali Kumari exclaimed, “I am very happy today! I used to carry my notebooks in my hands, but now I will put them in my backpack.”
In September 2024, Tzu Chi volunteers brought comfort and dignity to students in Bodh Gaya by distributing new shoes at two schools. At the impoverished Rajapur Middle School – where many children arrive barefoot or in worn-out sandals, and the campus has just three classrooms and no clean water – Tzu Chi provided 112 pairs of shoes. The children beamed with delight as they tried on their new footwear.
“Tzu Chi Foundation has done a wonderful job, giving every child new shoes when most aren’t even able to afford decent sandals,” said Rajapur Middle School Principal Santosh Kumar, expressing his sincere appreciation. Eighth grader Sonali Kumari shared how meaningful the gift was to her. Walking along the village’s unpaved roads barefoot, she often arrived at school with dirty feet, especially during the rainy season. “Now that I have shoes, I don’t have to worry about the mud anymore,” she said, beaming.
At Chhanch Middle School, 364 students from grades four to eight also received new shoes that month. Many had arrived barefoot or in tattered footwear. Eighth-grader Mohammad Altamash shared, “I used to have so many problems because I didn’t have shoes. A thorn once pierced my foot, and it hurt so much. Now, with these shoes, I won’t have to worry anymore. I want to thank Master Cheng Yen and everyone who made this possible.”
Offering Tutoring Classes
Tzu Chi’s support for students extends beyond material goods and includes after-school tutoring to help close educational gaps. For instance, in Ganga Bigha, Tzu Chi volunteers established a tutoring program focused on English and math. Classes are held five days a week and serve around 30 students daily, offering academic support in a structured and welcoming environment.
Alongside academic lessons, the program incorporates life education, promoting good hygiene and values such as gratitude and compassion. Volunteers have noticed that the sessions are fostering a spirit of mutual support, with older children often stepping in to help younger ones. One such example is third-grader Sandhya, who aspires to follow in the footsteps of Master Cheng Yen. “I will continue to teach my classmates English. I want to be like Master Cheng Yen, helping everyone,” she told the volunteers.
