The ‘Friends of Padhar Schools’ Story

In 2008, I travelled with a team from Germany, accompanying them on a medical mission. At the time I was working as a pastor in an international church in Hamburg, Germany and Dr. Thomas and Evelyn Kreusch were part of my congregation. They founded an organization called Friends of Padhar, Germany. Each year, a group of German doctors, dentists, nurses, and students travel to central India to partner with the staff of Padhar Hospital. In 2018, Friends of Padhar, Germany celebrated its 30 year anniversary of the partnership.

In 2008, I was invited to join the team, to work with the children of the German team and to help paint a mural at one of the village schools. Through conversations with the teachers and administrators, I learned about the needs of the 4 schools in the village. After the trip I began a modest scholarship program that raised $1000 to support 10 students at the Padhar Mission Higher Secondary School. Each year thereafter, we raised more and more and it became a dream to establish an American non-profit organization, to support the schools of the village. In 2015, those informal efforts became formalized and we formed our Board of Directors, developed our programs, gained our 501(c)3 tax exemption and we became Friends of Padhar Schools. 

Since 2015, Friends of Padhar Schools has provided a foundation for rural schools operating at a subsistence level. We’ve provided funding for desks and benches to ensure classrooms are suitable for students, scholarships for girls and young women to attend classes, computers to fill a computer lab, equipment to fill a chemistry lab and a school bus to provide transportation for children who live in distant villages.

Panchsheel Ashram School, Bahiram

We are currently supporting programs at Felix Convent School in Paratwada and Panchsheel Ashram School in Bahiram, both located in the state of Maharashtra. In addition, our Memorial Fund honoring founding board member Jaime K. Kim, provides scholarships to nursing students at Mure Memorial Hospital in Nagpur.

It’s been an amazing journey thus far. Our partners in India are invaluable to accomplish the work we are doing, in identifying the needs of the schools and in distributing funding. Our donors fuel the whole process: even the smallest donations provide invaluable resources to our students. And the support from friends and family keeps us going in challenging times.

With gratitude,