Ahh, ok soo I totally should’ve written this forever ago. Buut, here I am picking up from my last post about food and the Secunderabad Club.
HYDERABAD, India. MONDAY morning (10/21 I think) we went to M.A. Ideal school in the outskirts of Hyderabad. This was definitely one of the most rewarding and meaningful things I did while I was in India.
Nadia met the founder, Muhammed Anwar, a few weeks before she left for India. Can I say nothing but God? After meeting him, Nad planned a family visit to his school to donate school supplies on behalf of her company once she got in town.
A little background about the M.A. Ideal schools: Mr. Anwar began the M.A. Ideal school chain in 1987. He started a low-cost private high school with 34 students in a small, rented building in Hyderabad. Now, there are currently 10 schools located in Hyderabad’s slums. All schools are coeducational; teaching is in English; and the target market is low-income families. Talk about having a big heart and being true servant, this man is a great example.
Mr. Anwar welcomed us so warmly, gave us a tour of the school and sat down and shared some history and his vision with us. WOW. So much to share about this visit. It was an eye opening experience. Sharing some pics below, I think it will help you understand. The kids were beautiful, so eager to learn, so disciplined, the structure of the classes, the kindness of the teachers…everything was so orderly. Most impressive is that Mr. Anwar is running this just off his love, faith, desire to make change happen and the smallest bit of resources. He mentioned that they had never received any donations in the 26 years of his existence. It costs $2-5 USD per month for the students to attend his school, and that is a struggle for many parents in the neighborhoods he serves. Note to self: Set big goals. Accomplish them. Give back. Make no excuses.
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Words can’t even express how blessed we are. Don’t you want to bless others! Philippians 2:3-4
Uber long morning but so worth it. We finally made it back to my aunt’s place late afternoon, had a late lunch then left to go shopping at Shilparamam, this amazing market village with authentic Indian arts and crafts, clothing. One of those bargaining market places, amazinggg. Loved walking around seeing the different items, handmade rugs, pashminas, bangles…and on and on 🙂 Yepp…reminiscing, I wanna go back.
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Please keep Mr. Anwar, his family and the M.A. Ideal school in your prayers. For provision, strength and guidance 🙂
❤ Rinny
Moti Laine 