Maitreya School, India

A boy from Maitreya School named Mohit, trying to get the author's attention when taking photos.

The author was volunteering at Maitreya School for about two years in total. Maitreya School is a free public school in the town of Bodhgaya, Bihar.  'Free' means that the children receive a free school uniform, stationery, education, as well as daily nutritional lunch. 

Bihar is one of India's poorest states. There are many rural villages where households have no water or electricity. The children of Maitreya School come from the local villages around Bodhgaya. What makes Maitreya School different, is the fact that children are educated not only academically, but ethically.

Each morning, the school starts with the chanting of a prayer, an inspirational message from a teacher, and a meditation session. The ethics taught are Universal Ethics, such as kindness, love, compassion, respect, honesty, etc. 

The children take these ethical values back to their villages, and they are influencing and changing their communities already at an early age. 

The school brings together children from different castes and religions, promotes interconnectedness, and gives them the feeling of One Big Family. 

If you would like to know more about Maitreya School, please check out this website: Maitreya School

Here's a short video of Maitreya School the author found on Youtube:

*This video is from Youtube and not the property of the author of this blog.