The Siddhartha Free Children Educational Centre

During our travels through India in December 2002, we came upon a little school room in a very small village near Bodhgaya, one of the most spiritual places in India, lying north of Calcutta.

A mud floored hut with fifty ragged barfoot children. They wrote on slate with chalk and were reciting their tables. These chidren were so willing to learn - so poor - yet so happy.

The two teachers were volunteers under Buddhist influence, who are trying to gve the children a start in life by teaching them to read, write and understand basic arithmetic. We now have 150 students and 10 disabled resident orphans.

Education in India is NOT FREE.

When you buy your Mother of the Bride or Groom outfit and Wedding Hat or Fascinators from us, you are also helping children in one of the most deprived areas in India.

Our aim is to

• Keep the children in books and writing materials
• Give them a small lunch where there would be none
• Keep them in uniform to give them a sense of pride

Our thanks

We at Compton House would like to say a special 'thank you' to all who have been kind enough to help our cause by donations thorughout the year, every penny of which goes directly to achieve our aims. We hope to expand this page shortly with more from the children themselves.