In September of 2009 I went with my son Noah to Bodh Gaya in India, the site of where Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree 2,500 years ago and achieved enlightenment. It was here that I met Dinu, a young man working to help support his family while attending college . I ended up spending many days with Dinu - we ate many meals together, and he toured me around Bodh Gaya, including a visit to his village and a meal at his family's home. Besides being a really nice young man, Dinu was searching for a way to help out his family, in particular, his sister Rajni. Bodh Gaya is in the state of Bihar, the poorest state in all of India. The only way out of the poverty is through education. I decided to support his sister in private school this year.
Dinu and his family, including his mother (far left) and sister Rajni (in the front with the bowl of rice)
Rajni in her new school uniform
Throughout the school year, Dinu would write me, telling me of his sister's progress in school. He even sent me her school progress reports (picture below). I will continue to support his sister's education, but Dinu has asked me if it was possible to help pay for transportation and other costs. So I thought in this time of thankfulness, it might be nice to share with others the opportunity to help make a difference for a family that is not so financially fortunate, but is working towards making their life better. If you are interested in helping out this family, please let me know. You can write me at: rleeengel@gmail.com, but let me know soon, for the school year starts in January.
