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History of Sanma, a Christian Organization that is committed to bring hope
and to alleviate poverty and ignorance through enhanced Literacy, Health, and Agriculture
in rural villages of India.
History
Sanma evolved from a simple effort of a middle class
plantation family in Kerala, India to help the needy neighbors, selfless missionaries, and
others who needed help. James George the fifth child to the family who
reached out to the people in need, regardless of their backgrounds, lending
a helping hand in
the form of money, free lodging, food, or clothing as the resources
permitted.
By 1989, at the advice of some trusted friends, an
organization was registered with the name of Zion Charitable Society, which
was registered in Texas in 1998 as a 501 (c) 3 entity. For a long time,
funding came from some close friends and family members of James and his
wife Beverly both of whom worked at that time with Texas Instruments.
Currently James leads Sanma, and Beverly teaches Business Management
at the University of Texas, Arlington.
By the end of 2002, the name of the organization was changed
to Sanma and was registered with the state of Texas as a
non-profit corporation. Today Sanma makes its
U.S. home in Arlington,
Texas, and has two
regional
offices between two states in India, both of which are registered with
the local governments, according to the charitable act guidelines.
Mission and programs
At Sanma, we have one simple purpose: help every person,
regardless of their background of any kind, to achieve his/ her fullest
potential. There are three major elements that can keep a child from
reaching his/her full potential. These elements are common regardless of the
location or culture. They are lack of knowledge, lack of health, and lack of
food.
Sanma's programs focus enhancing literacy,
health,
and micro-farming in south Asia. Programs are deployed through Sanma's
village schools known as
Community Education Centers.
Sanma opened its first Community Education Center in 2002. Local people were
carefully selected and trained by professionals. The
child laborers
and illiterate adults were taught how to read and write, they were provided
with health literacy, and agriculture literacy.
Sanma currently has 43 village schools that serve 51
villages. These villages are totally free from infant deaths to diarrhea
today. They know to prevent many contagious diseases today such as fever and
malaria. They are educated to keep water sources safe. In addition, the
Sanma Public School system serves seven townships through its public school
located in Venkayalpadu, Andhra Pradesh, providing high quality education to
some of the most underserved communities.
From the beginning days through its entire time, Sanma has
always been an organization that reached to the entire community, never to
allow anything such as religion, location, or culture to stand on the way of
reaching a fellow human being at the time of his/her need. Today, Sanma's
main focus is establishing sustainable developments by enhancing literacy,
health, and
micro-farming
in India.
Since the social system does not allow child laborers and
illiterate adults to get education, Sanma was determined to provide people
education in their own communities. Each six months, a couple of dozen
children and adults graduate from these village schools as Literacy
Graduates.
People who have learned about the impact of the CEC program
now invite Sanma to their villages, so that they too can adopt the methods
to enhance literacy, health, and agriculture. In the end, it will be a
beautiful picture where people are no longer deprived of their right to live
with dignity. Sufficient amount of food will be available for the world food
markets because micro farmers will be utilizing their maximum capacity.
Though it may sound ambitious, we believe God wants each
person to reach their full potential, and so helping to make it happen makes
sense. However, such a picture will not be complete, without you.
As proceed on this road, we would enjoy you with us. Should
you wish to make a contribution to this work, you do so here, through a
secured online charitable contribution.
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Sanma: A Trustworthy Organization
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Since 1989 Sanma is on a mission of healing the scars poverty and
ignorance placed on humanity, and is supported by people who value
integrity, program effectiveness, and efficient use of resources.
Sanma has 43 Community Education Centers in India, a Public School,
and two regional offices that are registered with the local
governments. Sanma is a registered 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation in
Arlington, Texas. Your contributions to Sanma are tax deductible, as
permitted by the federal government of the United States. |
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