16^th July saw the opening of Food for Life Vrindavan’s first Eco-School. The principal of Sandipani Muni Secondary School, together with one of the children enrolled in the Eco-School, cut the ribbon to mark the inauguration of the new school.

The construction of this simple and ecologically friendly building has enabled Food for Life to quickly increase its capacity to educate children whose parents are desperate to get them into the organization’s schools. The construction of the Eco-school, which was completed at minimum cost and within a few months, serves as a model for low cost, ecologically friendly schools.

Only around 1/3 of the children admitted in the Eco-School are from Kiki Nagla village, where the school is located. 2/3 of the children admitted in the school live in the township of Vrindavan. The children from Vrindavan who attend the school will be transported every day on the Sandipani Muni School bus. Rupa Ragunath, director of Food for Life Vrindavan, said, "There are poor families in the villages but most families at least have some kind of solid building for their home. We have 600 Vrindavan families, most of whom live in slum areas in Vrindavan, who are desperate to get their children into Sandipani Muni Schools. The board of directors made the decision to transport children from Vrindavan to the village school so that we can fulfill our mission of "caring for the poorest of the poor."

150 children are being admitted in the Eco-School. The Eco-School provides tuition for prep. and first grades. After this academic year, the youngsters will graduate into second grade and their classes will be relocated into a double story primary school building that Food for Life is currently building in the village. When the entire primary school complex is complete, the Eco-School building will be utilized for extra-curricular activities such as music and dance lessons.