Hello everyone. My name is Maria Elide Fossa and I am the proud single mum of a beautiful 10 years old boy, Raffaello. We are originally from Italy. After having my son, I moved with him to south India, to live in the Spiritual, Experimental, Sustainable community of Auroville, where we have been living for almost 8 years now.  I came here for two reasons: spirituality and service with the desire to educate my son accordingly.  Here in Auroville I am slowly building for myself a way of living which is in harmony with my values and beliefs. Living a spiritual and conscious life, being mindful of human problems and eating organic vegetables, grown in our farms without polluting. All of this while bringing positive change thought NGO work for Auroville. To be able to live here I had to accept that we would live on a small monthly amount, but in spite of that we feel rich.

I am interested in providing my son with an alternative free progress education, that prioritizes non-violent and non-competitive methods of learning. Educating him in an environment that fosters his curiosity and creativity while also providing strong structure and guidance. Away from junk food and mobile phones. Educating him about current human problems with the aim of developing in him a sense of empathy and social responsibility. I am wishing for him a Holistic education that prioritizes his well being as well as that of others.

Being a single mother, especially abroad, comes with a lot of challenges in terms of time, effort and money. I had to work very hard over these years to build our nest. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide the education and opportunities I would like for my son. This is a huge worry for me. Not being able to provide adequately to my son has been a reason of enormous stress to the point of taking in consideration to abandon everything we have built for us here over these 8 years. This means my son will also completely lose the community where he grew up as well as all his friends and activities. Not to mention losing the house Auroville gave us to be steward.

I was quite distress until I visited what is my dream school: the Krishnamurthy Foundation School near our home. This is a boarding school, recognized all over the world, which is known for its progressive and holistic approach to education, which aligns perfectly to my values. Being a boarding school, it will give me the flexibility to focus on my work and our financial situation (which is another of my struggles), while knowing that my son is well cared for in a safe and nurturing environment. It would drastically change our lives and ensure that we can stay in Auroville.

The only problem is that I don’t have the money for the school fees. Also, the school board clearly told me they don’t offer scholarship. I just need to pay the first year. Once my son starts attending, I can easily organize myself to secure funds to cover future school fees thanks to the free time I will have, and the opportunity to travel to Europe for temporary work. All I need for us to get started is this one first year.

I never asked for money before in my life. This is a new thing for me. But this school is everything for us right now. It would literally save my son’s future.   Thank you.