Jyothis Special School

Jyothis School in Mavelikara provides a warm, caring home for children and young adults with special educational needs from the surrounding area. Since 2002, many international volunteers have brought their individual skills and talents to the school, enriching the lives of the Jyothis children and staff.

Volunteers are made to feel very welcome and they become part of the 'Jyothis family'.

At the time of writing, the school caters for over 100 students ranging in age from 4 to 25 years, around half of whom are full time boarders. The students have a wide range and variety of learning disabilities and many also have speech, physical or emotional difficulties.

There are 10 permanent teaching staff, 5 ayahs (carers), 2 cooks, 2 drivers and a gardener at the school. Several of the teaching staff, all the ayahs and the cooks live on site with the boarders and are effectively on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

During school times, students are taught academic subjects - reading, writing and arithmetic - in small age/ability groupings. Little is taught in the way of arts and crafts and it is such extra curricular skills that the volunteer will be expected to develop. Volunteers usually find that they prefer to work in the afternoons when the students have more free time after the end of the school day.

Jyothis School for Special Education was established in 1994 by the Mar Thoma church. The Mar Thoma community is non-proselytising and the church doesn't give funds directly to Jyothis. Instead, it provides an administrator who runs the school as a charity, raising funds locally to support the work of the school. (A second operation conducted by Kerala Link is also financially supporting the Jyothis children through a sponsorship scheme in the UK).
 
The school is housed in a spacious purpose-built site; equipment, however, is mostly basic and the school often has need of furniture, uniforms, teaching materials, sports and play equipment, though many things have been provided through Kerala Link and the generosity of past volunteers.

The school operates a three-term year, with the first term beginning in June, during the monsoon season. Placements are available throughout the year for the convenience of the volunteer but please try to time your placement to coincide with a school term.

Approximate term dates:

• June - August (closure for 10 days during the festival of Onam (late August/ early September).
• September - December (closure for 10 days at Christmas).
• January - March (closure during April and May for the annual school summer holiday).

Please contact us for details of placement availability.