Laurie Sharma, shown here with students, founded the Salvation Tree School with her husband Timmy in 2010.
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january 2015 | wellington the magazine
parents understand the importance of education and development of future contributing citizens.” The Sharmas are thrilled to see how the school has paid off for those families. “A year after we started, we met with all of the parents, and we asked them what their aspirations were for their kids,” Timmy said. “To hear people get up and say, ‘I want my son to be an engineer or a doctor,’ was amazing. These were people who, for generations, had completely lived in abject poverty with no hope of ever breaking out. Now their kids are going to be impacting the area and making these kinds of changes.” That makes it all worthwhile for the Sharmas, and it is what the Salvation Tree School, whose mission is to bring hope and meaning to the children of India, is all about. “I felt very happy and excited when this school started in 2010. For this school, I thank Laurie ma’am and Timmy sir for giving me the opportunity to study,” fifth-grade student Seema Mishra said. “I want to become a teacher and teach good lessons to everyone as this school is teaching me.” Fellow fifth-grader Shivam Kumar echoed similar sentiments. “I have learned speaking English and working with computers and many more things,” Kumar said. “I want to be a doctor. I want to help poor and sick people. This school has changed my behavior and made me disciplined.” Now, as the school continues to expand, adding a grade