The Associazione Amici Delle Missionarie dell’Immacolata was founded in 1997 to coordinate and unify the efforts of various groups and individuals who were independently supporting the projects of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate, which included schools, hostels, hospitals and dispensaries. The association’s involvement in Rishabhdev dates back to the early 2000s, when the dioceses of Udaipur asked the sisters to help with the school and dispensary, which were in poor conditions. In the years that followed, the association began by providing clothing and supplementary food, then by funding construction to provide proper and safe living quarters, toilet and a kitchen, as well as quality academic education.

The large area around Rishabhdev is populated by “tribal people” (the Indian terminology to define them), who live in very small groups of houses with little interaction with the rest of the world, no electricity and running water. The boarding school provides food and shelter, social and academic education to children, most of whom live in remote areas. For these children, boarding school is probably the most important part of their upbringing: learning to wash, dress, recognise illness and live in a community is as important to them as their access to academic education.

Over the years, the number of children at the school has grown significantly to over 500. In 2011, the Nando and Elsa Peretti Foundation (NaEPF) came on board to help fund some of the running costs of the boarding school. NaEPF’s support has helped to ensure quality food, improve facilities and services for the children and give continuity to the efforts to improve the school. With the help of the NaEPF, the school has been able to extend its education to grade 10 and has gained a very good reputation. The boarding school offers an opportunity to change these children’s upbringing by providing them with proper food, basic life skills and education, far more than they could receive at home.

The NaEPF continues to support the Nirmala boarding Rishabhdev school to improve the quality of life for tribal children by providing them with a quality education and a chance for a better future. Over the three-year period 2023-2026, the NaEPF grant will help ensure the children’s healthy habits and good nutrition, promote their schooling and reduce dropout rates, maintain and improve the boarding school facilities, and support the children’s academic achievements, such as tuition and the national matriculation exam.