Dantherapalli · Giddalur · Markapuram District · A.P.
Exists to Empower.
Joining 225+ students across 10+ villages.
Impact at a glance
2014
Founded with 2 grades & 36 students
225+
Students today, 90+ of them girls
100%
Free, English-medium education
10+
Villages reached around Dantherapalli
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Our story
A calling, a piece of land, and a heart to serve.
The Joshua Foundation was founded in 2013 by Karna and Sandhya Gosa to bring transformation and hope to Karna’s childhood village. What began as two grades and thirty-six students in temporary classrooms has grown into a permanent school — still free, still whole-child, still open to every family regardless of faith, caste or ability to pay.
Whole-child education, English medium alongside Telugu and Hindi.
Nutrition, medical care, tailoring centers and disaster relief for families.
“This celebration is very special — St. John’s is the first school in our zone to hold a KG Graduation Day.”
Mr. Subbha Rao, Mandal Educational Officer
The ledger
Our journey, entry by entry.
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2013The Joshua Foundation founded
Karna & Sandhya Gosa began TJF to bring hope to Karna's childhood village and the villages around Dantherapalli.
20.04.2017First KG Graduation Day
33 kindergarteners graduated in cap and gown — the first ceremony of its kind the Mandal Education Officer had ever attended.
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17.04.2018Free eye camp, 300 screened
Doctors from Santhiram Medical College screened 300 people from 10 surrounding villages; 60 surgeries were completed free of cost.
06.2019Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
60 girls sponsored for the school year, growing the fight for girls' education in a community that once resisted it.
2020–21Standing through COVID-19
Vegetables, food, masks and quarantine groceries reached hundreds of families across Giddalur during lockdown.
2024–25Mani Kumari's scholarship
A student who nearly left school scored 535/600 in her 10th boards and won a ₹35,00,000 government scholarship to study at IIIT.
Real Stories, Real Change
Faces of St. John’s
Student story
“Mani Kumari: An Icon of St. John’s.”
Mani joined St. John’s at age four. In 9th grade she nearly transferred schools, overwhelmed and disappointed — but the school promised her family it would see her through. She scored 535/600 in her 10th board exams and won a ₹35,00,000 government scholarship to study at IIIT for six years.
Read more student stories
535/600
Mani’s 10th board score
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao · 2020–21
A journey begins with one step.
Problems of women’s education in our community
The girls are very useful at home for carrying out domestic duties, and so mothers are reluctant to send them to school. A large number of children in the rural areas are undernourished and hardly have a square meal a day — unless the parents are given some kind of economic relief, it will be impossible to achieve the targets.
In our communities, the vast majority of the population is poor and cannot afford to give an education to all their children. When the choice comes, they prefer to invest in the education of sons rather than daughters — it is believed that sons will stay by their side in old age, while a daughter will eventually marry and go to another family. Therefore, they do not care much for women’s education.
“Result of St. John’s School”
As circumstances remained the same in the communities — particularly in poor rural areas such as Giddalur and its surrounding villages — The Joshua Foundation started co-education at St. John’s for disadvantaged kids. In that first school year, our TJF staff worked hard to raise awareness that both girls and boys are equal and deserve to be educated, highlighting the importance of education and its future benefits for both, and encouraged parents to send their girl child to school alongside their siblings.
So in that 1st year, the result was very tough, and we got only 8 girl students out of 36. But we did not give up — rather, we kept motivating parents in our communities, and as the years passed by, we were able to bring transformation slowly.
What an amazing transformation! All of these children come from poor family backgrounds and are not able to afford to give their children an English-medium education. Therefore, The Joshua Foundation always stands to give free education for girls, and to empower the lives of disadvantaged and marginalized kids.
Supplementary Nutrition Program
“Health is Wealth”
The Joshua Foundation continues to support a Supplementary Nutrition Program for St. John’s students, supplying a glass of milk, a boiled egg and banana or fruit, day after day. Most students come from poor family backgrounds, where parents aren’t always able to focus on their children’s nutrition — and that causes kids to get sick often and remain underweight.
Now students are healthy and growing up, and parents are happy and express their gratitude towards the Foundation. We see great smiles and thankful hearts on students every day.
Every rupee sends a child to school instead of the field.
Sponsor tuition, a uniform, a meal, or a medical bill for a child in Dantherapalli. 100% of gifts go directly to the field through The Joshua Foundation.
Donate to The Joshua FoundationCome see St. John’s for yourself.
We’re always glad to welcome visitors, sponsors and volunteers to Dantherapalli. Reach out to plan a visit, or explore the school from wherever you are.