St. John's School students, staff and the school building

Dantherapalli, Andhra Pradesh

From one village, a movement of hope

The Joshua Foundation was founded in 2013 by Karna and Sandhya Gosa to bring transformation and hope to Karna’s childhood village and the surrounding communities.

Where it all began

A very poor, rural, mostly Dalit community

About six hours southeast of Hyderabad lies a rural community in Andhra Pradesh — mostly Dalit (“Untouchable”) families for whom life is extremely challenging. The people here suffer many forms of oppression, lack basic services, and have few vocational and educational opportunities.

The Joshua Foundation’s first project — of several envisioned — has been St. John’s English Medium School, a school that meets the Indian government’s educational requirements. Students are taught in English, and also learn the official and local languages, Hindi and Telugu.

St. John’s focus is to develop the whole child. Although it is a Christian school, the staff aim to love, serve and educate students from many different backgrounds — students are accepted regardless of their faith, caste, or their parents’ ability to pay.

Meet Karna & Sandhya Gosa
Children on the St. John's School grounds in the early years

Growth by the numbers

From a first day in June 2014, to today

St. John’s grows by adding one new pre-K class every year — and every grade added exists because a sponsor chose to fund it.

Grades taught

26

2014 → Today

Students enrolled

36225

2014 → Today

Girls enrolled

890

2014 → Today

Classrooms

5 temporary1 permanent building

2014 → Today

Our focus

Every child, seen — girls, especially

There is a strong, deliberate focus on recruiting and educating young girls, since education for girls in India is often considered unimportant — even a waste of resources. At St. John’s, that belief is met head-on: today, 90 of our 225 students are girls.

The students are thriving. Their parents and our staff are thrilled with the growth they’ve observed, and interest in the school continues to grow across the surrounding villages.

All development and daily operations depend on the generosity of individuals and organizations like you.

Students playing together on the school playground
The school transport bringing children from remote villages

Our journey so far

Milestones

2013

The Joshua Foundation is founded

Karna and Sandhya Gosa founded The Joshua Foundation (TJF) to bring transformation and hope to Karna's childhood village and the surrounding communities in Andhra Pradesh.

June 2014

St. John's School opens its doors

Two grades. 36 students, 8 of them girls. Five temporary classrooms. TJF's first project — and the beginning of a much longer story.

2015 – Sept 2016

The first permanent building is funded and completed

Talking Tech Foundation funded St. John's first set of permanent classrooms, additional bathrooms, and a library. Construction was completed in September, 2016.

Inside St. John's first permanent classroom building
The completed St. John's School building

Today

A second expansion is underway

Workers are busy building five additional classrooms and a computer lab. We are within $10,000 of the funds needed to complete this expansion.

Construction underway on St. John's second expansion
Help Us Close the Gap

Why we exist

Mission & Vision

Our Vision

A Dantherapalli where every child — girl or boy, any caste, any faith — grows up educated, healthy, and free of the poverty that shaped their parents’ lives.

Our Mission

To provide free, whole-child English-medium education to underprivileged children around Dantherapalli — regardless of caste, creed, or a family’s ability to pay — so one generation’s education becomes the next generation’s opportunity.

Where we’re headed

The road ahead for St. John’s

St. John’s aims to eventually teach 12 grades and 480 students, with enough classroom space for every one of them — plus a library, single-sex bathrooms and a computer lab. Here’s where that stands today:

  • 12 grades, LKG through Class 10
  • 480 students enrolled
  • Classroom space for every grade
  • A libraryAchieved
  • Single-sex bathroomsAchieved
  • A computer lab
The St. John's School campus today

Second expansion • five classrooms & a computer lab

We’re within $10,000 of finishing

All development and daily operations at St. John’s depend on the generosity of individuals and organizations. If you feel led to help us close this final gap, we’d love to hear from you.

Support the Expansion