✨ We Open Our 🏫 School and 🏡 Home

🌿 Nature, 🛡️ Care, and 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Community

Life In Harmony Gurukul (Gomta) is a school and foster center located in the rural village of Gomta, Gujarat (India). It is one of the main initiatives of the NGO Life In Harmony, which for the past four years has been working to create sanctuaries where people can heal and find peace. The Gurukul will offer a safe, loving home for children from migrant and marginalized communities, providing not only education but a holistic way of life based on care, natural rhythms, and ecological harmony.

More than an institution, the Gurukul will be a sanctuary for healing and growth, where children will regain trust, build resilience, and learn through lived experience. Its design is inspired by the traditional Gurukul system of ancient India, combined with contributions from modern educational approaches such as Montessori, Waldorf, and Satish Kumar’s philosophy.

👁️‍🗨 Our Vision: Compassion in Action

At the heart of Life In Harmony lies the principle of Compassion in Action, inspired by the Sanskrit term karuṇā: compassion that compels us to act, not just to feel. In our Gurukul, this compassion will take shape through tangible structures, rhythms, and ways of life.

We envision a world where every child—regardless of background or circumstance—has access to a nurturing home and an education that heals. At Life In Harmony Gurukul (Gomta), our vision is to restore full dignity to childhood by creating a space where care, curiosity, and connection can flourish.

We believe education must be a process of personal integrity. This means teaching not only academic skills but also emotional literacy, self-awareness, ecological wisdom, and a deep sense of belonging. We aspire to:

• 🌱 Rekindle the joy and natural love for learning
• 👪 Offer a stable and caring environment for those lacking one
• 🧘 Promote physical, mental, and emotional balance through holistic care
• 👫 Build relationships based on trust, respect, and empathy
• 🌍 Reconnect children with the rhythms of nature and community life

🏡 A Home and a School

In Gomta, education and care are inseparable. We have prepared a space where children will live in community with caregivers, mentors, and peers who will function as an extended family. The Gurukul will not only be a place to learn but also a safe, stable home where emotional well-being and human connection come first.

This unconventional learning environment has been carefully designed to honor each child’s unique path, fostering growth through practical skills, emotional security, and joyful discovery.

The space is already equipped with bedrooms, classrooms, facilities, a kitchen, a covered terrace, a traditional circular Kubo for meditation, and an organic vegetable garden in production. Everything is ready to welcome the first children.

We aim to provide:

• Holistic education (Mathematics, languages, Ayurveda, meditation, healthy living)
• Healthy food, mostly produced on-site through organic farming
• 24/7 accommodation and care
• Hygiene and appropriate clothing, with three uniforms provided annually
• Active family participation through our community school

Through a comprehensive education combining solid academic training, human values, wellness practices, and daily contact with nature, we will help children strengthen their skills, discover their talents, and cultivate self-esteem. This way, they can confidently continue their studies, flourish in all dimensions of their being, and build a fulfilling, balanced life in harmony with themselves and their community.

✨ Our Daily Practice and Educational Approach

🌅 1. Daily Rhythm in Harmony with Nature

Children will rise with the sun and follow a flow that includes farming, cooking, learning, rest, play, and reflection. Each part of the day will support balance—of energy, emotions, and attention—helping them feel grounded and at peace.

🤲 2. Relationships First: Educating Through Connection

Our team will prioritize emotional safety and building bonds. Every child will be welcomed with empathy and respect. There will be no punishments or pressure—only patient guidance, constant presence, and trust. Learning begins when they feel safe.

📚 3. Real Learning from Real Life

There will be no rigid curriculums or exams. Children will learn by doing—through stories, questions, nature walks, games, and daily experiences. Literacy and numeracy will be introduced organically as life tools. The goal is to awaken curiosity, not impose obedience.

🌾 4. Food, Farming, and Self-Sufficiency

They will participate in growing food using organic, regenerative methods, learning to care for the earth and themselves. Cooking, cleaning, and contributing to community life will build dignity through shared responsibility and real skills.

🧘 5. Holistic Well-being with Ayurveda and Awareness

Inspired by Ayurveda principles, daily life will include nutritious meals, natural remedies, body care practices, and time for inner attention. Children will develop a lasting understanding of health as balance between body, mind, and environment.

🌾 Organic Agriculture and Permaculture

Our agricultural practices will focus on sustainability and environmental respect, using methods like permaculture to care for the soil. This aligns with the EAT‑Lancet Commission’s (2019) findings and Ayurvedic principles promoting diversity, moderation, and the elimination of harmful foods.

👣 Who We Serve

The project is designed to welcome girls and boys aged 6 to 14, covering the full primary education cycle (grades 1 to 8), providing them with a safe, nurturing environment that awakens their curiosity and confidence.

The Gurukul will primarily serve children from migrant families living in extreme poverty who move to Gujarat from other regions. These families survive through precarious agricultural work and urgently need support to break the cycle of poverty.

🛤️ Our Journey: Weaving Community

Over the past two years, we have conducted regular gatherings with local families and children, building strong ties with the community. These activities have been key to building trust, understanding real needs, and preparing the human and emotional ground for the Gurukul’s opening. Thanks to this ongoing process of listening and presence, we now have a committed community base and a more receptive environment ready to embrace this new educational and care initiative.

🎯 Project Objectives (2025–2026)

After 4 years of preparing the space in Gomta, we are ready to begin a new phase with the following objectives for the 2025–2026 school year:

• Welcome 22 children aged 6–7 for their first school year
• Provide education, accommodation, food, clothing, and hygiene
• Maintain family bonds with psychosocial support
• Create local employment through teaching, caregiving, farming, cooking, etc.

🌏 Social Commitment

This project aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 (Zero Hunger), 4 (Quality Education), and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), promoting a culture of peace, sustainability, gender equality, and social justice.

🤝 Call to Action

With your help, we can provide food, education, clothing, care, and a loving home to children living in poverty.

If you give food, it lasts for a day. If you give education, you transform seven generations.

More information: https://go.lifeinharmonyindia.org/gurukul

Donate: https://go.lifeinharmonyindia.org/dona

🌏 A Living Example of Compassion in Action

The initiative is inspired by the Sanskrit concept of karuṇā—compassion that compels us to act, beyond mere emotion—a principle deeply rooted in Indian spiritual traditions.

Life In Harmony Gurukul (Gomta) will be a tangible expression of our broader mission: building communities based on peace, care, and sustainability.

It is a living model of what education and child care can become when guided by empathy, nature, and trust. Here, every child will not only learn—they will be cared for, protected, and empowered.

We invite individuals and organizations who share this vision to join us on this path of transformation.