Beula Gabriel, who founded a school for underprivileged children in India, tells her daughter, Bix, about one of her students.
"Then I said, 'Don't you have brothers and sisters and your father?' He says, 'I have no father; I have no mother. So, I have to do this.'"
0:00 / 0:00
Transcript
Beula: I had to scold the boy, because he came late to school at least four times in the week. So one day I said, Tell me the reason why you are late. Can’t you wake up a little earlier? Then he told me, Ma’am, before I go to school, I have to milk the buffaloes, and I have to distribute the milk to the various houses and sometimes it gets late. And I said, Don’t you have brothers and sisters and your father? He says, I have no father; I have no mother. So I have to do this. Then I told the teacher in charge, If this boy is late by five minutes, let him be. And he passed out with brilliant marks. These things warm me so much, give me so much joy. As I see it, you know your Dad, you children by yourselves you’re very strong. You don’t need me in an emotional way to some extent. You don’t need me in an intellectual way at all [laughter] I’m the least intellectual of the family. [laughter]
Bix: [laughter] That’s not true!
Beula: Really. Okay, but these people whom I reach out to, they really need me and I wish I can do much more for this school. I really wish I could do.