The Astrid Rowe Memorial High School, opened in 1983 by K. Vidya Sagar, serves a very poor slum neighborhood in Hyderabad, providing an opportunity for its students, regardless of whether they are Hindu, Muslim or Christian, to better their lives through education. The school has grown from 40 to more than 1,200 students.

In 1987 K. Vidya Sagar, then headmaster of a tiny school, contacted Azariah seeking funds to continue the school's education of the poor children of the Karmikanagar community of Hyderabad. Karmikanagar is a slum community of about 60,000 people, mostly Muslim and mostly day laborers. Azariah introduced Sagar to Rev. David Rowe, and as a result, FOCI began supporting the school, which has now been renamed The Astrid Rowe Memorial High School after Rev. Rowe's mother. Today, FOCI provides the majority of the operating funds for ARMHS, which serves students from three years old through high school (10 th class).

   In 1999, FOCI raised the funds to enable Sagar to:

• Buy land which would eventually enable him to replace the remaining old buildings with proper classrooms.
• Replace the dilapidated one story buildings which had housed approximately half of the school.
• Build two new four story buildings.

   


In 2002 FOCI provided the funds to complete the construction of new three story buildings to enable the growth of the ARMHS to 1200 students and provide first quality classrooms and facilities.

In 2006 the final step in this facility improvement will be complete with the opening of a:

• science laboratory
• library
• gymnasium.

Education

The ARMHS honors the traditions of all three major religions in India; Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, in its teaching and cultural activities. Students have shown excellent academic progress as evidenced by a high level of students passing their state-required exams in the first division.

Scholarships

FOCI also provides scholarships for ARMHS students who are unable to afford the tuition (which runs from about $1 to about $3/month) and for graduates of ARMHS to enable them to continue their education on to the Intermediate and University levels.

Hostel

In 2004 FOCI started a hostel at ARMHS for those students whose families were so poor they were not being adequately supported at home. The hostel uses 4 rooms at the school which would otherwise be used as classrooms. Presently, there are 35 students living at the hostel. The hostel children receive daily meals, lodging plus general and academic supervision.