Our Story
Our calling is to take initiative for the needy and marginalized
in India and restore them to confident living.
Luke 18:16 is our guide, “Let the little children come to Me,
and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”
Our History
1989
Dr. Jebasingh answers a beggar’s knock—God calls her to feed, teach, and love; soon, 25 children crowd her doorstep for learning.
1990
The mission starts in a garage, welcoming 100 eager students.
1991
School swells—600 children fill four rooms inside a slum toilet complex.
1998
Unexpected U.S. tourist visit—hearts moved, partnerships begin.
2004
FOTGS is incorporated as a U.S. nonprofit; first Director steps in to lead growth.
2005
U.S. partners help launch a first-rate school facility.
2007
Government recognizes the school, granting graduates eligibility for any college in India.
2018
Opened state-of-the-art school, enrolling 650 Kindergarten–8th graders.
2020
Launched crisis response—tablets for remote learning and new medical clinics during the pandemic.
2022
Expanded to tribal villages, delivering education where none existed before.
2025
Celebrating 20 years—over 2,500 students enrolled at 7 centers and 2,400 graduates.
About Dr. Ananthi Jebasingh
Founder and Director of the Good Samaritan Schools
In 1989, Dr. Ananthi Jebasingh was a Christian homemaker and college professor with a Doctorate in Linguistics in Northern India. She saw poverty, like all Indians, in the streets every day of her life. One fateful day, God decided to use her to change the hearts of children in a slum of 25,000 people across from her apartment. After teaching more than 100 children from her home, Ananthi received permission to establish a school within the “toilet complex” of the Alakananda slum in 1991. By 1998, and with the help of 18 volunteer teachers, she was teaching more than 600 children of all ages within the slum community. With a passion for these children, Ananthi now manages a staff of over 150 in New Delhi, India. The children and families of the communities call her “Mummy-ji,” meaning, in Hindi, “honored mother.”
Our Mission
From Slum to School, From Despair to Hope
Our Values
Christ-like Compassion, Faith, Education, Connectedness, Transparency
Our Strategy
Provide free education, nutrition and medical care to the impoverished children of India. Engage partners in relationship with the children through prayer, giving and traveling to India to experience one-on-one connection and life change.
Our Board
Jess Correll
Chairman
Founder and Chairman of First Southern Bancorp, Inc.
Stanford, Kentucky
Preston Correll
Board Member
Local Food Producer
Stanford, Kentucky
Ananthi Jebasingh
Board Member
Found and Director of The Good Samaritan Schools
New Delhi, India
Paul Lerwick
Board Member
Retired Entrepreneur
Asheville, North Carolina
Andy Melvin
Board Member
Creative
Denton, Texas
Laura Marie Thompson
Lead Director
Lead Director
Lexington, Kentucky
Our Staff
Leslie Littrell
Program Coordinator
Leslie has been involved with the Good Samaritan School for over 16 years. Serving with women in her church in a fundraising event called Lil’ Lambs Closet, the women made the first contribution to the building fund of the Good Samaritan School. As a representative of Lil’ Lambs, Leslie traveled to India for the Grand Opening Celebration in 2005. Seeing the poverty of the children in the slums and the amazing opportunity of the GSS, she returned home passionate about the work of the school and began personally sponsoring children. In 2016, Leslie became a volunteer for Friends of the Good Samaritans focusing on child sponsorship. Currently, she is involved in the development and implementation of our children’s program, Sadie Shares. This program gives elementary aged students in the U.S. an opportunity to learn about poverty in India and ways they can help.
Maggie Elliott
Sponsorship Coordinator
A passion for education, cultural awareness, and child advocacy led Maggie to join the Friends of the Good Samaritans in early 2022 as Sponsorship Coordinator. Her background is in education, both public and as a home-educator to her three children. She previously taught in inner city public schools, and she worked as a tutor both privately and in after-school programs serving at-risk youth. Having recently returned from serving as a cross-cultural worker in Tbilisi, Georgia, Maggie now works closely with the Good Samaritan School’s sponsorship team in India to encourage and support communications between children in India and their sponsors in the United States and abroad.
