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Jun 9, 2010

"To learn and never be filled, is wisdom; to teach and never be weary, is love." --Unknown

The 12-year-old Headmistress

As an infant, Bharti Kumari was abandoned at a railway station in Bihar, one of India's poorest states. Now, at 12 years-old, she is the head teacher at a school in Kusmbhara, her adopted village. Under the shade of a mango tree every morning and evening, she teaches Hindi, English, and math to 50 village children who would otherwise receive no education. In between, she attends a state school in Akhodhi Gola, a two mile walk away. Dressed proudly in her school uniform, she passes on the knowledge gleaned from her lessons to her fellow village children, aged 4-10. What motivates her? The answer is simple: "This is what I love doing," she smiles.