Manisha was about five when she arrived at Little Lambs School in Chennai. During assembly one day, she slipped her hand into Maria Gislen’s and held on.
She had no parents, and Maria still remembers that small gesture of trust.
Years later, Manisha has completed college and now works with the school’s auditor. Between those two moments lie years of learning, encouragement and effort, her own, and that of the people who supported her.
Her story is one of many Maria remembers.
As the founder of Little Lambs School, she has watched children arrive in difficult circumstances, grow up, continue their education and begin lives of their own. And for many of them, the relationship with Little Lambs has continued long after they left the classroom.
Little Lambs has a close and longstanding connection with Gislen Software. The trust behind the school was founded by the company and today serves as Gislen Software’s CSR partner in India. Over the years, Gislen Software has supported the school financially and through the involvement of its people.
We spoke with Maria about why she started Little Lambs, the children whose journeys have stayed with her, and what she has learned along the way.
Why Little Lambs began
Maria started Little Lambs in 1999 after volunteering at a local school in Chennai. Originally from Sweden, she saw children falling behind simply because they needed more support than was available to them.
“At the school where I volunteered, I felt frustrated because I saw that many children weren’t able to learn properly. In particular, children from poor backgrounds, who didn’t have much support at home, were already far behind in the first standard. I felt we needed to do something.”
Some children needed more time to understand a lesson. Others had learning difficulties or circumstances at home that made concentrating on school difficult.
Maria wanted to create a place where those differences could be recognised rather than overlooked.
That remains central to Little Lambs today. A low student–teacher ratio allows teachers to give children more individual attention. But education is only part of what some children need. Sometimes, helping a child learn begins with understanding what is making learning difficult in the first place.
Where are they now?
Ask Maria about former pupils, and there isn’t just one story.
There is Manisha.
And then there is Vijay.
Vijay came to Little Lambs at around eleven, having spent time collecting rubbish at a dumpsite and received almost no schooling. Maria initially hoped they could help him acquire basic literacy. Vijay wanted to go further. He completed Class 12 and today lives and works in Australia, where he has a family of his own.
Mahalakshmi came to Little Lambs at fourteen, when difficult circumstances at home threatened her education. With support from the school, she was able to continue studying and work towards the independence she wanted for herself. During her undergraduate studies, our Gislen Software employee helped her learn C programming, giving her an opportunity to develop skills alongside her formal studies. She later went on to work as an academic executive trainee in the education sector.
Their circumstances and journeys are different. What they share is determination — and people who continued to support them when they needed it.
Support that doesn’t end at the school gate
“I feel I’ve learned to say, ‘Okay, that’s how life is. Move on.’ They have that in them.” – Maria Gilsen, Founder, Little Lambs School
Leaving Little Lambs doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the Little Lambs community.
The team stays in touch with former pupils, follows their progress and, when needed, helps with school and college fees. Monthly Sunday lunches give former students an opportunity to come back and stay connected as they move into further education and working life.
For Maria, that continuity matters.
Children who have benefited from individual attention can find the transition to another school difficult. She would like Little Lambs eventually to support pupils through Class 12, allowing them to spend more of their education within a familiar environment.
And the kind of help a child needs naturally changes over time.
Support with reading in the early years might one day become help with college fees. What remains is the relationship, knowing that there are still people interested in how they are doing.
That work is made possible by teachers, the wider school team, volunteers and donors. Gislen Software contributes 10% of its profits towards the running of Little Lambs School, alongside the support provided by other donors.
It means the commitment can extend beyond helping children through their early education to supporting some of them as they take their next steps.
What the children have taught Maria
After years of teaching and supporting children, Maria says the learning hasn’t travelled in only one direction.
She talks about their ability to adapt, their generosity and the way they care for one another, even when their own circumstances are difficult.
“I feel I’ve learned to say, ‘Okay, that’s how life is. Move on.’ They have that in them.”
And when asked what she hopes children will carry with them from Little Lambs, her answer isn’t simply about academic results.
Education matters. But so does discovering what you are good at, understanding that you have choices and knowing that you have something to contribute.
Ultimately, she hopes each child leaves Little Lambs carrying a simple belief into whatever comes next:
“I’m valuable. I’m important. I can make a difference.”