[1] Arole was the second of three children of Rajappan D. Immanuel, a professor of New Testament Greek at Jabalpur's theological seminary, and Beatrice Gunaratnampillai.
[2][3] Mabelle met Rajanikant Arole at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, from which they graduated in 1959 with honors.
They then spent four years in the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship to obtain residency training in medicine and surgery and a Masters in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
[4] Returning to India after their studies, the Aroles decided to work in Jamkhed: a poor, drought-prone taluka.
Other data also indicated substantial health improvements in the project villages: full antenatal care for pregnant women and a child-malnutrition rate of less than one percent.