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One Incident In A Man’s Life Changed The Lives of Hundreds of Underprivileged Children. Watch How
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Meet The Organization That Has Reached Out To 270,000 Children In 35 Years
Support Deepalaya, Make an Impact!
Deepalaya aims at providing equal opportunities to underprivileged children.[/caption]
On the one hand India is progressing with skyscrapers and metros, booming IT industry and various colleges opening everyday. And, on the other hand, there is still that part of the society which is struggling to get basic education. With lack of proper opportunities and resources, the disparity between privileged and underprivileged is only increasing every day.
When it comes to children of the poor, about 11% do not go to school as they are working, 20% are engaged in household chores and family occupation, and 5% report non-affordability of the family to bear the cost of education. (Source)
We always talk about providing quality education to children and their Right to Education, but all these opportunities are only available for a very few. While most of the poor are still struggling to get basic primary education.
That is where Deepalaya comes into picture. A Delhi based NGO that works on issues affecting the urban and rural poor, with a special focus on women and children. Says T.K. Mathew, one of the seven like minded founding members of Deepalaya.
It all started in 1979 when we were in Delhi and saw people struggling everyday. Education is one thing that if you spread, it will only increase. it is better than any monetary support. We wanted to give back to the society and Deepalaya came into picture which means house of light.The start The first school was started in a rented house in Chittaranjan Park in South Delhi with five students and a budget of Rs. 17,500 contributed by the members personally. The members took the responsibility of running the school by providing basic facilities like transport and material. In order to reduce the burden of rent on Deepalaya, Mr. Y Chakochan, one of the founders of Deepalaya, moved into the premises with his family to share the rent. The team realized that to run a school or buy a land, a society has to be registered. Hence, they decided to form a society named "Deepalaya Education Society". [caption id="attachment_10686" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Deepalaya ensures 1:1 girl boy ration in all its educational institutions.[/caption]
"One member agreed to teach, while other agreed to manage, so we all got together for the noble cause," Mathew says. Initially the school charged Rs. 30/- as fees to cover only operational costs. A rickshaw-puller, an ayah and two teachers were the initial staff of the school.
Today, Deepalaya is considered as the largest operating NGO in Delhi. Deepalaya’s main areas of influence are the urban slums of Delhi, but inroads into rural development in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been made as well.
What they do
Initially started with a focus on education, Deepalaya entered into healthcare in 1986. The NGO has “Mobile Health Units” that visits households, educate them about diseases such as AIDS, and provide health care services to them at their door-steps.
They promote girl child education and give preference to admitting girls while ensuring a 50:50 boy-to-girl ratio. Deepalaya also works with differently-abled. There are special educators, speech therapists, physiotherapists, community mobilizers and occupational therapists to help with this.
They also have a 22 bed mini-hospital in Gusbethi with secondary services in Institutional Deliver and Cataract operations. Along with that, they have provided menstrual health education to 10,000+ girl children.
[caption id="attachment_10685" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
The NGO has spread its wings to Healthcare.[/caption]
A revolving corpus fund has been instituted to provide loan scholarships to support meritorious children wanting to enroll in professional courses. The loan is repayable with minimal interest over a fixed period of time after a student obtains a job.
The NGO is funded by various donations, corporate partnerships, project marketing etc.
The impact and scaling up
The NGO has reached out, educated and mainstreamed over 40,000 children - girls (69%), street and working children, differently-abled. it is the largest operational NGO in Delhi with a staff of 321 spread over 11 locations.
The NGO has also reached out to a total of 76 slums, 400 village in total including 84 villages in Mewat as well as 7 villages in Uttarakhand. "We want to reach out to as many people as possible. We want to spread across India in the future," says Mathew.
[caption id="attachment_10684" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
The NGO also provides vocational training to poor to help them earn a proper livelihood.[/caption]
21 students from the organization went to The United States as part of CCI Project. Deepalaya's global presence has been growing steadily since the year 2000.
Over 20 children have come back to serve the Alma Mater in various capacities returning what they have got at Deepalaya to their own societies.
Overseas donors act as Deepalaya ambassadors and help the organization raise funds from other countries such as UK, US and Germany.
Lessons Learnt
"The biggest lesson we all have learnt is that every child is capable of excelling, he/she just needs the opportunity and resources," says Mathew.
Support Deepalaya, Make an Impact!
About the Author: Born with a hobby to travel, talk, express and write, Shreya gets to do all of that and is even paid for it! Interested in rural development and social issues, she dreams of actually bringing a change in society and writing a book of her own one day. When she is not preaching others about a better India she is busy watching movies and playing video games. Follow her on twitter: @shreya08
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What This Lady Has Done For Over 5000 Slum Children Has An Important Lesson For All Of Us
Beena Rao[/caption]
Her father was her role model ever since she was a kid. A violinist by profession, he would teach blind students for free in his spare time and this always inspired Rao.
“I have always seen my father helping the less privileged and that inspired me. I hoped that one day I would do something that would leave a bigger impact on the lives of the underprivileged and I am glad that I managed to do so,” Rao says.She introduced Prayas, a free coaching institute for slum children, with the help of her husband in 2006. Initially having started with teaching 2-3 children herself, she now has a team of 34 volunteers who teach around 1,200 students at eight different coaching centers across Surat, Gujarat.
“I noticed that in spite of the introduction of RTEs and other educational schemes, the dropout rate in schools remained high. So, I went to IIM, Ahmedabad and talked to Anil Gupta, who is also taking care of National Innovation Foundation. I shared my concerns with him and took his advice to solve the problem,” she says.
What does she do?
Rao, with the help of various volunteers, conducts coaching for the students of classes 3rd to 8th at various locations for free. She pays Rs.1,000-1,500 to the volunteers out of her own pocket or some donations that Prayas receives. A batch has 30 students and classes are conducted in the evening from 6 pm to 8 pm. Apart from teaching basic subjects, she also imparts moral education, and encourages students to engage in various art and craft activities. [caption id="attachment_11456" align="aligncenter" width="642"]
Beena Rao with her Prayas team.[/caption]
The curriculum lays an emphasis on holistic education by including discipline, yoga, mannerisms, and other aspects which are often neglected by the government schools.
The students from higher classes are taken for various science and sports workshops to train them in specific fields so that it could help them in the future as well. These workshops have benefited around 1,000 students in various areas.
Rao also started a Mobile Laboratory to promote the spirit of science in underprivileged kids and to identify those who have potential to pursue a career in the sciences. These workshops are conducted once a month by B.Ed. students.
The impact
A couple of months of training brought radical changes in the students. They stopped using abusive language and slang, mellowed down a bit and learnt a few basic courtesies. They became more disciplined and started showing better results in academics. Rao and her team also distribute books to these slum children to inculcate reading habits in them. Around 5,000 students have benefited from this so far. Rao has now registered Sadamani Charitable Trust where people can directly contribute to the initiative. The donations made to this trust will be exempted from taxation soon. [caption id="attachment_11918" align="aligncenter" width="526"]
Students at Prayas[/caption]
The Challenges
“Convincing the children and their families was a challenge,” Rao says. It took a lot of time to build trust and get the children and families interested. “Also, getting dedicated volunteers with the right spirit is important. And, because we don’t pay them much, we have to convince them to strike the right chord,” Rao says. The team also has to come up with various innovative and interesting ways to keep the students engaged.Lessons learnt
“Every day is a lesson here. People search for God, I see God in these children and when I see the positive changes in these kids, that satisfaction cannot be measured,” Rao says.Rao recalls an incident when she needed Rs.15,000 to pay the volunteers but she didn’t get any response from the people she approached. A man from Halpati Samaj community who owned a liquor shop came to Rao and offered help. Rao was surprised and asked him the reason behind his gracious gesture. “I don’t want my kids to sell liquor when they grow old. I would like them to study and get a good job and you are helping them achieve it,” the man said. Rao was moved and decided to do more for the community. Rao earns nothing from the trust, and she doesn’t expect anything in return except participation from slum children. She has a mission to make these students as good as mainstream school students. We meet a lot of people and some people bring a positive wave in the lives of people around them. Rao, with her initiative, has given hope to these slum children to dream big and opt for better careers. Want to help Beena Rao with her project? Contact her at- beena.d.rao@gmail.com To know more about the work of Prayas, you could check out their Facebook page.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
About the Author: Born with a hobby to travel, talk, express and write, Shreya gets to do all of that and is even paid for it! Interested in rural development and social issues, she dreams of actually bringing a change in society and writing a book of her own one day. When she is not preaching others about a better India she is busy watching movies and playing video games. Follow her on twitter: @shreya08
Editing: Shruti Mehrotra
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This Retired Economist Moved From Mumbai To Dehradun And Is Providing Quality Education To The Poor
PYDS provides quality education to those who can't afford it.[/caption]
The initiative gave him a scholarship, got him admitted in a better school, improved his English and gave him the confidence he never had. Today, Dangwal holds an important position in the small initiative which has now grown into a bigger organization called Purkal Youth Development Society that reaches out to 35 villages with a population of more than 15,000.
You can sense the confidence in him as he talks fluently in English about the amazing work Purkal Society is doing. “I would have been doing any odd job like most of my peers. I now realise how that small project has changed my life,” he says.
Dangwal’s story of change is just one example out of hundreds of lives that have been changed by Purkal Youth Development Society (PYDS). Located in a small village along the foothills of the Himalayas, this registered society focuses on children with great academic potential from economically poor communities and provides them every kind of help needed to achieve their dreams.
The Start
When G.K. Swamy, an economist, retired from his job at the age of 60, he wanted to spend the rest of his life in a peaceful environment, which brought him to Dehradun from Mumbai."We began our new life in a very interesting manner. We decided we’d not have a phone, a car or anything beyond the essentials. We would also not employ any servants and would do with as little as possible. But now we do have a lot more than we ever envisaged and have been supported in our vision beyond words," says Swamy.His desire to improve the education quality in the region and provide better opportunities to the economically weaker section of the society made him start a small initiative with four students. He started by teaching these students with his wife's help. [caption id="attachment_16255" align="aligncenter" width="940"]
PYDS's focus is on improving education quality for young minds, specially girls.[/caption]
Gradually, a few students became many and soon his house did not have enough space to fit in so many students. In 2008, Swamy's small initiative was finally registered as an organization and became a formal school for primary education. Today, after 14 years, the school is affiliated to the CBSE for classes up to 12.
What do they do?
PYDS aims at assisting the lesser advantaged to improve the circumstances of their lives. By empowering youth and women, they want reach out to the poorest of poor and enable them to get jobs that are as good as those available to mainstream privileged society, and not just odd jobs that somehow provide them a meagre livelihood. "Our focus is on helping students, especially girls from socially and economically poor backgrounds, so that they get equal opportunity to get a good education and live a better life," says Dangwal. Their Yuva Shakti Programme, identifies the deserving and bright students and assists them. The school not only provides a good education but also makes sure that the students engage in extra-curricular activities. Students are divided into 10 groups as per their interests. Interesting courses like bakery, pottery, theatre, etc. are also offered which makes the school unique. From uniforms to books, medical services and four meals a day - everything is offered for free! [caption id="attachment_16254" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
A regular session on current affairs keeps the students up to date with latest happenings.[/caption]
For those who can't attend the school due to lack of transport facilities, PYDS has provided two buses and one mini van that picks up and drops students from the remotest areas. To top this, students are also taken for adventure trips for better exposure.
Apart from this, sports and health hold an important position in this school. Regular Yoga classes are organized for students along with various outdoor games like basketball, trekking, mountaineering, etc.
"Our students won a Gold certificate from Tony Blair Foundation’s Faith to Face programme which conducts e-interactions through skype amongst children across various countries on topics of social and current relevance. This is the level of exposure that we wish our children to experience and have access to," Dangwal says.After completion of schooling, PYDS also assists these students to opt for higher education and university courses. The team provides help through grants, filling the forms, scholarships, etc. to help them pursue a course that would enable them to apply for a higher paying job and secure a better future. "A girl from a very poor family who could not even read and write properly is today pursuing her higher education in U.S. This is the level of training and push we give to our students," says Dangwal.
The challenges
"The biggest challenge was sustainability of our programmes. Lack of funds, unawareness among villagers and all such small reasons became an obstacle," says Dangwal. Today, the programme completely runs on donations and sponsorship for the children. [caption id="attachment_16250" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Apart from education, PYDS also focuses on sports and extra curricular activities.[/caption]
Another challenge came while bringing the students to the school. They lived in various locations and it was difficult to convince them to attend the school on a regular basis. "Also, child marriage in some cases was a problem. Though the situation is improving, it was an issue in the earlier stages," says Dangwal.
The impact
PYDS has a campus that covers 10 kms of area. The team of 55 has engaged over 15,000 students so far. Gradually the situation is improving in these villages. "The biggest impact can be seen in the attitude of parents. They have started taking education seriously. They have also agreed to the holistic education model and extra-curricular activities for their children," says Dangwal. A large number of students have started going to better schools and applying for higher education due to PYDS' intervention. The village now sees a larger number of people opting for professional careers. Also, PYDS has played an important role in sensitizing the people. The students are also more concerned about the environment now, as PYDS has engaged the students and their families in various cleanliness, health and hygiene campaigns. Some students have formed a group called "waste warriors" which collects waste every Wednesday, segregates it and then sends it to the municipality. [caption id="attachment_16257" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Thanks to PYDS, many students have gone to a decent college for higher studies.[/caption]
The Future
PYDS now wants to replicate this model to other communities and cities and engage more students in their initiatives. Opening a hostel facility is also in their plan."I was a student of PYDS's first batch. And, I have seen the change in me. They assisted me in going to a better school, gave me scholarships and other assistance. It is because of PYDS' support only that I manged to finish my graduation and now I hold an important position here," says Dangwal.Education, being the most important thing that builds a strong base for a child, should not be ignored. And PYDS, through its various amazing programmes, is helping the poorest of poor to follow their dreams and giving them a chance to come to par with the mainstream children. To know more about this initiative, contact PYDS at - Purkalsociety@hotmail.com
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia)
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What Happens When Street Children Cannot Attend School? The School Comes To Them In A Bus!
Mukti's mission is to make these lesser privileged children as accomplished as the mainstream ones.[/caption]
The driving force behind this school on wheels, Mukti, hails from an affluent family business with business interests in aviation, real estate, telecommunication and software development. Mukti’s company itself is a grandiose one owning the Hotel Park Plaza of international repute and the extremely popular and swanky entertainment hub, Muktiworld.
So what led her from dealing with the creamy layer of the society to reaching out to the underprivileged and neglected zones, where even the common man would not take a second look? The miserable conditions of the poor came knocking on the car window of this corporate honcho, with a street urchin asking for alms. It was then that she decided to do something that would help them.
Signing off cheques to NGOs working for underprivileged children could have been an easier option, but that was not the solution for Mukti. And this time, she was more keen to go for a lasting solution rather than a temporary option. She says, “It has always been my wish to help the underprivileged children in the field of education; I believe that education is the only way to give them a better future.” She gathered some like-minded and enthusiastic friends to form an NGO Help Us Help Them, and launched a school in Mullickpur.
Her family, though initially skeptical, gave a thumbs up to her dream project that was all set to realize the dreams of the children. She says: “My family has always been supportive about my decisions and my ideas. They have been the pillar of strength for me, and it is because of them that I have come so far.”
However, the dream that had been sketched out only in her mind and on paper, had to be realized, after negating several adversities. And that she did with her positive determination and sharp business acumen, probably inherited for an active cause.
[caption id="attachment_14036" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
The school set up by Mukti now gets over 200 admissions and students are taught using innovative techniques[/caption]
Her journey of launching her school on wheels project could have made for a motivational Hindi film script where the hero fights off all the impossible-seeming obstacles in the most ingenious and smooth manner. The film might have had a happy conclusion. But the situation was comparatively more tense, as when the engines started sounding, there was an anti-climactic turnout of only 2 children at her school in Mullickpur.
So was this highly ambitious Help Us Help Them project about to prove the detractors correct? Gupta worked tenaciously on promoting the school, and with time and sweat, successfully recorded more than 200 admissions. To make her school stand out, she had her teachers trained in Advanced Mental Arithmetic gratis from the Malaysia-based UCMAS.
She set up a six-machine computer lab in association with NIIT. Understanding the importance of extra-curricular activities and sports, she even started a swimming facility in the nearby pond with swimming classes conducted under the supervision of a national swimming coach, Bishwajit Choudhury. In fact, talented children identified in the sport could either qualify for district level championship or make it to good schools with sports quota.
After setting up such unique institutions of education, Mukti went forth with her mobile School on Wheels project, wherein the educational institution actually rode down to cater to the poverty-stricken children.
The fuel of patience and persistence was added to keep the gears of the project moving. She wrote to several corporate organizations for the take off of her mobile educational school bus.
“To start with, I wrote a letter to the person managing the Tata Motors CSR practice in Mumbai and then from one person to the other till they termed my idea as “crazy”. The result was the cheque which I received from them as their 50 percent contribution. Oriental Bank of Commerce also contributed towards 40 percent of the costs. The remaining was contributed by family and friends. So this is how we started off,” Mukti recalls.Today, the bus that has been contributed by Tata Motors and converted completely into a school on the inside, stands proudly at its resting point at Sealdah station, outside Park Circus Maidan. Throughout the day, it is busy visiting various colonies and collecting street children for their ‘school time’. [caption id="attachment_14034" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Students are taught swimming by national level coach, Bishwajit Choudhary at a nearby pond.[/caption]
Mukti cites, “Our objective is to bridge the gap between, the mainstream education and street children. Our target segment is basically the slum / street children from various age groups.”
The features of this mobile school bus that make it so striking, are many. To make way for a spacious classroom environment inside the bus, the seats have been removed. You would thus be greeted by a 175 sq ft classroom, looking bright with chowkis for the children to work and study and informative posters all around. An impressive plasma TV hangs on the wall to enable audio-visual learning.
“We have given the bus a classroom look with no seats and with proper carpet flooring. We have installed an LCD set to utilize A/V teaching tools. To make the classroom more child-friendly and attractive, there are a lot of soft toys and games & puzzles. The bus exterior is very creatively and colorfully done. We follow the West Bengal board’s syllabus and also teach them with the help of audio-visuals to make learning a fun experience for them,” Mukti explains.Apart from academics, vocational training is imparted, partly as an incentive for the children to join, and partly to make them ready to stand on their own feet financially sooner and to be able to live a life of dignity. The children are also provided nutritious food to keep them going physically and make them more regular in attending school. Mukti elaborates, “We provide them with health drinks and food which they are otherwise deprived of. This makes them regular to the school. We make our classroom interesting by showing them cartoons, kid’s movies, rhymes & stories. We also take them for excursions .” Ayahs (helpers) have been appointed to ensure to scrub clean the children daily and put on their school uniforms before starting with their classes. There are approximately 30-35 students per batch and around 100 students are taught in a day. Students have been divided into various batches and every batch has 1 teacher to assist them. There are 3 teachers, 2 nannies (ayahs) and 1 driver per location. Students are taught according to their age and their class education standard. The nannies help students maintain hygiene and cleanliness. [caption id="attachment_17648" align="aligncenter" width="427"]
The seats of the bus have been removed to create a 175 sq ft classroom[/caption]
The parents of the street children attending this unique school, were initially skeptical about sending their children here, but have now become active supporters and motivators of this cause. Says Mukti about convincing parents, “We visit the parents regularly to curb dropouts and to explain the improvement in the children’s education.” While talking about the main target audience of this mega project, i.e the street children, Mukti says,
"For them it is like a dream because their usual life is very different from what they experience inside the bus and their school. They wait for their school to come to them… Further, we also provide them with vocational training like clay painting, music, drawing etc which can help them earn a living.”The unusual education drive is already en-route to success as two students have been admitted in a boarding school and a few students have been selected for government schools. Another good news is that the Oriental Bank of Commerce has already announced a year-long support for the mobile school. Mukti hopes to expand the reach and facilities with the monetary support. “We are planning to launch 2 more buses so that we can reach out to larger numbers and more locations, and educate more children,” says Mukti. The school operates from Monday to Saturday at 3 locations - Raja Bazaar from 9 am- 11.30 am , Park Circus from 12.30pm - 3.30 pm and Southern Avenue from 4 pm – 6.30pm. Today, the bus brakes only to either pick up the children from the designated school stops or to take a breather at the end of a busy day at Sealdah station. Clearly, Mukti’s mobile school bus is going full steam ahead! You too can support Mukti in this brilliant initiative by getting in touch with her at muktigup@gmail.com.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
Ipsita Sarkar is a freelance writer.
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How Football Led To 100 Percent Attendance In A Government School
"His words still ring in my head, he said 'Bhaiya, this is what makes me happy, please let me play'. He went on to play and score the winning goal for the team that day,” remembers Plakkot.
This is a true example of what sports means and the impact it can create. [caption id="attachment_18087" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Students from different background come together as a team.[/caption]
When even quality education is a far cry in public schools meant for low-income households in India, implementing sports as an “extra” activity seems like an impossible task, especially when almost half the schools don't even have a playground!
But Vikas Plakkot, an engineer who was not satisfied with just the degree and wanted to understand change, is changing the situation through his amazing initiative Just for Kicks.
The motto of JFK is simple – everyone plays!
JFK has enabled hundreds of kids like Sayaji to not only come out of their shell but also become more confident team players. Started in 2011 with just a dozen kids, JFK now engages 1,300 students in cities through football.
The idea clicked when Plakkot was a Teach for India fellow and, while discussing the state of education in India with other fellows, they agreed on the point that there was a lack of team work in the students.
[caption id="attachment_18085" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
The regular practice has made them better team players.[/caption]
These students came from very different backgrounds and circumstances. They had never been part of a team before. Plakkot and other fellows, being great sports fans, thought of using sports as a tool to impart team spirit in the kids.
“I took the bunch of 12 most difficult kids from a school and engaged them in football. Within in a month, there was a tremendous positive growth. They became more interested in studying; their attendance and participation in the school increased too,” Plakkot remembers.
The success of his first sports class made Plakkot sure that football was capable of bringing a positive change.
“We chose football, because this sport imparts team spirit. Cricket is more of an individual’s game but football requires everyone to work together, and this is what we needed,” he says.
Through a unique model which involves many stakeholders including parents, teachers, headmasters and students, JFK has managed to keep the students’ interest alive.
[caption id="attachment_18086" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Football also gives students an opportunity to express themselves.[/caption]
“Teachers work very closely with the students as managers. This gives them an opportunity to observe the student closely and also understand him or her outside the serious environment of a classroom,” he says.The process starts with identifying the right schools which are mostly low income government schools or budget private schools. After meeting with the teachers and the school authority, a sports curriculum of four years is drafted.
The cost of training and working with each kid is around Rs.3,000 per year, but JFK charges only Rs.150 for the entire year. ![jfk3]()
“We want to charge a minimal amount because we want parents and students to get a feeling of involvement. If it is for free then most of the time they don’t take it seriously,” he says.The coaches are hired from other colleges and existing football teams who might be willing to train the school kids. A pre- and post-match session is done to make the students think about their performances and what they have learnt.
JFK organizes several leagues and tournaments to keep students as engaged as possible in a formal manner. There is a pre-match ceremony and a post-match function, followed by team pictures.
“We pay huge attention to minute details like shaking hands before and after the match, etc. These small things play a very crucial role in building character,” he says.Sometimes it becomes hard to deal with the students and explain to them how the game works.
As they have never played a game like this, it is a challenge to explain to them why only one particular person can score a goal and why another has to just defend it and pass the ball.
[caption id="attachment_18084" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
The kids become more confident and active.[/caption]
“Some students might feel that their role is not as important as others. It becomes a challenge to explain to them that every one has a designated role and it is important too,” Plakkot says.In just three years of operation, JFK has seen a great positive change in the attitude of the students.
Apart from overall personality development, there has been a huge rise in attendance rate. Every month, the schools where JFK is involved have an attendance rate of 95 to 100 percent.
[embedvideo id="IbVUXgbImEg" website="youtube"] The JFK team also measures the growth rate of a kid who plays football and one who does not.As per their report, the kids who were part of JFK’s football programme saw over 28 percent positive growth in their overall academics and personality.
The team of 12 which currently works in Hyderabad, Pune and Maharshtra wants to expand to other cities and reach out to more students in the near future. They want to organize more large scale tournaments and leagues. JFK is also partnering with Liverpool academy, Pune to enhance their work.
“Right now we only focus on English medium schools, but we also want to reach out to other regional language schools,” he says. They have also come up with an interesting model like IPL or ISL where people can buy these teams for just $200.
JFK has started a campaign where you can buy a team and help the students play. Click here for more details.
To know more about JFK and their work, contact Vikas Plakkot at - vikas.plakkot@gmail.com or check out their Facebook page.Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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How This School Bag Also Serves As A Study Lamp For Delhi’s Slum Kids
Do you know that more than 15% of children in Delhi live in slums? And lack of electricity is one of the biggest hurdles they face in their path towards education?
Unable to study after sunset, these children under perform in their class and drop out of school.
To address this issue, Anusheela Saha came up with an interesting idea - using the school bag to also become a study lamp! Watch this video to see how: [embedvideo id="118578556" website="vimeo"] Here's our brief interview with Anusheela Saha:What was your thought process behind coming up with this design?
Most of Delhi’s slums have no access to electricity and the frequent power cuts ensure that the children do their homework or studies either under candle light or kerosene lamps. The flickering light not only make it difficult for them to study but eventually lead to them losing interest in studies and even dropping out of schools. I felt very strongly about this problem and believed there was a simple and sustainable way to tackle it. I conceptualized the idea in a school bag – with solar panels and LED lights. These bags could act as school bags during the day and become a study lamp at night, with a simple turn of a flap – providing the children with their very own source of light. The bags could get charged when the children walked to and from school and even at school – as most of them go to open schools. I approached Salaam Balak Trust with the idea. They are an NGO that has been working with the slum children in Delhi for the past 25 years. They loved the idea and agreed to partner with the cause.Why not giving them solar LED lights, for instance, which can remain at home?
A solar LED light or lantern is meant for common use for an entire family. The intention with the Light Bag was to give the children their vey own study unit - meant only for them to use. They can take them out on summer night when they study on a ‘charpayi’ outside the house. Or even use it like a bed light if they want to read to bed. Something, that gives them a lot of pride to own and also induce interest in reading and studying.How many students are currently using this bag?
Currently 30-40 children are using the bag. These had been funded by Cheil India. We have received contributions for hundreds more. We plan to reach out to all slum children in Delhi and even get into rural India.How can our readers contribute to this cause?
Please get in touch with me at anusheela.saha[at]gmail.com if you desire to contribute towards these bags.↧
5 Ways In Which You Can Start Educating Underprivileged Children Right Now
A Quick Guide To Start Making A Difference
Here is a quick guide that gets you started with 5 easy ways to start educating the less-fortunate children around your neighbourhood. Important Note: Before you embark on any of these ideas, please ensure that you have a longer-term curriculum in place and get it validated by a qualified and certified school teacher/principal.1. Rent a small van/mini-bus and start a weekend mobile-school
All you need is a couple of volunteers, a balanced curriculum of academics and engaging activities, and a small van that can double up as a classroom when parked. Identify an area which has high concentration of poor children (usually slums in your city) and take your mobile-school to that area every weekend. Initial traction may be tough, but if you remain persistent and make the classes enjoyable, the kids are sure to turn up every time they hear your van approaching!Case Study: Mukti Gupta has started a successful mobile-school in Kolkata. Read her story to get ideas on how you could start your own mobile-school too!
2. Start a classroom right inside your living room!
If you work from home or return from office early enough, you could get the lesser-privileged children from around your neighbourhood right inside your living room and conduct classes right there. You don't need a lot of resources, just your home and the right curriculum will be enough to give these children quality education for free. You could also get your neighbours to join-in and help out with different subjects and activities. One of the ways you can spread the word around is by talking to your own domestic helps such as maids etc and asking them to send their children to you (in case they don't go to a school). You can also do this as a weekend activity, supplementing the learning that these children get in their local schools. Make a difference today by starting your own living room school!Case Studies:
- Ritu Abbhi runs a school in her own living room to teach those children who cannot continue school due to financial constraints.
- Domestic helpers are being taught to read and write by their employers.
3. Start a library with old books
Collect old books from your neighbours, friends, family, colleagues - anyone who is keen to contribute to your cause. Put up a facebook post or a tweet asking for books. Go to the nearby locality where there are many underprivileged children. Identify a place (perhaps a tea stall?) where you can put these books up and get the children to come and browse through. Instill a sense of ownership by having a log book at the venue. Any child picking up a book should enter his/her details and the book's title in that log book so that they get to manage the library on their own. Frequently check with the children on what they like and don't like about this new library. Replenish the books once every month.Case Study: Provision stores and tea stalls became the new hangouts for the children of Bangalore's slums
4. Setup a small training unit to teach skills to children
If you are good at any specific vocational skills (such as basket weaving, or stitching etc), start a small unit in your locality where children can come and learn these skills from you. Ensure that the skill you are teaching is appropriate to the child's age. Teaching a computer-based skill can be extremely handy to these children if they are exposed to it in the long-run.Case Study: Pranjal Dubey started a college for rural youth to impart life skills & quality education
5. Organize an outdoor sport every weekend with the children
They will not only enjoy the game, they will also pick up many life-skills in the process. Education is not always delivered through academic curriculum. Sports such as football, cricket, hockey help children come out of their shells and become better team players. Identify a ground near your community (perhaps a ground of a school/college?) which you can make use of on weekends. Get the parents and teachers of these children involved too - that way you can build a great sense of camaraderie amidst the children and their guardians.Case Study: Vikas Plakkot started 'Just For Kicks' that uses football to bring a positive change in the students of government schools
Have other ideas? Leave them as comments below or write to us!What Next?
If you started making a difference, please let us know! We'd love to hear all about it!
Spread the word: Share on Facebook | Share on Twitter
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A Plastic Disc is taking underprivileged children to London. Here is how you can help them.
Just when Ganesan thought his life will forever be the same, a plastic disc came to change it forever.
[caption id="attachment_23523" align="aligncenter" width="632"]
M. Ganesan[/caption]
Ganesan is not the only one who has benefited from this lesser known sport. Siva Raman has yet another success story to share. Hailing from Chennai slums, Raman too saw a very poor life. But once he started playing the sport, he got an opportunity to travel and participate in the World Championship which took him to Dubai. His excellent performance in the sport earned him immense popularity and even got him selected in the dream team of top players from the tournament .
The India U23 Ultimate Frisbee team is not only giving these underprivileged kids an opportunity to bring a change in their lives but also marking India’s place in this lesser known sport.
[caption id="attachment_23519" align="aligncenter" width="847"]
The team is preparing to participate in world championship in London.[/caption]
For most of us who are not very well versed with the sport, Ultimate Frisbee has been an unrecognized sport played mostly by kids. But this mixed-gender, self-refereed sport is recognized by the International Olympics Committee.
“Many people don’t even know about the sport. But we are gradually progressing. We are getting many kids on board and their interest and passion has increased to a great level,” says Bharath Devanathan from Ultimate Frisbee.
It all started in 2007 when a group of seven people played frisbee every morning on a Chennai beach. A nearby school for underprivileged kids encouraged them to participate in the sport and gradually the kids got so addicted to it that it changed the course of their lives.
[caption id="attachment_23516" align="aligncenter" width="835"]
Ultimate Frisbee is gradually becoming a popular sport.[/caption]
In 2013, the Ultimate Frisbee association was officially formed and even got a coach from Australia. Having started with four to five people, the U23 organizing team consists of over 20 members who have helped in selections and tryouts for over 200 kids across India
The Ultimate Frisbee U23 team now has 24 players from seven cities of India who are capable of performing at the international level. The sport is not limited to underprivileged kids only. Kids and youth under the age of 23 belonging to any financial background can be a part of the team.
The USP of the team is that players from different economic circumstances are part of a single team. Not only this, as it is a mixed gender sport, it has given a great opportunity to girls as well.
[caption id="attachment_23515" align="aligncenter" width="840"]
The sport has given a new direction to the kids.[/caption]
“This sport is affordable as it requires just a disc. And unlike other teams and sports, anyone can join it irrespective of their financial status and gender,” says Bharath.Thanks to this sport, there has been a tremendous positive change in the attitude of the kids. They have become more confident, revel in team spirit and have got a new aim in their lives. A few kids now go and teach in local NGOs too. Though Ultimate Frisbee has come a long way since its inception, but it wasn’t an easy task to get everything in place. As the game is not very popular, it was a challenge to get kids on board and keep them motivated.
[caption id="attachment_23513" align="aligncenter" width="848"]“When something as simple as 175 grams of plastic can teach a 15-year-old kid to take what he has learned from the sport and to apply it to his life, you know something pretty amazing is happening,” says the team.
The team needs financial assistance to participate at international level.[/caption]
In the next couple of years, the Ultimate Frisbee team wants to reach out to more schools and get more students on board. They also plan to organize various workshops and camps for the kids.
The team is preparing for the world championship in London but is struggling to get enough funds to sponsor their trips. As most of the players come from an economically poor background, they are unable to arrange the funds.
Ultimate Frisbee has started a fund raising campaign where they are raising funds for their participation in the games. Click here to help them in their efforts.
[embedvideo id="wY2fI00Aguo" website="youtube"] To know more about the team and its work, contact them at- u23@indiaultimate.org.Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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How a Sports Day For Differently Abled Kids is Helping them Stand on their Feet
Sports is bringing a visible change in the life and attitude of the kids.[/caption]
This was no ordinary event. It was a Special Olympics, organised for kids with disability, by the Secure Giving organization and Concern India foundation.
Secure Giving organization has been organizing several inter-NGO sports meets for underprivileged children. When the events received an overwhelming response from people over a period of time, the organization planned to turn it into a regular feature. [caption id="attachment_20745" align="aligncenter" width="350"]“An event like this was a first for many of us, and it was quite amazing to witness. Have you ever seen girls with visual impairment run a race? All they had to go by was the sound of a clanging bell and the cheers of everyone around them, and each and every one crossed the finish line without mishap and within the lines of their own track.”
- Neha Mitra, Communications Head, Concern India Foundation.
Kids not only receive a confidence boost, but also get to interact with other kids.[/caption]
“It seemed like the ideal combination of the two events, where children with different disabilities could participate on the same platform,” says Mitra. The team contacted Special Olympics Bharat to give a better shape to the team's idea, since they had reliable experience in this field.
The children who participated in this amazing event have physical, visual, auditory and cognitive disabilities. They indulged actively in activities such as flat races for the children, as well as races for those on wheelchairs and crutches. “Depending on their different abilities, they ran 25, 50, or 100 meter distances. Over time, we hope to include a wider variety of events,” says Mitra.
The Sports Day has left a tangible and quite a visible impact on the lives of the participants. While most of them leave with more confidence and a feeling of accomplishment, many schools, parents and families have also shown interest in organising similar events at their localities at regular intervals.
[caption id="attachment_20746" align="aligncenter" width="793"]
The popularity of the event is gradually increasing.[/caption]
“A number of them even asked us to organize similar events in sports like swimming, trekking, etc.,” says Mitra.Of course, like many other NGOs and initiatives, this event too faced a few hurdles when it came to bringing people on board and gaining attention in its favour. “Our primary challenge, like many other NGOs, was raising funds to support the event. Once we set our sights on making this event a reality, a number of corporates and individuals came forward to support us,” says Mitra.
Finalizing the date, keeping the enthusiasm alive and bringing people together, was yet another challenge which the team managed to overcome with astounding help from great active participation on the part of the kids and their will power.
[caption id="attachment_20744" align="aligncenter" width="350"]
The team is all set to expand the initiative to other places.[/caption]
The event is all set to expand in the next few months. Concern India Foundation has been providing financial and non-financial aid to various grassroots-level organizations, working in the areas of education, health, and community development, by bridging the gap between corporate houses and philanthropists, and these organizations.
Currently, the Foundation supports 270 programmes across the country, reaching out to over 1,60,000 people from marginalized sections of the society.
Thanks to their intervention, the sports day has been a successful event till now and witnessed over 185 kids in its last edition.
[caption id="attachment_20748" align="aligncenter" width="350"]
The number of participants in each edition is increasing.[/caption]
“We expect a lot more footprint in our next editions,” says Mitra. In the future, the team would like to include more children and expand the range of activities. Ideally, they want to replicate it in six other branches around the country.
“We recognize the need to do more for these sections of society; they are all too often marginalized and discriminated against, missing out on opportunities that they deserve due to no fault of theirs.”
- Neha Mitra.
In case you want to reach out to the organisers and support their cause, you can either directly donate here or check out their website. You may also visit them on Facebook, write to them at mumbai@concernindia.org or call them on +91 (022) 22855487.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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How Residents of One Village in Ludhiana are Using Hockey to Help Underprivileged Kids Fight Poverty
Some have new hockey sticks and some have ‘remnants’ of hockey sticks, most of the kids are not in proper attire and some don’t even have basic sports shoes. Even the ground is not as per specifications – it is less than half the size of a normal hockey ground.
[caption id="attachment_27346" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
Children of Jalaldiwal Village[/caption]
But, so what? These children, who belong to the poorest strata of society, have found their calling! They know that it is through the game of hockey that they will be able to carve a place for themselves in life. The children of Jalaldiwal village in Ludhiana are indeed trying to make their mark through grit, perseverance and commitment. Be it summer or foggy winters, the children are on the ground by 4 pm to sweat it out.
For the children themselves, who are from marginalized communities and live on the fringes of society, an opportunity to associate with hockey turned out to be manna from heaven. The sheer fact that they could spend two hours of quality time every day in a sports activity, away from their hapless surroundings, became the motivation to appear every day on the sports ground in good or bad weather. For two months, they persevered without a coach and even without even proper diets to give them the stamina to play. [caption id="attachment_27349" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]The initiative to help these children who live below the poverty line and whose parents do menial labour, came from the local elders of the village. They were determined to help as many kids as possible to find a way out of their poverty-stricken lives and climb further up the social ladder.
On the Playing Fileld[/caption]
Seeing the commitment of the children, the influential residents of the village decided to bring in a hockey coach. Strings had to be pulled as no one wanted to come to a small village to give training to a ragtag group of underprivileged children. Finally, Baljeet Kaur -- a product of the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, who was originally from the village -- proved to be receptive to taking on the challenge. Her arrival brought about the catalytic change the children needed and their level of game started showing a qualitative improvement.
Two of the products of this village “academy” have now become idols for the children who play here. Jagtar Singh was selected to go to the Sports School, Ghoda. Although he was over-age to meet the criteria of admission (children up to class IX are admitted but he was already in class X), the school was impressed by the abundance of his talent and his commitment to the sport. Another child, Amritpal Kaur, was also selected by the Anmol Preet Kaur Sports Wing, Badal village (a sports academy being run in the village of the Chief Minister of Punjab -- Shri Prakash Singh Badal). For both these children, life has changed for the better and both say that were it not for the academy they would still be doing labor activities with their families. Hockey has given them new hopes and dreams. [caption id="attachment_27353" align="aligncenter" width="850"]Glory finally came to the children when they made their mark at the rural games conducted in Ludhiana; they were able to defeat the defending champions belonging to Quilla Raipur village. Their performance put them in the spotlight and they started participating in many events taking place all over rural Punjab.
Coach Baljeet Kaur (centre) with her proteges[/caption]
The fallout of the training received from this academy has been positive for the other children as well. They have developed a sense of self-confidence and the self-belief necessary to succeed in life. A sense of discipline prevails, manifest in their showing up at the hockey grounds even before time and working rigorously with the help of the coach. This has had a rub-off effect on their studies as well.
Seeing their success, a few local corporate houses have stepped in to provide them nutrition and quality food, and another organization has provided them with uniforms. Now they are awaiting a proper ground for their practice and once that happens, more success stories will follow for sure.
Impressed by the results obtained by this so-called academy (it still does not have the wherewithal that defines a conventional academy), an NRI has offered his land for development as a proper hockey ground for the children.
[caption id="attachment_27354" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
The Team[/caption]
The people of Jalaldiwal village hope that this story will inspire other villages around the country to take up similar initiatives in their areas to help children from marginalized communities use sports as a vehicle for improving the lives of young children.
To learn more about the initiative taken by the residents of Jalaldiwal village, you can contact Nalin Rai at nalinrai@gmail.com
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
About the author: Nalin Rai is a development professional who likes to bring to relief the development initiatives happening on their own in the moffusil parts of India and bring them into mainstream.
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How One NGO Celebrates the Most Basic Right of a Child – Having Fun
Many underprivileged children are unable to find time to just have fun and be kids during their childhood — they are busy helping at home or working to support their families from a very young age. The difficulties they face, financially and emotionally, are so persistent that they barely have time or mental space to enjoy basic recreational moments, such as reading or playing with toys. One NGO is fighting to give them back their rightful childhood.
"Pothi Padh Padh Kar Jag Mua, Pandit Bhayo Na Koye
Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Jo Padhe so Pandit Hoye"
(Having read piles of books and scriptures, people died, but failed to become scholars
Only the ones who read two and half letters of love, gained scholarly wisdom).
- Sant Kabir
After volunteering for about six months, Nyla, along with a friend, Shahla Raza, took the initiative of starting Project Dhai Akshar.
[caption id="attachment_28634" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
The kids having lunch together.[/caption]
So, what exactly is Project Dhai Akshar?
It is a cause
[caption id="attachment_28639" align="aligncenter" width="538"]"Our NGO, Project Dhai Akshar, provides these children with a recreational learning centre where they can productively use their time. We have rented a place close to where these children reside, where we have a kitchen, a bathroom, a reading room and a main room where the children indulge in a variety of activities and at the same time learn practical life skills."
- Nyla Masood
Learning is part of the fun.[/caption]
The centre remains open for four hours everyday, Monday through Saturday, and sometimes even on Sundays if the children insist. Once Nyla and her friend had set it up, they had to hire someone to attend to the kids regularly. There is a full-time teacher who is exceptionally dedicated towards the children and another lady, who assists the children for their physical needs.
Nyla began this NGO because she wanted to provide the children with a space where they could indulge in recreational activities. Most of the kids do not have access to any library or toys at home.
[caption id="attachment_28632" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Play time![/caption]
She helps kids take out books from the library and the ones who cannot read are given picture books. She has her friends and other volunteers come in and teach the children various things like chess, music, art, etc. They also hold weekly debates. Starting this month, they are extending their hours to add another extra hour dedicated completely to school work, since a lot of kids come in requiring help with the same.
[caption id="attachment_28636" align="aligncenter" width="360"]"The children have had various outings, and we have managed, with the help of a few sponsors, to take them for educational and children's plays and a trip to Nehru Planetarium as well as to watch a children's film. They have also been provided with a full health check-up and a visit to the dentist. The children are given healthy, wholesome snacks daily."
- Nyla
Getting the medical check-up of kids done.[/caption]
It is a challenge
These children come from homes where poverty, hunger and violence are commonplace. There are kids whose parents are substance abusers and they require money to continue their abuse. The hardships these kids face at that young an age robs them of their innocence. [caption id="attachment_28633" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Theatre classes.[/caption]
The biggest challenge the NGO faces is retaining the children. As the kids grow older and reach the age of 11 and 12, they begin leaving because their families see more sense in their working and earning.
Some parents keep preventing their children from being part of such an NGO and would much rather have them be at home or work. Nyla has personally gone and knocked on doors, gone to the beach where the kids work, to try and convince them to come back. She has even driven them back and forth. However, they still leave. For example, she recalls and incident in which a child's mother was a drug addict and was forcing the kid to stay at home. She took her car and brought the child back to Dhai Akshar but he still had to leave. [caption id="attachment_28637" align="aligncenter" width="720"]
When the BMC demolished illegal settlements on the Versova beach, the children were left homeless. Project Dhai Akshar held the hands of the kids as the place got torn down and made an appeal to the residents to feed the kids who would potentially go hungry for the night, as a cause of the demolition.[/caption]
Some children return, maybe three or four months later, but their visits are not regular. The irony is that the kids who stay are the diligent and passionate ones, the ones who leave are the ones who require the most assistance.
Then, there is the obvious issue of funds. Currently, the NGO is operational on just voluntary funds from friends and family. Nyla is seeking to get it registered as a charitable trust so that she can look for corporate funding.
[caption id="attachment_28638" align="aligncenter" width="720"]
Actor Om Puri spending time with the kids.[/caption]
It is beautiful
We asked Nyla to narrate some moment that really touched her.Each one of the kids had made her something as a gift. From scratch. With twigs and broken plastic bottles and paper rolls. Where one had made her a photo frame, having drawn his and her face in it, another had made her a paper movie with a twig and a rotating paper. [caption id="attachment_28635" align="aligncenter" width="960"]"I did not even know they would remember my birthday. I walked in and the fan was switched off. My chair was placed right under it. I sat down, all the while commenting on how it was so hot and that I did not understand why they would switch it off. So, I asked someone to switch on...and...down came the confetti."
- Nyla
There is art in everything; it's all in the perspective.[/caption]
Nyla would like it if people in the city dropped by at Dhai Akshar and even spent an hour with the kids. They could share anything with the children — stories or lessons in math, English, etc., or teach them games. A little goes a long way. They are, after all, just kids. All they really require is dhai akshar prem ke.
To know more about Project Dhai Akshar, contact Nyla at – projectdhaiaksharLike this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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Two High School Boys Had a Casual Chat. Now Hundreds of Underprivileged Kids have Notebooks.
"Do I dare disturb the universe?"
Aniruddha Voruganti chose to say yes.
This teenager, studying at National Public School, Koramangala, Bangaluru, in the last year of his school life, took an initiative with his friend, Nishant Panicker, which is now the reason why hundreds of underprivileged kids have notebooks and stationery, and why a lot of paper is being recycled and reused.
Their brainchild is called 'Towards A Green Education' or TAGE.
The Why
[caption id="attachment_28328" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
The lack of basic resources available to these children stunt their potential to learn and grown.[/caption]
Aniruddha says that, besides medicine, he always wanted to take up a humanitarian cause. However, just like most of us, he did not know where to begin and what to do. Over a conversation with his friend, the realisation dawned that the most powerful way to bring about change was through education.
The How
[caption id="attachment_28329" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Every year, we throw away a bulk of such resources which could help these children colossally. TAGE collects such resources.[/caption]
"We collect any recyclable paper from schools and communities, and use the funds generated from recycling to buy stationery. However, an important aspect is that we remove the blank pages from old notebooks so they aren’t wasted and use these to make new notebooks with the help of school students." - AniruddhaThey make their collections on a monthly basis. Aniruddha says the faculty at his school has been extremely supportive and the teachers take an active interest in this project. They experimented with three or four models prior to this, all of which failed, but they persevered and concluded with this brilliant one.
The monthly collection happens from the school as well as the residences of the team members.
[caption id="attachment_28332" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
They sell used paper to gather funds and reuse blank ones to make new notebooks.[/caption]
Generally, they sell their papers at ITC's 'Wealth Out of Waste' programme, which is a recycling initiative undertaken by ITC's Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division. If the location and rates are good, then they also sell to the local paper dealers. There is a local stationery shop which provides them with a good deal and that is where they purchase their stationery from.
Apart from this, they have also held notebook making competitions which have been runaway successes, resulting in the making of 350 notebooks. They started with just two members, now they have five more and the number will only keep growing.
The Numbers
[caption id="attachment_28333" align="aligncenter" width="720"]
Handmade notebooks for the underprivileged children.[/caption]
"Over the course of this year, we’ve collected over 2,100 kilos of paper, about 50,000 sheets of blank paper, and made over 350 notebooks - enough to provide over 300 children with stationery. On the 29th of June, we, with some of our friends and volunteers, visited a government school in collaboration with Akshara Foundation and gave 250 children stationery 'sets' - each of which includes a handmade notebook, a 100-page notebook, a box of 10 pencils, two erasers and a sharpener." - Aniruddha[caption id="attachment_28331" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Stationery and notebooks bought from the funds, to give to the children.[/caption]
The Future
[caption id="attachment_28330" align="alignnone" width="720"]
The most important aspect is that the initiative keeps continuing efficiently.[/caption]
They intend on expanding and teaming up with other schools for a larger collection of papers. He has a keen interest in National Public School (NPS), Indiranagar. Whereas his team collects 2.2 tonnes, he says, NPS, Indiranagar collects 4 tonnes. When asked how he intends having his 'legacy' taken forward given that he is graduating soon, he laughs. Aniruddha says the school has integrated the programme into the academic curriculum and since there is an Eco Club in his school, there is a great chance that this would continue to carry on.
The Hope
"It isn't the most innovative of ideas. It is simple and effective. The key is that it continues."
- Aniruddha
[caption id="attachment_28350" align="aligncenter" width="1617"]
The team of TAGE - Clockwise: Nitika, Nishant, Shagun, Vivek and Mahek, Mahek, Vivek, Aarcha, Aniruddha[/caption]
Aniruddha hopes that people will take notice of his initiative and take part. Education is how the world shall change, is his belief, and while he is sailing through the course of his, he is going out of his way to make sure other kids receive the opportunities he did.
He dared to disturb the universe.
To know more about TAGE check out their Facebook page or contact them at talktotage@gmail.com
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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60 Children from Pune Slums Never Want to Miss School. Thanks to One Man.
But what keeps them so motivated to study? Other than the fully stuffed bags that were recently given to them, it is the food they get every day after class — idli, dosa, vada, and more!
Thanks to Nitin Jirafe, an engineer with a multinational firm, these children are guaranteed a tasty meal after they finish their studies every day.
This forty-year-old man has made it his mission to ensure that none of the children drops out of school and goes back to a life of begging and working on the streets.
It all started on what was just another Saturday morning for Nitin. He was on his way to the temple when he came across a group of 12-15 children playing on a footpath in Phule Nagar. Curious as to what they were doing, Nitin went ahead and enquired.
These kids were associated with a Pune-based NGO called Awakening Jagriti, and were attending an open air extra class organized for them. Under a tree near the footpath, the kids stood surrounding a volunteer from the organization.
Nitin came to know that they were residents of a nearby slum. The NGO had found them doing menial jobs like rag picking and household work, or begging on the streets. The team at Awakening Jagriti convinced their parents to enrol them in a free Municipal Corporation School nearby.
However, the volunteers soon realised that once the school got over at around 1 pm, the parents would send the children back to work. They came up with an innovative solution — conducting extra classes after school to teach science and maths in a fun way. This helped the kids understand concepts that they may not learn at school and also prevented them from going back to work.
These classes take place from 2-4 pm on weekdays and 9-11 am on Saturdays. Initially, as an incentive for the kids to attend, the NGO provided them with food after the classes. While this solution worked successfully for some time, it later started failing because the NGO could no longer arrange the required funds for food. The biggest challenge now was the declining attendance because food had been a great motivation for the kids to come to the extra classes.
Nitin was inspired by what the NGO was doing and did not want them to fail in their endeavour. So he promised to bring in food on Saturdays to help ensure high attendance on one day of the week at least.
[caption id="attachment_32245" align="aligncenter" width="735"]
Volunteer of Awakening Jagriti distributing fruits among children[/caption]
He began taking fruit and snacks for about 20 children to the Saturday morning classes. This was in April 2015. In 4 weeks’ time, Nitin was informed that the strength of the class on Saturdays had gone up from 12-15 kids per day before his help, to about 40 every day since he started bringing in food.
“This is when I decided that I should be doing this all 365 days,” he says.To start with, Nitin drafted a small story about these children and how he was trying to help them. He shared it with everyone at the multinational organization where he works, asking if people would be willing to contribute.
He was able to collect a sum of Rs. 45,000, to which he added another Rs 10,000 from his own pocket.
Next, he tied up with an idli seller near the slum. According to the deal, the seller now packs around 60 idlis every day, and a volunteer from the NGO delivers them to the children. The seller charges Rs. 200 per day and thus the amount that Nitin has accumulated is enough for about a year’s worth of food.
“The good thing is that the retention rate has now increased to about 90 percent and has become stable. About 30-40 children come for the extra class every day,” he says.But Nitin had no plans of stopping here. As the parents of these children could not afford books and stationary, he bought fully stuffed school bags for them with the funds he had collected. These bags include all the basic text books for their age, along with notebooks, writing pads, drawing books, and pencil pouches.
He distributed about 40 school bags.
[caption id="attachment_32236" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
Children with a volunteer from Awakening Jagriti[/caption]
His condition was that only those children who attend school regularly would get these bags. Those who did not get one tried their best to convince their parents to let them go to school more regularly.
One August 10, 2015, Nitin replicated the same model in the Sangvi slum of Pune as well, where the NGO conducts similar classes. For this, he took the help of a professional photography group that he is a part of. The group has about 20 people, and with their contribution, Nitin was able to collect enough funds for seven months’ worth of commitment in Sangvi.
With about 30 regular kids from both the slums, there are a total of 60 who are attending these classes.
The challenge for him now is to continue the process after a year. For this, he has decided to organize an exhibition of photographs and paintings with the help of his friends, and use the funds generated from the same for the welfare of these children.
“It is only the start and I hope that we will be able to collect enough to continue helping these children. They are really interested in studies, it’s just that because of poverty, their parents send them to do other jobs,” he points out.As for the food, if the kids get bored of idlis, Nitin has told the volunteers to pick up anything else from the seller who also makes dosas and vadas.
“My only concern is that the children should remain connected to their studies. If they keep going to school, they may be motivated to continue with their education later in life too,” he concludes.
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How Alumni of this Jamshedpur College Are Taking Tribal Children to Private Schools
This NIT-alumni-run organization, with over 200 active members, does not only provide quality education to the kids but also enables some of them to attend sought-after private schools in the city.
[caption id="attachment_19493" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
Art and craft classes for the children.[/caption]
Working in three states now – Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand – Sankalp reaches out to over 650 students with the help of NIT students, teachers and volunteers.
[caption id="attachment_19492" align="aligncenter" width="600"]“The students are mostly from government schools or they are dropouts. Class 7 students do not even know the basics of what a Class 3 student should know; they can barely write in English and Hindi. We are trying to bridge the gaps in their learning,” says Shrivastava.
Students are taken for outings.[/caption]
The Sankalp team divides the children according to age groups and learning levels before beginning the process of teaching them. After one to two years of observing the students’ performance, they start preparing the academically oriented for better schools. Currently, 23 of Sankalp’s students attend good private schools in Jamshedpur.
All activities, education, books, and other necessities are funded by the alumni of NIT. Some money also comes from current college students who contribute Rs.10 per month to Sankalp.
Over a period of time, kids who barely knew the basics of language and maths earlier have begun to score well in school, are eager to learn, and show confidence in their abilities.
[caption id="attachment_19491" align="aligncenter" width="960"]
Sankalp has eight centres across three states in India.[/caption]
“The tribals say that earlier no one would come to help them. Even the NGOs that intervened came for a few months and left. There was no long-term sustainable model. Through Sankalp we are trying to bring about a permanent solution to the problem with the help of college students,” says Shrivastava.
Amar Pratap Singh is one shining example of the impact Sankalp has had on the children's lives. Singh joined Sankalp in 2007 and has been with the organization since. Currently a student of Class 11, he is a conscientious learner and has high hopes for his future. A documentary film maker who visited his village near Jamshedpur was so impressed with his development that he made a small documentary on Singh, which has won three prestigious international awards.
[embedvideo id="X8RZCGIbwsA" website="youtube"]
However, Sankalp has faced several challenges along its journey. To start with, it took a long time for the NIT students to build trust about their intentions among the villagers and convince them that they would be there for the long term.
Since the organization is managed by working professionals and current students, it is very hard to keep the classes going regularly. They do so with the help of an excellent team of volunteers and teachers. The team is so dedicated that despite roadblocks they haven't missed taking a single class in all these years.
Sankalp currently runs eight centres in three states in the country, reaches out to more than 650 children and sponsors the complete education of 41 of them.
[caption id="attachment_19490" align="aligncenter" width="526"]
Sankalp reaches out to 650 students currently.[/caption]
“There is so much more we want to do. I have involved myself full time in this initiative, but we are always looking for teachers and volunteers who can take this up in rural areas. We have the whole module, syllabus and everything ready. We just need someone to take responsibility now,” says a hopeful Shrivastava.
If you would like to reach out to Sankalp financially or as a volunteer to teach the kids, visit their website or contact Shivendra at shivendranit@gmail.com
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She’s Taking Education for Disadvantaged Children to New Heights — 17,000 Ft. to be Precise!
Centuries old village called Fotoksar, 8 hours away from Leh. No electricity or mobile connectivity here. Altitude 11348 ft. No. of Children - 46[/caption]
“As I was trudging along alone, struggling against the high altitude, with nothing but barren mountains for company, I suddenly came across two local women going the other way. What I heard from them blew my mind. These two ladies were teachers and were walking back to Leh from their school (their journey would take them a day-and-a-half of a walk and a few hours of a ride hitched from a passing vehicle). The reason for their journey? They were going to Leh to get mid-day meal supplies and uniforms for their children. Their commitment and the simplicity with which they accepted their ‘other duties,’ simply amazed me.”Sujata was no stranger to teaching herself. A US-returned techie, she had started teaching at Sri Ram School in Delhi because she was passionate about education and children. But that was the city. Here in Ladakh, “I ran into tiny schools (schools that had just a handful of children), each with families and children eager to learn."
"They were going to schools with bare minimum infrastructure and struggling with the tough English-based curriculum. Their resilience, commitment, and overall peaceful and happy countenance, despite the extreme difficulties that they face daily, made me want to come back and do something to improve education, specifically in remote areas."
[caption id="attachment_33631" align="aligncenter" width="756"]
Middle School Merak, right beside the Pangong Tso lake, with 35 children singing their morning prayers. Altitude: 14098 ft.[/caption]
Sujata came back to Delhi and spoke with her husband Sandeep Sahu, an avid trekkie who had encouraged her to travel to Ladakh in the first place. “Later in the winter, when temperatures had dipped to -15 degrees, I, along with my husband and our friend Dawa Jora, visited a very remote school in a village called Lingshed, a journey that took us 3 days to trek, going down a treacherous steep pass at an altitude of almost 17000 ft. We had school children waiting in a line on the other side of the mountain, waiting for us to reach. We were carrying books, clothes, sports materials, and a lot of other equipment for these children on the backs of 20+ donkeys and horses. People, and especially children from these villages, who don't have any occasion to leave, are exposed to just the mountains and streams surrounding them, with no idea of the outside world or the people inhabiting it."
[caption id="attachment_33632" align="aligncenter" width="842"]"I remember sitting with the children and wondering how they could even hope to relate to the things referred to in their textbooks. So many vegetables and fruits, the presence of roads, streetlights, buildings, elevators, so many birds and animals, cars, trains, people from other places, electricity, television, shops, electronic gadgets, the list is endless. I was quite amazed, moved and yet completely inspired by their lives and simplicity. That was the seed that gave birth to 17000 ft Foundation."
Residential School Lingshed - A 100 school children wait patiently for 4 hours for the 17000 ft team to reach. They were carrying books, games and furniture for the school.[/caption]
"The name was inspired from the Pass that we crossed on foot to reach Lingshed. The three of us then conspired to start 17000 ft Foundation to impact people from remote villages.”
But wanting to work in remote areas of Ladakh is one thing and actually putting a plan into action is another altogether. The challenges of terrain, weather, altitude and general hardships in remote areas made it difficult for them to even think of a long term solution. They were told in no uncertain terms, even by local Ladakhis, that they were mad to think of reaching remote villages. “It took us a year to finally put a model in place that would work, be impactful and also be long term. Our biggest eureka moment came when we chanced upon the technology platform put together by Akshara Foundation, the Karnataka Learning Platform, a platform that put all the schools of Karnataka in one map to enable the local administration to monitor these schools."
[caption id="attachment_33633" align="aligncenter" width="847"]"We felt that if we could similarly map all the schools of Ladakh and enable trekkers and travellers to find them on their trips, we could reach out to these villages and offer the help that was needed."
Founder Sujata Sahu with children[/caption]
"That idea gave us the impetus that we needed to kickstart our programs. Trying to impact villages in the harshest and remotest of villages of Ladakh was daunting to start with, but finding a way to involve outsiders made the task that much more approachable. When we were donated our first set of 20,000 books by Pratham Education Foundation and 10,000 books from Scholastic India, we knew that we could push forward.”
So what does the 17,000 ft Foundation do exactly? Their primary focus is to provide better opportunities for indigenous tribes of very remote and isolated villages of Ladakh, in an attempt to slow their desperate migration to far away cities in search of a better life. “We work within existing ecosystems to improve and transform lives right at the remote villages. To this effect, our programs work to improve schools and education in remote villages, provide income opportunities for the people there and involve local youth and communities to contribute back to their villages,” says Sujata.
[caption id="attachment_33638" align="aligncenter" width="756"]
Middle School Kanji, last village before the Kargil border gets a playground which the team installed in the November. The snow does not stop the children from playing. Altitude - 10211. No. of Children - 46[/caption]
The Foundation’s programs basically revolve around three main initiatives:
MapMySchool is a technology platform connecting remote villages of Ladakh to the outside world, enabling trekkers and committed travellers to contribute. The Foundation has successfully geo-mapped 1000 remote village schools of Ladakh. The Yountan Project is aimed at improving education at the schools. The team sets up libraries and conducts periodic reading programs directly at the schools. They improve infrastructure by setting up playgrounds, furniture, etc.Volutourist@17000ft is a way for outsiders to contribute to the Foundation’s programs. It is a way by which committed travellers can choose to travel off the beaten path, become volunteers in the Foundation’s structured programs and also contribute to a remote school while on vacation. Voluntourism also forms a revenue stream for 17000 ft by which they are able to sustain their backend costs. “We have 10 day, 16 day and 1 month programs for Voluntourists. We have successfully sent 150 voluntourists to 60 remote villages so far, all of which have received visitors for the first time,” adds Sujata. [caption id="attachment_33640" align="aligncenter" width="1008"]“We also train hundreds of teachers annually to adopt newer pedagogy and help improve student learning outcomes at the school. We have successfully set up 100 libraries, improved infrastructure in 15 schools, and trained 500+ teachers so far. Our library programs have now been adopted across 300+ schools,” says Sujata.
Primary School Maan, near the famous Pangong Tso Lake, recently got a makeover. The only classroom in the school was freshly painted and provided with colourful furniture. Altitude - 14126. No. of children - 13[/caption]
Sujata feels 17000 ft Foundation has just touched the tip of the iceberg with its interventions. She has ambitious plans for its future.
[caption id="attachment_33641" align="aligncenter" width="850"]"Along with our expansion into Kargil District, we hope to move into other geographically areas, which have similar problems of remoteness and isolation but also have tourism potential. In particular, regions like Lahaul-Spiti, remote regions of Uttarakhand, Sikkim and the northeastern belt."
Mushko, Kargil in November, isolated from the rest of the world[/caption]
"Our Kargil project, the first of our geographical expansions has already started as of April 2015. Also, given our presence across 200 villages of the region, we are best positioned to help people of remote villages find avenues for income generation, as well as develop the skills of youth from remote villages to contribute back to their villages."
If you would like to know more, you could visit the 17,000 ft Foundation website: http://www.17000ft.org/
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A Few Photographs Made Darshan Start a Small Initiative in Vadodara. Today, He’s Feeding 1200 Kids.
The restaurant went ahead with his suggestion, and after feeding the children, sent pictures to Darshan.
“This is the moment that changed me forever. The smile on the faces of those children left me touched. And that is when I decided to do something about it,” he says.Thus, the BhookMitao campaign was born. On June 7, 2015, Darshan and his friends went and fed a couple of children in a slum in Vadodara, Gujarat. Today, the BhookMitao movement provides nutritious lunch to as many as 1,200 children in Vadodara.
How they do it
As the volunteer network grows, Darshan has divided it into groups. Each group takes up a particular spot in the city. For instance, in Vadodara there are 10 spots, usually in slums, where the children are fed.
Volunteers of every spot have a Whatsapp group of their own.
On Mondays, they decide what the menu for the coming Sunday is going to be. They coordinate with those who want to donate, procure the raw materials, and cook the meals in their own kitchens. The programme usually begins at 11 a.m. with some fun activities for the kids. They screen movies on education or make them do some craft work etc., and then lunch is served. It usually consists of the usual Indian fare of rice, rotis, and pulses. They also give them biscuits and bananas to snack on. The volunteers and children eat the same food together.
“We don’t accept any money. When people contact us saying they want to donate, we insist on only raw materials,” he says.
This is what the impact looks like
The movement which started in Vadodara has spread to four more cities – Gandhidam, Adipur, Nadiad, and Kosamba. And two months ago, it spread to Mumbai as well.
The number of volunteers has grown from six to over 600 now.
“The response has truly been overwhelming. A big part of the credit goes to the social media. Every day we have people writing in asking how they can contribute or volunteer,” Darshan says.And more importantly, Darshan, who works in sales for a shipping company, says he finds the energy to keep going when he sees the positive impact the campaign has had on the children and their families. A few weeks after the programme began, some volunteers of a particular spot in Vadodara realised that two children, who used to come regularly for lunch on Sundays, were missing. These children used to have their grandparents dropping them off for the programme. A couple of the volunteers decided to go and find out why these children had suddenly stopped coming. When they approached the grandparents, they told the volunteers that they had been convinced that education was important and had sent the children back to their village and had them admitted in a school.
“This was such a motivational moment for all of us, especially because these two children were made to beg during the week. This is exactly the kind of change we want to bring about,” says Darshan.Apart from feeding the children, the volunteers also enquire with the parents if these children are sent to school and counsel them on the importance of education.
"Our vision is to ensure that at least 150 children are sent to school in Vadodara by the end of 2016," he says.
For those who are socially conscious, Darshan has only one piece of advice.
“My mantra in life is ISR – Individual Social Responsibility. Instead of waiting for governments or other organisations to bring about a change, every individual needs to start doing something on his/her own. This is what will actually usher in change,” says Darshan.In December 2015, Darshan was shortlisted for the Awal Gujarati award given by Radio City. Apart from this, the movement has received recognition from Lions Club, Rotary Club etc. It is heartening to see that people are taking note of this movement, says Darshan. Recently, the Collector of Vadodara called him up and spoke to him about the ways in which this movement could be taken forward. A movement that started off with just a couple of youngsters, now has a volunteer base of people of all ages and from all walks of life. And this gives a lot of hope to Darshan, who wants to see this movement become a pan-India one. To know more about the BhookMitao campaign, check them out on Facebook.
All pictures: Facebook
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How Barefoot College Trained 700 Rural Grandmothers to Be Solar Engineers & Electrified 20000 Homes
This article is part of a series that covers the finalists of the HCL Grant & made possible by HCL.
A vocational training college in Rajasthan, started by well known educator and activist Sanjit Bunker Roy, is responsible for lighting up the homes of thousands of poor villagers across the world. Tilonia is a small village in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district. On the face of it, Tilonia is like any other village in India. One can see large tracts of semi-arid land, flocks of sheep on the roads, and women whose heads are covered with the pallus of brightly coloured sarees. However, what sets Tilonia apart is that it is home to the Social Work and Research Centre, popularly known as Barefoot College. This institute is known all over the world for training rural people in vocational skills.
In the 1970s, Sanjit Bunker Roy, an educator and social activist decided to give something back to society and set up Barefoot College in Tilonia.
Photo source: Youtube
The college is spread over eight acres and runs completely on solar energy. Bunker, who studied at Delhi University, says: “My elitist education almost destroyed me. In fact, the biggest reasons why the poor will always remain poor are the literate man and woman — products of the formal education system. This system makes you look down on villages.” According to him, the formal system of education demeans and devalues the traditional knowledge and practical wisdom that the poor value. He says his real education started during his initial years in Tilonia when he was working as an unskilled labourer — blasting wells for water.“I lived with very poor and ordinary people under the stars and heard the simple stories they had to tell of their skills, knowledge, and wisdom that books and university education can never teach you. My real education started when I saw amazing people – water diviners, traditional bonesetters and midwives – at work. That was the humble beginning of the Barefoot College,” he adds.Though the college started with the aim of providing solutions to the water problems of rural India, its mission soon changed to sustainable development and empowerment of the marginalised. In fact, the courses offered at the institute are rooted in the Gandhian philosophy of making villages self-reliant. “But it was not Gandhi or Marx who inspired the work of the college, but very ordinary people with grit, determination, and the amazing ability to survive with almost nothing,” says Bunker. Students, primarily women, are selected from the poorest of villages and are taught vocational skills in different areas like solar energy, healthcare, education, handicrafts, and so on. The college provides basic health services to the villages through a team of doctors, midwives, and dentists. It imparts education to women and children by keeping their different needs in mind. There are crèches for small children whose mothers work all day. There are night schools for children who help in the fields or tend to animals during the day. And bridge courses for those among them who wish to join day school. There is an emphasis on hands-on learning. Even the lessons offered are practical in nature. The children are taught about how democracy works, how to take care of a sick animal, how land is measured, etc.
Barefoot College is probably best known for producing hundreds of ‘barefoot’ solar engineers.
In 2003, the college decided to train illiterate rural women as solar engineers. The biggest challenge at the time was to convince donors, policy makers, as well as the male members of the community to accept the ‘impossibility’ that these women could be trained.
“Do you know why we insisted on women? Because training men is pointless. They will grow restless and go to big cities in search of jobs. Women have more patience to learn the skill. And especially since they are from poor families, they will stay back home and prove their worth to their communities,” says Bunker.
This training of women — to teach them how to install, repair, and maintain solar lighting units — did not stop in Rajasthan. Today, the institute trains women from countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Fiji, etc. It boasts of having over 700 solar ‘mamas’ in 70 of the least developed countries in the world. These women, from isolated and non-electrified villages, congregate in Rajasthan for a few months. To overcome the language barrier, they are taught through sign language.
They memorise the permutations and combinations of wires through colour codes.
Barefoot College brought three women from Afghanistan to Tilonia and trained them. After they went back, their village became the first ever solar-electrified village in the country. These women went on to train 27 others and now there are over a 100 solar-electrified villages in Afghanistan.
The College also trained grandmothers from Sierra Leone. They lit up the first village in the country with the sun’s energy.
The idea caught on and now there is a Barefoot Vocational Training Centre in Sierra Leone.
Under the India Technical Economic Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of External Affairs, the Barefoot College has trained nearly 700 rural grandmothers to be solar engineers and electrify over 20,000 houses in different countries.
Barefoot College is funded by various organisations and grants. Barefoot College applied for the HCL Grant and through this grant, it wanted to implement the Barefoot model of alternate community-based education and skill development in the five districts of Rajasthan, by empowering and educating children, women, and youth and setting up 25 crèches and 50 bridge schools in these districts. To know more about Barefoot College, contact the team on their website.
About HCL Grant
There are about 3.3 million NGOs in India doing commendable work in various areas aimed at inclusion and development. The HCL Grant has been launched to support the institutionalization of the Fifth Estate comprising individuals and institutions formed and led by the citizens of the country through the creation of strong governance frameworks and management capabilities. An endeavour of the HCL Foundation, HCL Grant envisions to build sustainable communities by supporting NGOs and individuals who are doing path-breaking work towards high impact transformation in rural India. In the first year, HCL Grant has identified the best NGOs in the area of rural education. To know more about the HCL Grant: http://www.hcl.com/hcl-grantLike this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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Ramu to IAS Ramesh: The Story of a Disabled Bangle Seller Who is Now an IAS officer
He knew education was the only way out of the poverty his mother and family were facing, so he worked as hard as he could.
[caption id="attachment_53357" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Ramu receiving a prize after winning a competition in Class 6.[/caption]
Ramu’s sincerity and dedication made him a star among his teachers. But, in the year 2005, when he was in Class 12 and his college model exams were going on, he got news of his father’s death. The bus fare from Barshi to Mahagaon was Rs.7 those days. And since he received a bus pass for the disabled, the fare for him was just Rs. 2. But Ramu did not even have that.
His neighbours helped him with the money and only then could Ramu go for the last rites of his father.
[caption id="attachment_53358" align="aligncenter" width="1587"]
Ramesh's father - Late Gorakh Gholap[/caption]
Just four days after his father’s death, Ramu had a chemistry model exam in his college. On his mother’s insistence he went and appeared for the exam but, after that, he skipped the other model exams. He did not even submit his journals. The final exam for Class 12 was just a month away when he received a letter from his teacher that he had scored 35 marks out of 40 in chemistry. The teacher wanted to meet him. With help and encouragement from his teacher, Ramu took his final exams and scored 88.5%.
Ramu chose to do D.Ed (Diploma in Education) in spite of scoring so well, because this was the cheapest course he could afford to do to get a job as a teacher and support his family. He completed his D.Ed and also pursued a graduate degree in Arts from an open university simultaneously. And finally, he was able to start working as a teacher in 2009. This was like a dream come true for his family. But, deep down, it was not what Ramu really wanted to do.
Ramu lived with his mother and brother in a small room provided by his aunt, who had got her two-room home through a government scheme called Indira Awas Yojna. He saw his mother making visit after visit to government offices to get a house for herself too under the same scheme, but she was turned away because her BPL (below poverty line) card wasn’t eligible.
Ramu was angry with the ration shop owner too, who sold kerosene in the black market instead of providing it to needy families like his.
He had already been through the frustration of seeing his father not get adequate attention when he was admitted for tuberculosis in a government hospital.
He saw his mother and other widows being manipulated by an officer who collected money from them and made false promises to get them their pensions.
[caption id="attachment_53360" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Ramesh with his mother, Vimal Gholap.[/caption]
During his college days, Ramu had been a member of the student’s union and consequently had to go the tehsildar’s office often to get approval for various college issues. He saw the tehsildar as being the most influential and powerful government official he had ever come across. Ramu decided he wanted to become a tehsildar too in order to solve all the problems he and his family faced.
In September 2009, he took the first step towards his dream. Using the loan that his mother had taken from a self-help group in his village, Ramu went to Pune to prepare for the UPSC exam, taking a leave of six months from his job.
“I did not even know the meaning of MPSC and UPSC since I had always lived in small villages. I did not have money to take coaching classes either. So, the first thing I did was to meet one of the teachers of these coaching classes, just to understand if I was eligible to take the UPSC exam. The first teacher who met me was Mr. Atul Lande. I requested him to write down the answers to a few of my questions, like what is UPSC, can it be taken in Marathi, am I eligible for it, etc. And he told me there was nothing to stop me from taking the UPSC. It is only because of that one statement that I finally did it,” says Ramesh Gholap.
Ramu appeared for the UPSC exams in May 2010 but unfortunately didn’t make the cut. In the meantime, he had also formed a political party with the help of some friends in his village of Mahagaon to fight the local panchayat elections. His mother stood as a candidate for sarpanch. The mission of the party was simple – to come to power and help the distressed. On October 23, 2010, the results of the panchayat elections were out. Ramu terms this date as the biggest turning point of his life in his autobiography, Ithe Thambne Nahi (I Won’t Stop Here).
Ramu’s mother, Vimal Gholap lost the elections by a few votes but the loss did not break Ramu. Instead, it gave him the strength to stand up and fight back again against the system. On the same day, he announced in front of all the villagers that he was leaving the village and would come back only when he became a powerful officer.
After this, no one could stop Ramu. He left his job and cleared the State Institute of Administrative Careers (SIAC) exam – this gave him a hostel to stay in and a stipend as scholarship. He painted posters to take care of his expenditures. And finally, this son of illiterate parents, who studied in a zilla parishad school and by correspondence with open universities, cleared the UPSC examination with an all-India rank of 287, without any coaching.
Ramu was selected for the IAS in the year 2012. And, as per his promise, he came back to his village on May 12, 2012, after finishing a long journey from being Ramu to becoming Ramesh Gorakh Gholap, IAS.
[caption id="attachment_53362" align="aligncenter" width="1587"]
Celebrations in Ramesh's village when he came back after becoming an IAS officer.[/caption]
In the next couple of months, the MPSC results were also out and this time Ramu broke all records. He topped the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exam in the year 2012, scoring the highest ever marks of 1,244 out of 1,800.
Ramesh Gholap is now posted in Jharkhand as Joint Secretary in the Energy Department.
[caption id="attachment_53359" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Ramu to IAS Ramesh Gholap[/caption]
“Mala swatala shikta nahi aala pan porala khup shikwaycha asa tharwila hota…Aaj majha mulga itka motha sahib zalay he baghun khup anand hoto…pang fedala porane (I couldn’t get an education but I had decided that I would educate my sons. Today, my son has become such a big officer and that makes me so happy…. my boy has returned all my debts!),” says Vimal Gholap.
Ramesh Gholap has given more than 300 informational and motivational talks to youngsters aspiring to take the MPSC or UPSC exams. He is also fulfilling his dream of helping the poor and distressed through his work.
[caption id="attachment_53361" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Ramesh helping a child labourer[/caption]
“Whenever I cancel the licence of a PDS shop owner who has been black marketing kerosene, I remember my days when I had to turn off the lantern for lack of kerosene. Whenever I help a widow, I remember my mother begging for a house or for her pension. Whenever I inspect a government hospital, I remember my father’s words when he had left drinking and just wanted better treatment. He would ask me to become a big man and take him to a private hospital. Whenever I help a poor child, I remember myself, I remember Ramu,” says Ramesh Gholap, IAS.
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This NGO is Motivating Slum Kids to Stay in School By Naming Alleys and Streets After Them
Signboards are put up on the slum 'streets' with the names of these children, who are thrilled to point them out to visitors and residents of their localities.
Pic Source: adageindia.in
The Local Corporators have joined hands in this effort. The driving force behind the Doorstep School, which initiated this effort, is the duo of Rajani Paranjpe and Bina Sheth Lashkari. They run two chapters of the school - in Mumbai and Pune. It is not easy being a kid in the slums of Mumbai. Parents have to work day and night to put food on the table, leaving the children to run wild - they often fall into the clutches of local goons and slum lords who lead them astray or into a life of crime. The distractions are many and role models few. In this scenario, efforts by the Doorstep School to engage and educate them so they can better their lives and dream of a future are commendable. Innovative initiatives like naming roads after children serve the purpose of rewarding kids for their efforts and creating role models for other children to enrol in school. Felicitating them also serves the purpose of getting them to stick with academics and focus on building careers. The impact of the road-naming exercise has been tremendous. According to ndtv.com, a 27-year-old young man named Rehmuddin Shaikh, a school dropout who grew up to be a state level rugby player and is now doing his B.A., had an alley named after him recently."I feel really proud of myself. Because people used to know me but did not know me by my name. But after my name came up on this board...they say, 'Where should we go today? Let's go sit at Rehmuddin Shaikh Road'".
Rehmuddin has become a role model for the young children growing up in these narrow crisscrossing bylanes of the slums.
Pic Source: ndtv.com
Another shining example is Devi Chauhan, a young art teacher who studied only till Class 4, refusing to get married at the age of 15."Things are different in our society now. I have only studied till Class 4 but want to study further now. I have to become a well known artist in the future," she smiles and says.
Pic: ndtv.com
This road naming activity has so far been carried out in three slum localities of Mumbai – the Balasaheb Ambedkar Nagar Chawl at Cuffe Parade, Hiranandani Akruti Chawl in Govandi and Maharashtra Nagar Rickshaw Stand Chawl in Mankhurd.Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).
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