Education is every child’s right. But sadly, many street children do not have access to that. Mukti Gupta started an NGO ‘Help Us Help Them’ which reaches out to street children through a school on wheels. The children are given vocational training, and not only this, the students are also provided nutritious food to keep them healthy! Learn more about this unique effort.

The wheels of this bus don’t just go round and round but also go up and up. Confused? Yes, this is the specialty of Mukti Gupta’s innovative social venture – a mobile school initiative in the city of joy, Kolkata. The school, launched in January 2013, is literally reaching out to street children to ensure that they are able to stand on their own feet in the future and rise both socially and economically.

Mukti’s mission is to make these lesser privileged children as accomplished as the mainstream ones.

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.

The school set up by Mukti now gets over 200 admissions and students are taught using innovative techniques

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’.

Students are taught swimming by national level coach, Bishwajit Choudhary at a nearby pond.

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.

The seats of the bus have been removed to create a 175 sq ft classroom

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.

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What happens when the most notorious kids get together and play football? They become more serious, positive and regular in school. Thanks to Just for Kicks, the kids in low income government schools are seeing a positive and significant growth. Here is how!

Sayaji, a seven-year old, second-grade kid, turned up on a winter morning at 6 AM for a game scheduled to begin two hours later. Vikas Plakkot, founder of Just for Kicks, an organization which is using football as a medium to develop life skills for marginalized students, was surprised to see him in full attire ready to play so early in the day. Sayaji was unusually silent but went about his warm-up without a word. Plakkot did not interrupt, until an hour later when he came to know that Sayaji’s father had passed away early in the morning. Unfazed, Sayaji had come to the ground and wanted to play the game.

“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.

Students from different background come together as a team.

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.

The regular practice has made them better team players.

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.

Football also gives students an opportunity to express themselves.

“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.

“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.

The kids become more confident and active.

“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.

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.

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A 15 days long camp has enabled shy and timid girls to come out in the open, be confident and look at the world with a new perspective. From providing life skills, decision making power and spoken English training to enabling them to dream big and become more confident, VOICE 4 Girls is giving a new voice to thousands of adolescent girls.

Mansa, an adolescent girl who never stepped out of her village, is a different person now. She has not only been rallying against child marriage in her village but has also written a book about the challenges faced by a girl.

The girl who was once so shy that she would not even speak up, now addressed a UNICEF conference on educational programming for adolescents in Bangalore. And all of this was made possible by a summer camp of just 15 days!

She spoke about the ordeals of adolescent girls in rural India and the solutions needed.

From teaching spoken English to life skills, VOICE 4 Girls empowers adolescent girls to speak up.

Summer and winter camps are usually considered a thing for the elite, when kids have vacations and they are sent off to the camps to get that extra edge over others. From basic hobbies like dancing and singing to unique interests like horse riding, the camps offer a huge range of activities.

But did you know that a summer camp can be much more than just an extra-curricular activity and become a tool to transform the lives of underprivileged kids? VOICE 4 Girls is one such platform that enables young adolescent girls to get access to critical knowledge, life skills and spoken English to help them become the decision makers of their lives.

“We believe that these adolescent girls can be the agents of change. If we educate one girl, it changes a whole family and community,” says Anusha Bharadwaj, executive director, VOICE 4 Girls.

What started as a small initiative by three IDEX fellows in 2011 is now a movement which has positively impacted the lives of thousands of other girls like Mansa. With an interesting model that works with government and low-cost private schools, the NGO has managed to reach out to over 11,500 underserved kids so far.

The girls become more confident by the end of the camp

The camps are organized twice a year; once in summer and once in winter. They take place in Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The average camp lasts for two to four weeks. Every camp has volunteers working as counselors and field coordinators who are paid a stipend for their services. College students and teachers are selected as the counselors and coordinators who get an opportunity to work closely with the students and to become their role models.

“The students get more attached to them and are more inclined towards the field coordinators as compared to regular teachers because there is a smaller age difference. The students can relate to them, can be more open with them and aim to become like them,” says Sharanya Gautam, development & communications officer, VOICE 4 Girls.

Her Voice

This camp focuses on girls aged between 11 to 16 years. This camp helps the girls to come out of their shells and look at their life in a different light. Various community-based activities expose the girls to new people and places, and expose them to life skills such as problem-solving, negotiation and decision-making along with the basics of communication in English.

By the end of the camp, the girls are much more confident, active and independent. They are eager to learn new things and are open to raising questions about various social norms.

A huge transformation is seen within 15 days of the camp.

Sakhi Peer Leadership

Once a girl has attended the ‘Her VOICE’ camp, she is eligible for the Sakhi Peer Leadership programme. After the camp ends, the Sakhis can go back to their schools and lead sessions for other girls with the help of a specially designed curriculum.

Sakhis are given additional instructions and leadership skills in the camps so that they can individually run Sakhi sessions during the school year. “The girls who are not able to be a part of the original camps can benefit from the Sakhi sessions at their schools. This way, a girl can independently change the lives of several other girls without any external help from the Her VOICE team, though they do get some support through the year-long monitoring,” says Gautam.

United VOICE

This programme is held for both girls and boys aged between 11 and 16 years. “This camp was started to bring concepts of gender empowerment and social equality into the picture. If we want the entire society on the same page, it is important to bring both girls and boys together and let them interact with each other,” says Bharadwaj.

This six to eight days long camp focuses on careers, higher education and imparting life and communication skills along with teaching both the genders to respectfully and openly interact with one another.

VOICE 4 Girls’ unique model works around residential government and low-cost private schools. The curriculum is designed in a way to leave a long term impact on the girls’ lives and knowledge which they can practically implement in real life situations.

The enthusiastic field coordinators and counselors make the camp fun for these girls.

The organization partners with various agencies to customize the content according to the girls’ needs. They mainly focus on three areas:

1. Critical Knowledge and Life Skills: This section includes crucial topics like health, safety, future planning and exposure. The girls are educated on subjects ranging from nutrition, menstruation, hygiene, HIV and child birth to harassment and higher education through various exposure visits and counselling. They are also taught about their rights, self awareness, problem solving, decision making and negotiation skills.
2. Spoken English: This area deals with imparting basic English communication skills to the girls which can be useful in getting them better job opportunities and career options. From improving grammar and vocabulary to a better understanding of phrases and everyday communication, this section aims at building the confidence of the girls.

The impact is measured by a pre- and post-camp assessment. “The positive change that we have seen in girls is commendable. Within 15 days their perception of the world changes and they become much more confident persons. Not only the campers but also the counselors see a drastic change in their lives!” says Bharadwaj.

When the camp begins, the students are mostly shy and quiet. But, by the time camp ends, each one of them speaks confidently in front of strangers. With an exposure and a glimpse of the bigger world, these girls are able to expand their horizons and present their thoughts openly.

“I remember once I went to one of the camps where I asked the girls what they would like to become and they gave me answers like IAS officers and doctors. Next day, when I came back to the town, I received several calls and messages from these girls seeking guidance on how they can prepare for these exams and what will it take to become an IAS officer. This is the kind of commitment and passion these girls show once they are exposed to the world of opportunities,” says Gautam.

VOICE 4 Girls has reached out to 200 schools so far and they are aiming to target more in the coming years. “I have seen the girls coming out of their shells and it keeps us going,” says Bharadwaj.

The girls can go back to their schools after the camp and can teach other girls too.

The organization plans to conduct more camps for both girls and boys to make it more inclusive. They are also planning to extend their reach to other states as well in the next couple of years.

In addition to this, they plan to reach out to day-schools too in the near future. “We currently focus mainly on residential schools. Reaching out to the regular day-schools is next on our agenda, apart from empowering as many kids as possible,” Gautam says. They also plan to organize regular camps all year round instead of doing it just twice a year.

It is amazing to see how a 15 days course can transform a life. The organization is indeed giving a much needed voice to marginalized girls.

Know more about their work by visiting their website. You can also contact Sharanya Gautam for more updates at – sharanya@voice4girls.org

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Why are girls not given an equal opportunity to study and progress like their brothers? Watch this heartwarming and thought provoking video that answers all the questions and shows how educating girls can create a larger impact. 

Shalu’s family could only afford to educate one child. Hence, her brother was sent to school while she stayed at home to help her mother in daily chores.

Shalu is not the only girl who has sacrificed her dreams, career and life for her brother. Even today, when we talk so much about gender equality, there is a large number of girls who are deprived of a basic right like education.

From childhood to old age, a woman’s life just fades away under the shadow of the male members of the family.

Here is a heartwarming video that not only shows a bitter reality but also provides the solution that an educated girl can bring a larger change.

“Educate a boy and you educate an individual. But educate a girl and you educate a community.”

Watch the thought provoking video here -

This video was originally published by The Pixel Saga Studios here.

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Did you know that if men and women get equal access to jobs and education, especially in developing countries like India, then the total GDP can go up by as much as 12%?

Or that maternal deaths have been on the decline wherever education of women is on the rise?

Or that educated mothers are twice as likely to put their own daughters to school as compared to uneducated mothers?

This and many more such facts are presented beautifully in this video which makes it clear that if we have to progress, we HAVE to provide access to education and jobs to our girls and women:

Shared by Bill Gates.

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:

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.

Priya Pillai met Roja, a girl from rural Karnataka who fought against all odds to pursue her education. Not one to quit in the face of adversity, Roja was determined to follow her passion. Here is how this dedicated girl inspired Pillai.

I met Roja almost a year ago, on 19th August 2013, while working on an initiative to keep adolescent girls in school. She was 14 years old and one of the 21 girls from rural north Karnataka we met to talk about the barriers that prevent them from remaining in school.

Wearing a shimmery white kurta with a black salwar and a lilac dupatta across her shoulders, she was one of the taller girls and hard to miss. Gold leaves dangled from her ears, and a little red smudge marked her forehead. Her small, bright eyes shone with the intensity of one who longs to reach out and spill her secrets.

Quiet at the start, Roja spoke up when I asked questions. She was passionate about school:“I don’t want to be called a hebbattu (illiterate) when I go outside. I have taught everyone in my family how to sign their names.” There was more to her ambition. She told the group, “I want to be a policewoman like the one in my village. That’s what I want to be when I grow up.”

So, I asked, why didn’t girls stay in school? “Parents think girls will marry and go away to another house,” she told me. “All the money they spent in sending girls to school will only benefit an outside family. So they send their sons to school.”

Roja (centre) with her aunt and mother in front of her house.

Roja saw no sense in this logic. To her, it was clear that girls had to be allowed to study for families to survive. “Boys don’t care. It’s the girls who will take care of their family. If I study, my family will not be poor anymore.”

Some of the group were already married and a couple of others were going to marry their uncles in a few months’ time. The small white stone stud on Roja’s left nostril told us that she was not among them.

Has your family not asked you to get married? my colleague asked Roja. “They have brought it up many times. I told them that I would never agree to it. They stopped telling me because my reaction was always the same.”

On the third day, the girls were asked to draw picture stories to show what a changed society would look like. Roja drew well-defined figures coloured in green, orange and shades of blue – always a family of three, with a girl riding a bicycle.

On our last evening together, the girls hugged me. “Come to my home,” they said. But Roja stood still, not wanting to leave. “I don’t want to go back to my village,” she said, with tears in her voice.

The following day, I went to meet individual girls in their homes, to record their accounts of the government programmes that had supported them to continue their education.

I met Roja at her friend Shobha’s home at the beginning of the village. I was sitting on the floor, resting my back against the wall, near the main door, because that’s where most light came in to the house. My colleagues, a translator and Shobha’s mother and grandmother were also there. The plan was to meet girls at their home, as I wanted to speak to their family too. But Roja came to meet me at Shobha’s house.

“When I was in the 5th standard,” she told me, “my family was so poor that they could not buy any books for me. Then the government started giving us textbooks and it helped me a lot.”

Because she was a good student and got consistently good marks for her academic work, she qualified for scholarships, “close to Rs. 3400.” She had also got her own bicycle to ride to school and received milk to drink and a meal to eat every day.

I noticed that Roja did not invite me home. It was unusual. In the communities that I work in, the girls and their families like you to go to their houses, have tea, eat poha (beaten rice) and share a bit of your time and lives with them. Although Roja did not ask me home that day, I did not forget her face and her ardent desire to learn.

One year later, I drove into village Kaladagi to meet her again. Roja had telephoned my colleague, a field worker in the project, desperate for help. “I want to study further. My family says they cannot support me any longer and I need money to pay the fees for my college admission.”

In Kaladagi village, bound by the seasonal Ghataprabha River to the north, the fields are irrigated and the farmers grow pomegranates and sapota for export. To the visitor, it looks less poor than other villages in the area, where the visible poverty is most times gutting and unforgettable.

I did not know Roja’s house. But I found her friend Amrutha watching over her father’s shoe shop in the village market, pen in hand, focused on finishing her homework. My heart leapt at the sight. In my line of work, I am grateful if the girls I meet are still at school and still living in their home village when I go looking for them after a year.

Too often, they have married very young or are selling their bodies to feed their families.

Photo source: www.w4.org (Picture for representation purpose only)

Amrutha offered to help me find Roja. We drove a short way and then turned onto a wide, stone paved lane. Low roofed, multi-coloured houses clustered together, without any discernible plan, on either side of the street. We parked the car in the shade of a large canopy tree, unusual in this arid place. We walked down a narrow alley and crossed a stinking sewer filled with thick black sludge and floating plastic bags. Amrutha knocked on the door of the house beside the drain. There was no answer.

She looked around for two minutes and called out to people across the street. “Is this not Roja’s uncle’s house?” Amrutha waited and then pushed open the door into a room, with a tiny window, stacked plastic chairs, and a bed against the wall with a television set placed on a corner stand above it. The loud Kannada film songs from the television had drowned the sound of Amrutha’s gentle knock. We stood looking at the room and at the man sleeping on the bed.

As we stood there, unsure about where to go next, Roja called us from behind, “I have been waiting. I was told that you will come to meet me today.”

She looked the same as I had remembered, with her glittering eyes, the sparkle on her nose, and her sure gait. She went in and shook her uncle out of his deep afternoon slumber.

“Come in. Sit here.” She pointed to the now empty bed. She pulled out a chair from the stack and sat down to my left, facing me. Suddenly, the room filled up with too many people – family, neighbours and curious passers-by who heard there were visitors. We couldn’t talk there, so we crossed the street to an aunt’s house next to a mud lane. Roja pointed to a woman squatting at the corner of the house and said, “That is my mother. She cannot see.”

I looked closer. The woman with a blue green nylon saree covering her head was frail with a wrinkled face. Her left eye was closed. Roja’s aunt, the woman whom she called her mother, was partially blind and widowed.

From inside the house, we could see a young adolescent boy, sitting on a bike parked outside, curiously peeping into the room.

“He is my cousin. He dropped out of school after class VIII.” she said. So, what does he do now? “Nothing. Just roams around.”

Her great aunt intervened to clarify, “There was no money in the house. So he had to leave school.”

Finally, I had a chance to talk with Roja in a quiet place about her urgent phone call. “So, what made you phone?” I asked her.

“My mother left me when I was five months old.” It didn’t seem to be an answer to my question but in a way it was. She was still a child. Her every first memory and reference was to her mother’s act of desertion when she was a baby. The hurt from that rejection was fresh at all times.

Her eyes welled up. She could not speak. She cried too soon and too easily.

After sometime, she started speaking again. “Once I got my class 10 marks, I asked everyone in my house to give me money for the college admission fees. I went to my father, mother and my uncle. All of them said no. They did not have enough to pay the fees.”

What was your score?

“I had 75%.”

She had done well. How much was the fee?

“I had to pay the annual fee of Rs. 380 to get admission. But no one could give me that. They stopped listening to me after a point and went off to work, whenever I went near them.”

Photo source: childrenscultureconnection.blogspot.com (Picture for representation purpose only)

But was she so poor? Did the family not have Rs.380 saved?

“My father used to go around the village, playing the flute. He has been very ill in the past few months and constantly in the hospital. So he does not earn anymore.”

Her mother came in just then and sat next to the door. I looked at the tired woman and felt my heart sink.

So who supports the family?

“My mother washes dishes at a nearby house. They pay her Rs.1200 per month. She also gets a widow pension of Rs.500. She brings the left over food from the home where she works for us to eat.”

I looked around the house again. The amount was too little.

“Because I did not pay on time, the fees went up to Rs.2400.”

For Roja’s family, that was a princely amount. “I lost all hope. I did not want to bother my family any more. Instead, I decided to work and earn.”

Roja told her mother about her plan to work in the fields. Her mother discouraged her and said, “You must not give up hope. No one in our family has studied beyond class 2. You have done well in school. You must study further.”

Roja had expected her mother to agree to her working in the fields but instead she wanted her adopted daughter to study, “I was very encouraged by what my mother said. She urged me to keep trying.”

Her conviction strengthened by her mother’s support, Roja had remembered that she had taken the mobile number of the programme coordinator, my colleague. She borrowed a mobile and called her up and said, “I am the one who spoke about the importance of girls education. And now I am unable to go to college because my family cannot afford the fee. I want to be in college. I should not have to stop studying.”

This girl is remarkable, I thought. She has nothing going in her favour: her father does not work; her partially blind, widowed aunt is the only earning family member bringing in a pittance of Rs. 1,700 a month; her house is ready to fall down any time and look at her tenacity, her burning dream. It’s remarkable that she scored a distinction in class 10; remarkable that she never let go of her desire to study; remarkable that she pursued it and found a way.

Photo source: http://www.educationworld.in/ (Picture for representation purpose only)’

And she did find a way. The programme sought help from the local chapter of the Rotary Club to pay her fee. The Club agreed to give her the money at a function to be held a week later at 7 pm in the evening. But the classes had started. Roja was already late for the admission. So the outreach worker paid the fee so as to not delay the admission process any further.

Just money was not enough. A lot of paperwork was needed. For two weeks, almost every day, Roja travelled with the outreach workers to the Government Girls College in Bagalkot and back to sort out the admission formalities.

On that day in the village, Roja finally invited us to her own home. “That’s new,” I thought.

The single room, pitch-dark house stood slanting at the curve of the lane. Except for three glass bangles hanging from a nail, the walls were bare, black and uneven. She pointed to a raised platform on the corner and said, “That’s where we bathe. For everything else, we go outside.”

Roja threw up her hands and said, “My house … very famous in the village.” It embarrassed her to be so poor. But there was no shame in her desire to study and reach out for help. “I will become a policewoman and then my family will not be poor anymore.”

And I looked at the little girl who chose to rise above the deep deprivation in her life, driven by the singular desire to study. It was a definitive call to action.

Not to be ignored.

Not to be silenced.

Rather, we need to heed that isolated voice. The young woman deserves to be heard. And her individual success celebrated for it’s potential to trigger change against seemingly insurmountable odds.

- By Priya Pillai

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Akshay Kaushik made a robot from scratch and now his fully functional robot is all set to compete at an international level. Here is all you need to know about this young genius.

What were you doing when you were in the 11th grade? Probably trying to scrape through examinations or working hard to get into the best degree college around? At an age when we were all clueless about which subject to choose as our area of specialization or busy preparing for some competitive exams, this 11th grader is already making world-class robots and going places.

And not just any regular robot, but one which can pick things, compete against other robots and even walk on its own! Impressed? Well, so are we!

Meet Akshay Kaushik, an 11th grader from DAV school, Dayanand Vihar, Delhi, who not only made this amazing robot from scratch but is also hoping to represent India at the World Championship due to be held at Louisville, USA in April.

Akshay with his robot

“I am so excited that me and my team made it this far. It all started with a small robotics competition where our team won the first prize in Delhi-NCR,” recalls Kaushik.

The team’s efforts paid off when they got a chance to represent their model at a similar competition in Mumbai and Chennai after which they were declared the national champions.

The initial competition required Kaushik and his team to make a fully functional robot from a kit which included various parts and materials. After assembling the parts, the team was required to programme it and make it perform several tasks including picking up coins and walking on its own.

“I was the programmer and also second driver of the robot. It was so great that our robot performed the best, it picked up all the coins on time and walked flawlessly,” he says with a lot of excitement.

After being selected as a national champion, the next step is to give a splendid performance at the US competition which witnessed over 15,000 entries from 27 countries in its last edition. The scale of the competition is expected to be even bigger now.

“I am so excited to get the opportunity to represent India, it is like a dream come true,” he says. But as the D-day comes closer, Kaushik is worried that he might lose his golden chance to get there and showcase his amazing work at such a large platform.

Belonging to a lower-middle class family, Kaushik’s parents cannot financially support his trip to the US. The total expenditure of Kaushik’s visit will be somewhere around Rs.1,00,000. While his parents have managed to collect enough to fund his accommodation and registration, they are unable to sponsor the airfare.

“I am trying my best to arrange funds for my trip, but nothing substantial has happened so far. I don’t want to lose my chance to go there and meet so many people who are interested in the same thing that I am and who can provide me a good exposure in this field,” he says.

Akshay has started a campaign on milaap.org to raise Rs.60,000 which will cover his cost of return tickets to the US.

In case you want to support this young genius and help him participate in this lifetime opportunity, you can contribute to his campaign here.

To know more about Kaushik’s work and his experiences, contact him at – akshay.kaushik2@gmail.com

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They make robots, programme them and work like pros. Meet the new generation of government school kids and learn how they are becoming robotic champions.

‘The Masterminds’ are just back from an unforgettable contest at the national level, the First Lego League Challenge in New Delhi. Earlier in January, they had won the regional round of the robotics challenge. A week before that, ‘The Masterminds’ and the other team calling themselves ‘The Transformers’ were preparing for the regional round of the prestigious First Lego League India Challenge in Bengaluru, and the excitement and confidence in the air was palpable. That was when this reporter met the budding robotics champs.

“She’s very good at programming, he is excellent at model-making, and I like to do everything,” says class 8 student Ramakrishna, talking about the members on his team, The Masterminds. These are not traits that we generally hear mentioned about children studying in a government school in India.

The teams had been preparing for the contest, coming in one hour early to school in the morning, and often staying back two hours after school. But how did this group of government school kids get into robotics?

Thrill of learning.

Nearly 120 students of the Seva Bharat Trust Government School in Viveknagar have been part of a robotics programme for over a year now, thanks to an intervention by Bengaluru-based not-for-profit Akshara Foundation,  and Lego Foundation, Denmark.

Akshara Foundation had seen the incredible power of Lego blocks in the learning process of children in over 200 balwadis in Bengaluru, 40 anganwadis in remote Malur, in Kolar district, and in over 40 anganwadis in Dharwad.

“All children are gifted equally. Given the same opportunity, every child can flourish,” believes Ashok Kamath, the Chairperson of Akshara Foundation.

The Masterminds with the master.

And so, the two foundations decided to have a pilot robotics lab in a government school. “We like to come and work here very much,” says Amin. Like many of his teammates, he wants to find solutions to problems.

Last year, The Transformers created a robotic programme that could regulate the switching on and off of a light bulb based on ambient light. This year, for the challenge, their project looked at answering problems in education.

Robotics for all ages.

“These children are extremely bright,” says Sridhar P, their mentor. “They are quick learners, problem solvers and want to do a lot,” adds the instrumentations engineer from Indian Institute of Science who gave up a lucrative tech job to join Akshara Foundation and teach robotics.

He has been noticing the rise in critical thinking, information literacy, communication, teamwork and analytic skills among the students, and is hoping that with more encouragement from the community, more students can be part of this programme.

The Robotics Lab at Seva Bharat Trust Government School has about 20 computers. A weekly schedule ensures that all the students in the programme get a chance to work on programming, model making and problem-solving.

Boys at the lab

Outside the lab, the problems come in different forms for these students. Coming from  economically weaker sections of society, these students see their parents working hard in important but low-paying jobs as beedi rollers, drivers, domestic helps, plumbers and electricians. They struggle to commute, and have little or no academic help at home.

In school, the students have to manage the regular curriculum, taught in Kannada, Tamil or Telugu. In the lab, unlike their counterparts in elite English-medium schools, they have to start by making sense of key-board commands.

Imagine learning the meanings of Delete, Enter, File, Format and Extract while you learn more sophisticated things like programming!

Working on the laptop

Girl students have other problems like getting permission to stay back after school. And in spite of these problems, these students have participated and displayed their projects at forums like the Indian Robot Olympiad at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum.

They were the only team to participate from a government school in the hi-tech robotics contest last year.

Girl power

At the FLL Challenge, The Masterminds presented an idea called ‘Need Based Education’ and The Transformers emphasized  the importance of interactive learning. They made the presentation in English. “The second part of the Challenge was the Robot game, in which the children had to build robots to do various task in a given time of 2.5 minutes. In the first session, the Transformers stole the show by scoring a straight 255 points, which till then nobody had scored and they stood 3rd in the Robotic Game,” says Sridhar proudly. The Masterminds stood 4th in the Robotic Game and qualified to participate in the national round in New Delhi.

So why robotics?

“Robotics is exciting, helps children to learn on their own and innovate. It involves learning creatively; and since it involves play, there is no tension in the learning process. If we have to improve education in government schools we have to provide them this enabling environment,” says Ashok Kamath.

Girls at robotics lab.

“Not just that, we have to involve the entire ecosystem in the schooling process – teachers, parents, adminstrators, public. In ten years time, millions of today’s children are going to be looking for jobs. If we don’t educate them well in the next ten years, can you imagine the extremely huge number of young men and women looking for jobs but unable to read and write well? It is a problem that is invisible and so people tend to ignore it.”

Akshara Foundation and other organizations like this are looking ahead and trying to find innovative solutions to get children learning well. The Robotics Lab at the Viveknagar school shows what a small intervention can do. It has shown that children can shine well with even  small inputs in terms of infrastructure and encouragement. If a small pilot programme, held together by one mentor, can transform the learning process of so many children, and have them shining, imagine the effect if more people join the movement to accelerate learning in schools through innovative and sustained ways!

The Masterminds told me, “Last year we were stunned just seeing the technology and the preparation of the other teams. We were the only team from a government school. This year we are confident we will win!”

Robotics team in Delhi.

By reaching the national level of a sophisticated challenge, they have already won! And just recently, another team from the school, the Dragon Boys, has made it to the nationals of the Robocup Junior Competition!

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

With providing employment opportunities to rural youth, reaching out to schools students with vocational training and much more, Lend a Hand India has been covering a lot of ground. Know more about the initiative in this exclusive interview with the co-founder, Raj Gilda.

“There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.”

– Helen Keller

Lend a Hand India is implementing programs and replicating project interventions with partners across the nation so that 285 million young unemployed Indians, in the age group 15-29, will have a source of livelihood and a spark of hope.

One of the major reasons for the huge unemployment rate among the youth is the significant disconnect between school education and the opportunities, life skills and exposure necessary to earn a livelihood.

Students acquiring agriculture skills.

To address that, Lend a Hand India (LAHI) works at the intersection of education and livelihood to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the rural youth. The organization has various initiatives like Project Disha which provides career guidance to young boys and girls from rural communities.

Project Catalyst equips youth from low income communities with tools to work as catalysts for community development.

And the Junior Rural Fellowship, which provides 6 month long fellowship programs during which the fellows are trained on a mix of life skills including business communication and personality development, along with a paid apprenticeship at the end of the program.

Project Swadheen is a natural extension of Project Disha ,and is being implemented in secondary schools across rural India under the name of Plan 100.

Plan 100 was launched in August 2005 to equip India’s rural youth with vocation and life skills. The project aims to create Basic Rural Technology Centers in 100 high schools in India and teach vocational life skills to 20,000 young boys and girls.

LAHI’s grassroots partner, Vigyan Ashram, has developed training programs like IBT (Introduction to Basic Technology) and the most prominent DBRT (Diploma in Basic Rural Technology), which enable rural youth to learn several innovative technologies and skills like fabrication and welding, thereby making them capable entrepreneurs  or qualified to get jobs in various industries.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has chosen Vigyan Ashram as one of the 6 centres in the World for collaboration and the venue for the first Fab Lab outside MIT. The purpose of this partnership is to provide DBRT students the technology to design and make their own stuff from locally sourced materials.

DBRT training is based on ‘Learning by Doing in real life situation’. About 40 different skills sets from construction, solar & biogas technology, soil testing, analysis to fabrication and electrical maintenance are taught in the program.

Lend a Hand provides financial and operational support to high schools implementing the Plan 100 project.

To know more about LAHI and their initiatives, we caught up with co-founders of LAHI. Here’s a brief interview with Raj Gilda, co-founder, LAHI.

Raj Gilda

Photo: blogs.mccombs.utexas.edu

Q: What experiences  in particular motivated you to start Lend-A-Hand India?

My better half (and co-founder/executive director of Lend A Hand India), Sunanda Mane, has been working in the development sector for over two decades with organizations in India as well as in other developing countries. Both of us come from middle class backgrounds and have had opportunities to excel in our careers due to our good education; the credit for which goes to our upbringing, friends and teachers.

We lived in the United States for more than a decade and all the while, the thought of giving back to the country which had given us so much was always dominant in our mind. The thought resulted in action in 2003 in the form of LAHI. Two of us and other like-minded friends came together to establish the organization. On a rainy Sunday evening, over samosa and chai, five of us contributed 100$ each as seed capital and registered Lend-a-Hand India in the State of New York. We all had high paying jobs at that time with UN, Citibank or Goldman Sachs, but an equally high desire to take the organization forward in a unique way and contribute to India’s future.

I worked with Citibank in New York for seven years and LAHI has been almost like my second job all along. However, starting and growing something on your own is always much more exciting and in the process, if certain people can benefit because of it, there’s nothing like it. Hence I quit my job four years ago and am focusing on LAHI full time now, having joined hands with Sunanda who has been the brains and the main driver of this venture right  from its inception ten years back in New York.

Q: With your emphasis on  youth unemployment, please tell us how different projects from Swadheen to Project Disha contribute in realizing Lend-A-Hand’s vision?

Students learning to lay bricks in construction training.

The way we see it, both our projects are complementing each other towards our objective of bringing about holistic education. We are working at the intersection of education and livelihood. While Project Swadheen teaches a multi-skill curriculum to high school children that aims to bridge the gap between education and real life job skills that are required, Project Disha provides the much needed career guidance to high school students helping them make an informed choice of higher education course and career.

We believe that integrating a vocational curriculum along with academics in mainstream schools gives young boys and girls a skills-based foundation as well as an ability to realize their interests and capabilities. With timely career guidance, they will be able to translate these dreams and goals into action. By introducing them to self-employment opportunities combined with the gained real life job- and life-skills, they will be able to come out of a cycle of poverty and unemployment. Which is our larger goal: to bring change in the lives of the rural poor through self-help.

Q: Plan 100, has been very successful in its aim of providing job skills and training to rural youth. What are the future plans for the project?

Plan 100 was our flagship project that aimed at spreading the multi-skill curriculum called Introduction to Basic Technology (IBT) in 100 high schools in Maharashtra. Being a pilot project we were conservative in our targets. But after seeing the success, we realized the potential and launched Project Swadheen which aims at spreading IBT to schools across India and in fact, launched SATARA100 – introducing this program to 100 schools in a single Satara District in Western Maharashtra. So far we are working in 5 states – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Our aim is to introduce the program to half of all Indian states in the coming five years.

So far our focus has been rural India, but there has always been a high demand to launch the program in urban locations too. I am very excited to share that earlier this year, we have launched the program in three schools in Mumbai as a pilot. So far, the response has been phenomenal and we hope to scale the program in the urban setting as well.

Q: What are the biggest obstacles or concerns that you have while running an organization like Lend-A-Hand and collaborating with various partners around India?

Learning plumbing from drip irrigation.

The biggest obstacles we face is that of finding suitable talent. Anywhere, and more so in the non-profit world, the most critical component to the success of the organization is being able to build a passionate team. We are fortunate to have the team which we have today, but if we want to scale our program further, we need many more of them which is the biggest challenge. We are always looking for young and enthusiastic people, so anyone interested in joining us could apply here: http://www.lend-a-hand-india.org/careers.php

Q: What is your criteria for selecting partners?

Our partner should be complementing our work, have a proven track record in the community and have a similar philosophy and approach towards bringing positive change in our beneficiary’s life.

Q: Future plans and the road ahead?

We are a unique NGO equally focused on influencing government policy as well as do the real grassroot work on the ground. We believe that both these areas (policy and ground work) need to inform each other and should not be performed in isolation. Because of our track record, I was appointed as member of the National Skills Development Agency (NSDA) and as an honorary advisor to the Government of Maharashtra (RMSA) for Vocational Education.

Hence our ultimate aim is to make vocational education a part of mainstream education in most of the states in India. We have successfully contributed to a feat of this nature in Maharashtra, wherein vocational education was recently recognized as one of the core subjects in the secondary school curriculum. We would like to see a similar outcome in at least half the states in India in the coming five years.

Specifically,

• In the next 2-3 years, we plan to launch our program in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana and scale up our presence significantly in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• We have recently launched our program in three schools in Mumbai, which will be a major learning ground for us and open up new avenues altogether.
• Alongside, we are launching a Math pilot project wherein we shall work closely with Math teachers to teach the subject in a simple but innovative way to make it fun for students.
• We have also started the “Nourishing Schools” initiative, along with other partners, that will leverage schools as a hub to improve the nutrition of families and communities.

All of these initiatives give us hope that the future of the rural youth is in safe, helping hands.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Here are 15 ideas that have been passed on for generations of Indians, which not only help us prepare better for our exams but also make us more focused and active on D-day. So get ready to clear the exams with flying colours, and lets not forget to thank our mothers for preserving this ancient treasure trove of knowledge!

It is that time of the year again. When parents and students are both spending sleepless nights worrying about the dreaded four letter word they have to face the next day – EXAM. And in the process, doing more harm to their very prospects. The Better India team could not help but try to ease the pain (it was getting too much for us to even witness) and so we decided to dig deep into our memories, wring out the pearls of ancient wisdom our mothers used to generously bestow on us during those harrowing times and share them with you, in the hope of seeing those worry lines disappear!

So here they are, a few tips and tricks that can help improve concentration and productivity during exams:

1. Coconut meat (malai) – the wonder brain food

Photo: 52scoops.wordpress.com

Not only does the humble coconut water quench your thirst during the hot summer days, its electrolytes can help in replenishing our store of nutrients and minerals. What’s more, there are very few foods as beneficial to the efficient functioning of the brain as the coconut malai, so make sure you don’t throw it away! It’s high copper content makes it an excellent food for boosting brain power!

2.  Use practical knowledge and props to understand the subject better

Photo: www.preparedsociety.com

Whenever you understand a subject and not just learn it, you have a better chance of remembering it during exam times. In earlier times, most girls did not attend school and learnt basic maths while doing their daily chores. They would count the utensils and deduct the number after washing every utensil. Similarly, they learnt to read time by observing the angle of the sun’s rays. Of course, we have a different level of education now, but if we relate our subjects to practical things and incidents we tend to understand and grasp them sooner.

3. No forgetting the fluids

Photo: www.sailusfood.com

Needless to mention, drinking a lot of fluids, especially in summer, is very important. Water makes upto 85 percent of the brain’s weight so lack of water can lead to brain shrinkage and affect your productivity. Start your day with a glass of water, it will keep you hydrated and also prevent any kind of fatigue. You can try having traditional nimbu paani (lemonade) for better taste.  You could also try coconut water and regular nimbu paani. Check out some of the amazing recipes here.

4. Yoghurt in your diet

Photo: www.theperfectpantry.com

Having yoghurt in your meal will keep you cool and it is also a rich in calcium. Avoid having lassi and have simple yoghurt to avoid drowsiness during exams. You can add flavours in it for a better taste. Yogurt has been used for over 5000 years in the world. In India, having yogurt before exams has also been considered as good luck – we can now guess why! You can have some curd with rice as a light meal.

5. Go Nuts, Seeds, Dried Fruits – whatever takes your fancy

Photo: http://blog.fairwaymarket.com/

Nuts are rich in nutrients and also help you get sufficient energy without having to sit for a heavy meal. You can have raw nuts at regular intervals to keep your brain active. These also work best to keep you focused. Have nuts like almond which will help you boost the brain power, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, etc. also help your brain get the required nutrients. Also try chewing on some sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds and see the difference!

6. Forgetting something which you learnt?

Photo: hub.jhu.edu

If you are stuck on a particular word which you learnt but cannot recall, try going through the alphabets to find the first letter of the word. Once you hit the right alphabet, chances are you might remember the word too. Also, recalling the environment where you learnt that subject might also be helpful. You might want to visualize the place where you were revising – this could help in recollecting some information.

7. Learn the numbers faster

Photo: www.indiacurrents.com

Make a fist from your right hand and squeeze it while memorizing numbers or lists. Now, when it is time to recall them and you are stuck somewhere, clench the left fist. These actions make the brain more active and help to recall from memory.

8. They may be traditional but they pack a punch!

Photo: blog.sterlingholidays.com

When there were no two minute noodles and quick ready made meals, our parents and their elders would munch on delicious home made snacks. Continuously studying can be monotonous and we definitely need something to keep us focused while also providing some much needed distraction. Try eating chikkis, sakarparas and other home made snacks. They have healthy fats and are good for your brain.

9. Study in a well ventilated and bright corner

Photo: www.jonesacademy.org

Remember the old times when the kids would go to gurukuls and study under the trees? Well, that might be because of lack of resources back then but it could also have been intentional – to help the kids learn faster and better. The fresh air and bright light made it easier to see things and opened your brain to grasp more. So while you are studying, make sure there is enough natural light and fresh air. Also, don’t forget to take small breaks at regular intervals. Go sit in the balcony if you have one in your house, or take a walk in the garden – the fresh air will definitely help you clear the blockage in your head.

10. Yoga poses that improve concentration

Simple yoga asanas which help you do breathing exercises are a good way to start your day. Sit cross-legged and practice alternate nostril breathing for a few minutes. This will help you clear your mind and enable you to start your revisions with a fresh mind. Block your right nostril with your thumb and inhale from the left nostril. Now use your middle finger to block the left nostril and remove the thumb from the right to exhale from your right nostril. Repeat the process.

You can learn more such asanas to improve concentration here-

11. What not to eat?

Photo: www.flanderstoday.eu

Skip the white flour and white sugar as they cause drowsiness. Also don’t depend too much on coffee. It might help you stay awake and focused but it also makes your body think it’s not hungry.

12. Spinach for a healthy meal

Photo: www.food.com

Green leafy vegetables in general, and spinach in particular, are a very good idea to include on a daily basis. But during exam times, they are practically indispensable! They contain a host of vitamins and minerals essential for good brain health. A delicious spinach salad will not only be nutritious but also tasty and will keep you energetic. Here is an interesting spinach salad recipe you can try.

13. Trouble with maths? Try Vedic method

Photo: vedic-maths.com

A little different from what we have learnt in school, this method is a really good trick once you get hold of it in case you want to do super quick maths. So here is a small example to make you understand this technique –

Suppose you want to multiply 32 with 11. So, put an imaginary space between 3 and 2. i.e 32 x 11 = 3_2. Now fill this space by adding 3 and 2, which is 5. Hence, your answer will be 32 x 11= 352.

You can check out more such amazing tricks here.

14. The goodness of Milk

Photo: images.idiva.com/

Since generations, milk has been a crucial part of India. Mothers would spend a large part of their mornings trying to convince their kids to have that one glorious glass of milk. It is rich in nutrients and minerals and also gives you enough energy to last you a couple of hours at least. In earlier times, fresh cow’s milk was considered as a must in everyday routine and it was believed that it helps one conquer weaknesses. Milk also helps in increasing brain serotonin activity levels and gives you more strength to fight stress. In case you don’t like the taste of plain milk, you could try adding honey or other natural flavours to it.

15. Determine your most productive time

Photo: www.rediff.com

Well it might sound obvious but you need to figure out when does your brain work the best and then keep those hours for extensive revision and learning. Also doctors have suggested that the best way to “consolidate the memory” is to learn just before going to bed. This will help you remember it better the next day.

And apart from all these things, the one thing that actually works is staying calm and preparing well. Don’t discuss the lessons too much with your friends just before the exam as it might break your confidence. Stay calm, it is just an exam and you will crack it!

Featured image: www.themalaymailonline.com

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

These mobile tablets make learning fun by using different tools and activities that enable kids in rural India to have an extraordinary experience. Know more about the amazing initiative of edZilla and how it works.

If you happen to visit the government school in Rampura, a sleepy village in Kanakpura at the outskirts of Bangalore, you will see kids peering over tablets and using them with an easy flair. They will be eager to show you how to use it if you are seen fumbling. They will show you how to navigate and open chapters and take quizzes in Math, English and Science – all from their curriculum.

Their teacher is quick to add that the content on the tablets includes not just everything from the textbooks but also additional information that increases the ‘general knowledge’ of the kids. She admits that it has helped her teach better and is glad to have this resource available to her.

On the teacher’s cue, the kids in unison, break into a poem recitation in English with wide smiles and proper pronunciations. Even this they have learnt from their tablets which has a feature to teach them proper pronunciation and poem recitals.

They also know how solar energy can be used to power their tablets and give you a demo of the same.

The tablet is low-cost and user-friendly.

edZilla – educating rural India, village by village

The tablets being referred to here are a result of the efforts of Dr. Rajugopal Gubbi and Mrs. Prabha Mysore, the founders of edZilla. After more than two decades of successful careers, they founded edZilla to develop technology-based solutions that would improve the quality of education in rural India.

Textbook on tablet is one such software solution which brings the vernacular school syllabus content onto the low-cost tablets. These tablets are then provided free of cost to rural schools that have a severe shortage of teachers. The introduction of tablets has given a glimpse into the latest technology and motivated both the teachers and students of these rural schools. The government school in Rampura is one of the many rural schools around Kanakpura area in Karnataka that have benefited through edzilla.

edZilla partners with existing NGOs to reach out to schools.

How do they operate

edZilla engages NGOs that are already operating in the area of rural education and enables them with this technology. It helps NGOs raise funds and in turn these NGOs purchase the tablets and provide them to rural schools in their respective focus areas.

Under the EducateZilla program, edZilla provides the software, content and support free-of-cost to these schools. The content in the tablets is pre-loaded and updated periodically by the edZilla team, thereby eliminating the need for additional infrastructure to connect to any mobile or wireless network. The NGOs are also responsible for running this program on a day-to-day basis while edZilla provides close monitoring, progress tracking and program management to ensure maximum benefit to the children in those rural schools.

Kids have quickly learnt English poetry and correct pronunciation of words.

Deployment and Partnerships

The ‘Textbook on Tablet’ program was first piloted with the help of their NGO partner, Sikshana in 2013 in three rural schools in Kanakapura taluk. CSR India and another charitable group EqualSky were the initial sponsors. The Mindtree Foundation also joined hands in 2014 and sponsored five more schools in Kanakpura. Consequently, in this academic year, nine schools around Kanakpura have been reached out to which are run with the help of Sikshana.

Another NGO partner, Vyshnavi Foundation, has sponsored three schools in the Tumkur region and is overseeing the program on a day-to-day basis.

edZilla has also collaborated with Blueray solar, another social entrepreneurship, to deploy solar chargers at schools where the power supply is not reliable. This makes the school self-reliant and enables them to charge the tablets and use them as much as they want during the school hours.

The tablets are distributed free of cost.

Content creation

Content being the backbone of their solution, eDzilla has an impressive online content creation / verification tool. Using this tool, anyone can login from the comfort of their homes and unleash their creativity to teach children through the content that they put together.

Quite understandably, they need volunteers who are creative and who can understand the content creation tool. In this regard, Youth For Seva has helped them get many qualified volunteers for this cause. EqualSky also introduced to them many well-qualified volunteers, especially for English. It has still been an uphill task to get the right volunteers, especially for Kannada medium curriculum, who have an aptitude for Mathematics, Science or social sciences, and are also comfortable and patient enough to use an online tool. Mindtree has helped in sponsoring a couple of employees at edZilla who help with some of this work load.

Tablets can be recharged through solar power.

Marching towards quality education at every zilla…

In less than a year, edZilla has seen the rural school children getting more confident in Mathematics and English, the focus subjects initially. Thanks to the application’s intuitive interface, it has been very easy for the school children to use it and has made learning fun.

Usage of tablets added more than 250 tab-hours of quality learning in about 3 months from Mid-Nov 2013 to Mid-Feb 2014 when this program was first deployed. In their second year, this program has grown from 50+ children in three schools to 500+ children in 12 schools.

In the next few years, besides improving their content further by way of virtual lab experiments and visual representations, Dr. Gubbi and Mrs. Prabha are hoping to add at least one NGO per year in other rural regions in Karnataka where their current partner-NGOs are not operating. Eventually, depending upon the volunteers (for creating vernacular content), they hope to reach out to other states in India.

With constant support from the sponsors and volunteers and the consistent efforts of the founders, edZilla has significant potential to improve the quality of rural education in India and looks set to achieve their mission of “Quality education in every Zilla”.

If you wish to volunteer or sponsor their cause, you can read more about it here and here. For more details email: contact@educatezilla.com or call Dr. Gubbi at: +91 9880802385.

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What started with four students is now a huge residential school that is changing the lives of hundreds of visually impaired girls. It not only provides a safe haven and quality education, but also find suitable life partners for the girls when are of marriageable age!

Ayesha, a visually impaired grade 10 student, talks about her ambitions in fluent English and shares how her life has changed over a period of time. “I knew nothing. I could not even speak properly. From alphabets to basic communication, I struggled with everything,” she says.

She joined Andh Kanya Prakash Gruh (AKPG) and you can see the change for yourself. Not only does she sound confident but she openly talks about her ambitions and dreams. “I love reading and want to become an English teacher!” she exclaims.

Andh Kanya Prakash Gruh has a huge ground where students can play and excercise.

She bids goodbye with a smiling “Have a nice day”, and leaves for her class. Ayesha is one of hundreds of girls whose lives have taken a positive turn ever since they joined AKPG, an NGO that specifically works with visually impaired girls.

Started by Nilkanth Rai Chatrapati in 1954 when he saw the poor state of education for visually impaired girls, AKPG’s main objective is to impart quality education and make the girls lead an independent and responsible life. What started with just four students is now a huge residential school that hosts around 200 girls and has a well furnished building in one of the best locations in Ahmedabad city.

“It was a humble attempt to start something for visually impaired girls with a donation of Rs. 10,000 by Mr. Chatrapati. But it is overwhelming to see how much it has grown and the way the girls have turned out,” says Smita, project coordinator at AKPG.

A residential school till standard eight, AKPG educates the girls through Braille and also helps them develop various life skills that can make them self-dependent.

Imparting life skills is an important part of the school.

“Girls who study above the eighth standard also live here but they go to a regular school and college,” says Smita. Apart from regular classes, the girls also learn various arts and crafts like tailoring, home science, weaving, etc that would enable them to earn some income in the future.

The girls make mouth-watering chikkis (sweet bars) – within two moths they were able to sell chikkis worth Rs. 6,00,000. Not only sweets, the girls also make amazing diyas (lamps) on Diwali and are getting trained in beauty parlour work

The girls who joined school under depression and various debilitating circumstances are now going places, some of them even enjoying enviable careers in banking, teaching, etc.

Girls have given several performances and even won many prizes.

The team of 20 teachers make sure that girls embrace their presence and become more confident. They are encouraged to participate in various competitions. Students of AKPG often win the first prize in Braille reading and writing competition.

Some students pursue vocational courses available in local institutes where they can learn physiotherapy, beauty care, use of Braille computers and telephone operating skills.

The 10,000 ward building has sufficient space for a hostel building, a place of worship, a playground with a reasonably large lawn and a special park where the children can enjoy nature, play games, do free-hand exercises, take yoga lessons and partake in cultural activities.

Picnics and exposure visits are regular activities and the school also helps the girls to find suitable life partners when they are of marriageable age.

AKPG also finds suitable life partners for the girls when they are of marriageable age.

While initially it was a challenge to keep the students engaged, the school has now become a loving home where girls feel free and liberated and can experiment with various interests and skills.

“In certain jobs, our girls do face a challenge because of their disability. Like in beauty care jobs, they give amazing massages but cannot do eyebrows. These girls are really talented and we constantly look for the right opportunities to make them self-dependent,” says Smita.

AKPG’s goal is to make the girls understand they there is nothing that they cannot do. “We advise each one of the girls to believe in herself and to know that she can do everything, and that we are here to help her out with that,” says Smita.

The residential school takes care of all the needs of the girls.

In the future, AKPG wants to get more students and organize more activities for them. Also, in case you are in Ahmedabad, the school is looking for volunteers and teachers to spend some time and teach the students. If not, you could always help AKPG with monetary help and donations to get more resources for the girls.

To know more about the school’s work, contact Smita at – akpgschool@gmail.com or check out their website.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

The programme gives field experience, provides job opportunities and even gives a chance to look at the sector closely. Know more about the Centre for Social Initiative and Management (CSIM) and how they are giving direction to those looking at a career in the social sector. 

Akhila Ramesh, an architect, wanted to use her professional skills for social change but was clueless on how to take the plunge. When she joined Centre for Social Initiative and Management (CSIM), Bengaluru, an institute that trains people who want to create social impact, she not only found the best way to utilise her knowledge and resources but also managed to start her own initiative. Ramesh now works with affordable community-based housing and helps the marginalized design their houses through her organization, Nivasa.

Ramesh’s story is a perfect example of how the right guidance can help you take some of the hardest decisions of your life with confidence.

Just like Ramesh, how often have we wondered if we could do something more substantial and meaningful with our lives? But most often, it is the same old responsibility of paying bills and rents that makes us stick to our jobs. What stops us from taking that plunge? Is it just the comfort of a well-settled job (even if we aren’t quite satisfied with it) or a lack of knowledge about the new field we want to explore?

The social sector sure seems like a field that gives you both job satisfaction and helps you earn a living. But starting an altogether new career in this field is often not as easy as it looks. From choosing the right model to raising funds and finding the right resources, it is always better to prepare yourself for the long haul before you take that first big step.

How great would it be if you could get a hands-on experience of this field before you jump into it? The Centre for Social Initiative and Management (CSIM) is giving exactly that to help you get prepared for the social sector.

CSIM team gives exposure to the social sector.

From organizing sessions by experts to to providing hands on experience through projects in NGOs and social enterprises, CSIM is shaping intent and raw talent into action.

When P.N Devarajan retired from his long stint in engineering, he realized the need of social entrepreneurship in India and decided to start CSIM in 2001 in Chennai with the sole objective of giving direction to those who are looking at a career in the social sector.

Gradually the idea picked up and the team opened its Bengaluru chapter in 2007 led by Aruna Subramanian, who was earlier a student at CSIM.

The experts in social sector field take various sessions.

CSIM offers unique programmes that not only help students turn into changemakers but also make them aware of the opportunities in the sector.

“We have students from different background and age groups. The important thing is their passion for an idea and their interest in it,” says Subramanian.

CSIM’s Social Entrepreneurship Outlook Programme, a four-month part-time programme, makes the students aware of the requirements of a social enterprise and gives them an idea of how to manage their own initiative.

CSIM’s SEOP program is a weekend program which helps working professionals to get a glimpse into the field.

Another interesting program offered by CSIM is Social Audit and Accounting, which helps an organization to measure impact, account for its social performance and improve its performance.

“We have a great team of professionals who are already successful in this field as faculty and counsellors. This gives students a good idea of the challenges and what works here,” Subramanian says.

CSIM also awards some outstanding performers with an annual award “Nayananda” which provides the winner financial and technical support. CSIM has awarded 100 such prizes so far.

Thanks to CSIM’s unique model, 200 students have been successfully trained so far and have gained a close look at the industry.

Thanks to CSIM, many people have got good idea of how to start a career in this field.

“We also organise various campaigns and events to keep the discussion going and engage more people,” says Subramanian.

The institute, that runs with the help of donations, has a team of four who manage to take care of everything.

“In case you would like to start something in this sector, I would just advice you to take the plunge. Everything else follows,” says Subramanian.

If you want to utilise the resources of CSIM or contribute in any way, you can enrol for their course, become a volunteer for some of their events or just spread the word.

To know more, contact Aruna Subramanian at – arunas@csimbangalore.com, call them on: +91 8095 715 050 or +91 9886 833 665 or check out their website.

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Ayush Sharma, undergraduate at MIT, class of 2019! Sounds like nothing exceptional, right? Well what this does not reveal is the amazing story full of hardships that were overcome to turn wishes into reality. Read on to know more about the incredible mechanic’s boy who never gave up on his dreams.

All of us have dreams. Most of us work hard to pursue them. Some of us are fortunate enough to have the resources to fulfill them, while the rest have to give up due to lack of resources. But, a few work so hard that this constraint is just a shallow pit which can be easily overcome. One such example is Ayush Sharma of Kanpur.

A mechanic’s son, Ayush is one of three people from India who will be heading to the world famous MIT in September this year with a full scholarship! Surprised? Here’s how he made this possible.

Ayush was in seventh class when he first heard about MIT but thought he didn’t have enough resources to make it there.

Photo: Facebook

Ayush’s father is a mechanic in UP Public Works Department and his mother retired as a constable from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Sitting in front of the computer on March 14, 2015, Ayush gave out a loud shriek which got his mother running into the room. It was then that Ayush broke the news to his parents, and the smiles have been stuck on the faces ever since.

His parents, who have themselves never been to a degree college, are beaming with pride for their son to be the first one in their family to go to a ‘proper college!’ “God has blessed us that our child will now study in a prestigious college,” says the proud mother, Manju Sharma.

Ayush had heard about MIT when he was in class seven. He says he would read about the research being carried out by the faculty and students of MIT but never thought he would be applying there as it seemed out of reach. Ayush was a student of Kendriya Vidyalaya.

In class 11, when most of his classmates were enrolling themselves in different coaching centers for preparation of engineering entrance exams, Ayush wasn’t too keen in doing that. The idea of learning equations by the rote method did not interest him. He had heard about Avanti, a social enterprise run by IIT alumni, which emphasizes on peer learning as the education technique and gives affordable coaching to students. Their idea appealed to him and he got himself enrolled in Avanti in 2013.

Ayush initially had no idea how applications to US schools worked. When the end of class 11 was nearing, Avanti’s foreign application’s program leader, Taylor Gregoire-Wright helped Ayush apply to Yale Global Scholar’s Program, a two-week summer course at Yale.

The first challenge came in at this stage. Ayush had poor communication skills in English and both he and Taylor were in doubt of his selection to the summer program. However, Ayush not only got selected to the program, but also got a full tuition waiver from the Ivy League school.

But, he required travel funds for getting there and, through an amazing crowd-funding program, he was able to garnr $1500 (INR 90,000) in barely 6 hours! While his parents had always been very supportive, they had no idea about what their son was trying to do during his preparations for admission.

Ayush dedication and passion has made him reach here.

Photo: Huffpost India

“I was diverting time into something quite different from just IIT preparation,” he says. “They were unfamiliar with what I was doing and were apprehensive about the entire process.” However, it was his father who took Ayush to Lucknow to appear for TOEFL examination and then to Delhi for SAT.

“Ayush returned from Yale completely transformed. He was more articulate, had a broader world view and was convinced that he wanted to go to MIT or another top US university for his undergraduate studies,” says Varun Varma, a Michigan alumnus and sales head at Avanti, whom Ayush credits for getting the opportunity to study abroad.

Ayush feels that the changes in him will now always be there in his life. He feels he has become better at communicating with people and can express his ideas and explain concepts in a more impactful way. “I’ve also developed the ability to take on challenges and risks and now I can do something which is not entirely familiar to me,” he says confidently.

However, overcoming the obstacle of not knowing English was not easy for Ayush. He had never previously been exposed to an environment where most people spoke in English. Therefore, he says that he kept speaking to himself in the alien language and constantly persevered to improve.

Ayush has in fact also been selected at the Columbia University as a John Lay Scholar, but he is more keen in joining MIT.

“What’s incredible about Ayush is his determination to make things happen for himself. Despite having seemingly few resources available, he is always ingenious, optimistic and focused. He is incredibly well-spoken and intellectual despite his modest background and limited exposure,” says Kavita Mehta, co-founder of The Red Pen, a Mumbai-based admissions consulting company that helped Ayush with identifying colleges, writing essays and resume, and the like.

Ayush broadly plans to pursue Physics at MIT with no definite ideas in his mind yet and wants to explore the area as much as he can. He wants to work on the education system of developing countries. This is partly due to his own experience in India and the positive learning environment at Avanti.

“The level of science education in India is just not good enough. Many students don’t really get to appreciate what science means,” says the 17-year old smiling boy.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia).

Crippling rains, lack of transport facilities and poverty are just a few issues that stop children from attending school regularly. This innovative tribal community is coming up with unique and interesting ways to make their kids reach school on time in spite of all the difficulties. 

Khushi Mena, a student of Rajkiya Unch Prathmik Vidyalaya, Kitoda, walks no less than five kilometres every day to get to school along with her siblings, Prakash and Mukesh. Whereas it’s not uncommon for children of Kitoda village in Girwa block of Rajasthan’s Udaipur district to drop out because of the long distances they have to traverse, Khushi is determined to stick on.

Highlighting the kind of perils they endure during their daily trek, Khushi quietly mentions their run in with a wild animal one afternoon. “It was around 4 pm and we were returning home. We spotted the animal from far and were scared. Thankfully, it simply saw us and turned away. At times we have had to save ourselves from snakes, too,” she says, matter-of-fact.

Long distances and wild animals are not their only challenges though. Come monsoon and they have to cross several natural streams that spring up along the way.

“As the water levels rise we have to patiently wade through them to get to class. Many a time we arrive late but we still make it a point to go,” she adds.

With rampant illiteracy and poverty, parents in remote tribal hamlets are not inclined to send their kids to school and, in fact, prioritise survival over education and end up pushing them into doing paid work in mines or agricultural labour. (Credit: WFS)

Of course, not everyone is able to beat these tough odds. Surmal, a resident of Amarpura, 40 kilometres from Udaipur, is a father of four and his greatest worry is the poor attendance of his children. “When the weather is rough they have to stay at home. We do not have affordable transportation facilities around here and I can’t take the chance of anything untoward happening to them. I want them to study well but I fear that one day they might lose their admission as they miss school frequently,” he remarks.

Fortunately, across the region, both the panchayats and the local civil society organisations have been trying to introduce different incentives, ranging from providing affordable transportation to singing motivational songs at night meetings for parents, to forming groups of all-women escorts to improve enrolment and keep the drop-out rates in check.

Take for instance, the Udaipur-based non government organisation, Unnati Sanstha, which is working towards ensuring quality education for students like Khushi, Prakash and Mukesh. According to a study conducted by Unnati Sanstha across eight panchayats of Girwa, Sarada and Kherwada blocks, only 59 per cent children between 6 and14 years attend school and 46 per cent parents are discouraged from sending their children to school because of the unsafe terrain.

Marjorie Aziz, secretary of Unnati Sanstha, shares the grim realities on the ground: “This is a tribal area and illiteracy and poverty are rampant. Parents are not inclined to send their kids to school. In fact, they prioritise survival over education and end up pushing them into doing paid work in mines or agricultural labour. Even if this hurdle is overcome successfully there is the question of safety. Schools are located several kilometres from settlements and wild animals roam freely in this mountainous region. This makes them apprehensive and it contributes to the drop-out rate.”

This is where the innovative measures jointly implemented by the School Management Committees (SMCs) and NGO volunteers, in coordination with the panchayats, have managed to steer parents towards not just sending their children to school but also going all out to make sure they stay there.

To check the high drop-out rates in schools in rural areas, Innovative measures, like providing affordable transportation and singing motivational songs are being implemented to encourage parents to send their children to school and keep the high drop-out rates in check. (Credit: WFS)

Realising the need to constantly keep the elders motivated Unnati Sanstha organises regular meetings. Elaborates Aziz: “We ask families not to use their children as assets and put them to work either at home or in the marble mines, at construction sites or the cotton fields. Since 2008, by conducting one-on-one sessions with parents, creating ‘bhajan mandalis’ (prayer groups) that sing about merits of education, and holding meetings with the nodal officer in the Education Department we have brought about a noticeable positive change in attitudes.”

Essentially, tribals here have small land holdings that cannot provide for their large families. Consequently, they have to migrate to find work. In the villages along the Gujarat border there is heavy migration, especially during the harvest season. Children are recruited to work in cotton fields, at highway restaurants and on construction sites.

Panchayat coordinator Silwans Patel, who has been working with village communities for over six years, sings inspirational songs to promote education. He has realised that this is an effective way to get his point across, “We work within the community and pass on our message through songs and poems. Parents, who are mostly labourers, don’t mind listening to a song or two on the merits of education at the end of a crushing day’s work. They desperately want a different life for their children.”

As far as interventions go, government schools, too, have come up with some out-of-the-box ideas. Government Secondary School, Kaya, located 17 kilometres from Udaipur, has students from the sixth to the tenth grade. Out of the 293 children enrolled, 200 come from distant villages. Anand Mehta, who teaches mathematics, observes that children study up to Class Eight and then go to the city to earn a living. “During the summer vacations, even the younger children go to work with their parents,” he says.

However, Principal Laxmi Joshi has found that offering incentives to children who show up on time works well.

The community is making a lot of efforts to get the kids to school.

Photo for representation purpose only. Courtesy: fxbsuraksha.in

“Some of them cannot afford to buy pens so we give them out as prizes. During the prayer assembly, we felicitate them so that they remain motivated. We even talk to the parents whose children have missed a few days of school so that the gap remains minimal.”

Additionally, the school ensures that students from the marginalised SC/ST community get the government scholarships they are entitled to. “Each teacher takes out the time to go to the bank to fill out scholarship forms for children as their parents are illiterate,” says Joshi.

Sohanlal, who hails from Lai village, seven kilometres from Kaya, is a Class Eight student. He has benefited tremendously from his school’s proactive approach. “The boy, who has six siblings, lost his father years back so their financial situation has always been poor. But he is bright. He takes care of the family and even arranged the marriage of his elder brother. He wanted to drop out to earn but we intervened and he’s still with us,” says Mehta with a smile.

Like Mehta, Laxmilal Mena, who teaches 45 students at the Hamabal Primary School in remote Khajuri village, “negotiates” with parents on a daily basis. “I have to constantly engage with them. When kids miss school for several weeks they are hesitant to return. When I inquire with the elders, they give excuses like that their uniforms were not washed, so I end up negotiating as per the demands of the situation,” he laughs.

In places where the lack of transport poses a major problem, Unnati Sanstha had introduced a system under which children in far flung hamlets get a pick and drop.

Photo for representation purpose only. Courtesy: www.globalgujaratnews.in

Four years ago, support was provided to five panchayats to improve the enrolment and retention rates. Approximately 700 children, including little Khushi Mena, benefitted from this. As the retention levels rose to 90 per cent the state government also decided to come on board. “Today, the government has temporarily halted its contribution but the community is actively demanding it. We are working with the authorities and I’m sure they will reinstate the scheme soon,” says Aziz.

Times have truly changed around these parts and so have people’s perception of education. Amarpura’s Ward Panch Baalal recalls how there were no schools when he was young but things are very different now. Concludes Ramesh Chandra Mena, father of four and an SMC member in Amarpura, “We want our children to study well so that they don’t have to work as labourers like we do. At least they will have a better, more secure, future.”

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Most of us want to make a difference but get stuck on the ‘how’ part. We’ve analysed some of the most successful initiatives in education to come up with a idea list that you can start using 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!

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With the positive effects of Montessori on children being realised, more and more parents have started believing in the importance of sending their child to gain such an experience. Even so, the spread of this knowledge is scarce, especially in the rural and backward urban areas of India. One woman has taken it upon herself to change the course of this tide.

It is said that children are like little plants: you can bend them the way you want when they are young and that’s how they grow up to be. Therefore, guiding them on the right path in their formative years is crucial so that they can grow up to be responsible citizens of a country.

It is this philosophy which makes Munira Nagji, recipient of 2010 YMCA Peace Medallion by YMCA Calgary, fly down from Canada almost every 3-4 months to her mother’s homeland, Jivapar, situated in Gujarat.

Every day over 40 kids experience the incredible way of Montessori teaching

Located about 20 kms east of Jamnagar, Jivapar is little known, even in Jamnagar. It may be a small village of about 3,000 people, but the kids of Jivapar and some of the villages around it, have something more than ‘just another day’ to look forward to every day. Each passing day, more than 40 kids from the village explore this incredible world in an incredible way of Montessori teaching, which is extremely rare in the Indian education system.

As it is said that “charity begins at home”, Munira started her mission 10 years ago by converting her living room into a Montessori for less privileged children, mainly from Afghanistan. She decided to teach them English because their parents didn’t know English and, consequently, the kids fell behind the learning curve in their schools.

Now, every Saturday, her living room turns into a free Montessori for the kids who cannot afford any form of preschool.

Montessori provides children freedom to learn on their own.

In 2013, Nagji converted a playschool in Jivapar into a montessori preschool

The Beginning

In December 2013, she transformed a playschool into a Montessori preschool at the Jubilee Cultural Centre, which is managed by Kathiyawadi Education & Welfare Charitable Trust in Jivapar, Jamnagar. Its name, ‘Starlight Montessori Preschool’, was the same as her school in Canada. A local resident, Nizar Hemnani, has been instrumental in the operational management of the preschool since its inception. Nizar has also been helping the Trust run many women empowerment activities, such as sewing classes, beauty parlor courses etc., in the same premises to enable the women of Jivapar, and the villages around, be financially self-reliant.

Munira, having a Preschool/Kindergarten Montessori Teaching Diploma degree, invested about three weeks of the initial period in training two teachers in the Montessori style of teaching, so that they can keep the school running in her absence and are able to earn their living simultaneously.

At the onset, she faced many challenges in terms of making the locals understand and follow the concepts of the Montessori style of education.

As it is a thing of rarity, even in urban India, the incorporation of this culture in the villages was a big challenge.

Initially facing a challenge to make people understand the Montessori concept, the school now has many students.

The first batch was limited to just 25 students, but with more students pouring in, about 41 students are currently a part of this pre-school and are spread into two batches of 25 and 16, respectively. Limiting the number of students is critical to the success of this mission because large batches reduce the attention given to each student.

Self-Discipline

These children have developed a sense of discipline, which can make even urban school kids look unruly. Each student coming to the Montessori enters the classroom and hangs his/her bag on one of the hooks behind the classroom door. The student then takes out a small mat from a box kept in one corner of the classroom, rolls it out on the ground, picks up his/her model that he/she feels like learning about on that day and experiments with it.

Once the time is over, the student puts the model back to its original place in its original form, rolls the mat, puts it back in the same box from where it was picked up, takes his/her bag from the hook and leaves.

During the entire process, teachers act as facilitators to the child and not as instructors.

The montessori follows a fun yet disciplined routine.

The impact of this freedom, coupled with self-discipline, is that these kids gain a head-start when they go to regular schools as they get to understand the concepts better, are able to identify things more easily and quickly, and develop a habit to learn on their own. This is a very important requirement for a country with a languishing rural schooling system, which is marred by inadequate number of teachers, poor teaching quality and very low attention per student.

“Children learn by watching. If you want to teach a child, don’t say it. Just do it,” says Munira Nagji.

A teacher must, therefore, lead by example in a Montessori set up and do themselves what they expect the children to do.

A Huge Step for Street Children

In January 2015, taking a cue from the “Masti Ki Paathshaala” initiative at Carter Road in Bandra, Mumbai, Munira dedicated a separate room for teaching the underprivileged street children whose parents are either beggars or daily wagers. Another reason behind doing this was that these children have barely any chance of a bright future, owing to the environment they live in.

Being at the lowest rung of the social ladder, they do not have access to the kind of education that other kids have.

The montessori provides quality education opportunities to underprivileged kids too.

They wear dirty clothes and people don’t like having them around. They are not treated well. They are the ones who are hit the hardest by poverty. It is this environment that is the breeding ground of criminals. Tapping these children early on and giving them the right kind of environment that shows them a bright future will make them take a step towards prosperity.

When asked about the greatest challenge she is currently facing, Munira instantly replied, “parental support”. In various ways, support of parents is extremely vital for kids to be able to fully reap the benefits of Montessori education. Whatever kids learn at school also needs to be followed and implemented at home.

Inculcating the same discipline among the parents is an additional task for the preschool teachers and administrators. They need to ensure that the kids get the same kind of environment at home. For example, parents are asked to pack food which the children can eat easily and which does not create a mess or dirty the classroom, so that hygiene is maintained. With monthly parent-teacher meetings, each child’s progress is shared with the parents and also the input regarding the kind of environment that needs to be built at home is given.

In this scenario, local member support helps in convincing the parents and gaining their trust.

The teachers make sure that whatever is learnt in school is followed at home.

Thankfully, Munira doesn’t face much of a problem with getting girls into the school due to the significant Gujarat government push regarding girl child education for many years now. With a contribution of only Rs. 50, it is not a huge burden for the parents either.

For the street children, it is free. However, Munira makes it a point to get the same supplies for the kids in Jivapar as the ones she uses for her Montessori in Canada. Her visits to India are marked with excess baggage resulting from big suitcases stuffed with material for the children, along with her own luggage.

Having spent her childhood in challenging conditions, financially and socially, before gaining stability with 7 years spent in Dubai and then a relocation to Canada in 1988, Munira attributes her actions to an inner drive pushing her to give back something to the village where her roots are. Today, she has a happy five-member family with three adolescent children. She speaks good Kutchhi, thanks to the efforts of Kutchhi NRIs who migrated to Canada but made it a point to keep their language alive.

However, her village has moved on to contemporary Gujarati and the villagers find it amazing to listen to some good Kutchhi from an NRI.

In the future, Munira wants to reach out to more underprivileged kids through an orphanage.

Future Plans

Munira has recently purchased a piece of land, at a few kilometers from Jivapar, where she plans to build an orphanage. The idea is to adopt orphans, even street kids, and build an environment which is conducive to their growth. For the street kids, parents will be asked to deposit some amount every month in their kids’ account which will be accessible to the kid once he/she turns 18, so that they have something to start their life with when they enter the mainstream world. Parents can meet their kids once in a month to learn how their kid is progressing.

The drive to make a difference in the lives of the kids and help them grow into responsible citizens of tomorrow shall keep Munira motivated to continue her acts of love in the future as well, as it has in the past. She can be reached at info@acts-of-love.com.

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Away from home, the tribal girls of Odisha are now educating themselves and dreaming big. Their new residential school is like a family which is enabling them to prepare for higher studies and a better life.

Till a few years ago, Suggi Mankadia was leading a very different life. The eldest of four siblings, the teenager who belongs to one of the most primitive tribal communities living in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, used to work from dawn till dusk helping out her mother in completing domestic chores and then sitting down to roll ‘beedis’ (country cigarettes) with her to augment the household income.

Never once had she thought that she would be able to step outside her home and get an opportunity to study in school. After all, there were not many in her community who had seen the inside of a classroom. From their parents’ home, where the girls were expected to do housework once they grew up, they went straight to their marital home where it was more or less the same, only with additional responsibilities and burdens.

Then one day, Santosh Sahoo, a social activist and community mobiliser, came to her home and spoke to her parents, both daily wagers, about sending the youngster to a special residential school in the area.

Away from their home and all that is familiar to them, the tribal girls are truly well taken care of by the teachers and staffers at Udaan, a residential school in Mayurbhanj, Odisha. Such support enables them to easily settle down to work hard.

Although Suggi does admit that it was not easy to convince them to let her go off on her own, but when Sahoo told them about how the education was free and that she would eventually be able to earn a better living, they agreed.

“It was the best decision they took, one that has transformed my thinking and enabled me to hope for a brighter future. I now know that illiteracy can only limit one’s horizons. My parents could never have done anything other than be wage workers and my siblings and I would have followed suit had it not been for my stint at my school, Udaan,” she says.

Last year, Suggi passed out of Udaan and was enrolled into Class Six at the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) near her village to complete her studies.

Like Suggi, there are 400 girls from different tribal communities who have got a shot at gaining a decent education thanks to Udaan, a residential bridge school set up by Shikshya Sandhan, a non-profit social organisation working to empower the tribals in the district.

Describing the basic work done at the institution, Anil Pradhan, Member Secretary, Shikshya Sandhan, says, “Udaan is a unique educational intervention designed as a residential camp for adolescent girls in the age group of 9-14, who have either never been enrolled in a school or have dropped out very early. It enables them to complete five years of primary schooling in just one year through a compact and accelerated curriculum. Once they complete the course and pass the Class 5 exam, then we assist them move on to middle and secondary government schools.”

According to Pradhan, most of the pupils at Udaan are those who have “not only borne the brunt of extreme poverty but are also bound by social and cultural compulsions, which force them to take on the role of care-givers to their younger siblings and even assume tough household and livelihood responsibilities”.

Mayurbhanj district is home to 53 indigenous tribal communities, most of which are socially and economically backward. As they battle poverty on an everyday basis, educating their children is the last thing on their mind.

Home to 400 girls from different tribal communities, Udaan, a residential bridge school at Mayurbhanj district, gives each student a much-deserved shot at gaining a decent education.

Nonetheless, whereas some families do manage to send their boys to school, the girls are generally confined to a domestic life, as they learn to do tasks like tending to the livestock, minding their siblings and, at times, even chipping in to make sal leaf plates or beedi to supplement their meagre family income.

“Simply because money is so hard to come by, it is an uphill task to talk tribal parents into sending their girls to school, even it is free of cost. What I have observed during my extensive interactions with them is that tribal parents, too, consider education for girls as a useless activity. They would much rather have them taking care of the home as they step out for work. Initially, we interacted with a few tribal communities to understand their mindset and attitudes towards girls’ education before we got down to working towards bringing about a change,” reveals Santosh Sahoo, who goes from village to village as a community mobiliser for Shikshya Sandhan.

After they enter Udaan, which was set up in 2009, the biggest challenge before the teachers is to give lessons to the girls in the local Odia language. Whereas that is the language used in the government school curricula, these youngsters are used to their own tribal dialects.

Nonetheless, after intensive sessions through the course of the year they are brought up to speed with the basic coursework. Explains Pradhan, “Education in Udaan can be best described as a life changing experience for the adolescent girls, as it provides them with formal education and facilitates in their psychosocial empowerment. While the idea of giving formal education through an accelerated curriculum is to allow them to catch up on the lost time, the aim of psychosocial empowerment is rooted in the belief that if the girls live through experiences that can build their self confidence they, in turn, can become change agents and role models for their own community.”

Away from their home and all that was previously familiar to them, the girls are truly taken care of by the teachers and staffers at Udaan so that they can easily settle down to work hard.

Besides, the intensive curriculum, the talented girls are engaged to take part in various extra curricular activities to aid their holistic development and make learning fun.

Udaan camp coordinator, Snehalata Mahakud, is aware of how vulnerable the girls initially feel and she consciously takes out time to make them feel comfortable and protected. “We understand they are anxious to be away from their loved ones and so we try to give them a safe and loving environment at school. Besides their regular studies, they learn everything from how to maintain cleanliness and hygiene to games as well as cultural activities. These help them to take on leadership roles and develop valuable life skills. In fact, the entire experience of living at Udaan allows them to build their decision-making ability, communicate effectively and understand the physical and emotional changes that they are going through during adolescence,” she says.

Elaborating on the bond that the girls develop with their teachers, Mama Niharika Kundu, a teacher at Udaan, says, “After staying at Udaan for one year when the students are ready to move on for further studies they are always sad and teary-eyed. We nurture them with our love and attention and it is certainly not easy to let go.”

Like Suggi Mankadia, Malati Murmu has become a role model for other girls in her Santal community. Even though she had studied till Class Two in her village, she had to drop out as her mother felt she would be of greater “use” at home. In keeping with her family tradition, she, too, joined her parents in stitching Sal leaf plates which they sold in the weekly haat (market) to earn a few rupees. She was making 50 plates a day and earning Rs 5 for her hard work. These days, however, she has greater ambitions. “I am happy to have got admission into the KGBV in our block. Being at Udaan, I realised how I was missing out things that every normal teen gets to do. There is nothing to stop me from fulfilling my dream of becoming a teacher now,” she says.

If Malati wants to teach when she grows up, Suggi aspires to be the Sarpanch (village head) of her hamlet and provide good governance to her people. Both of them loudly acknowledge that only education can give them the future they so passionately yearn for today. Udaan has certainly given them wings to fly high and achieve their goals.

(This article is part of   U.N. Women’s Empowering Women — Empowering Humanity: Picture It! campaign in the lead-up to Beijing+20.)

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From poverty and violence to quality education and knowledge about their rights, the lives of these girls have taken a complete turn. All thanks to one amazing school run by one amazing lady.

When Dr Urvashi Sahni was invited on stage at the Lucknow launch of ‘The Poetry of Purpose’, a book profiling 15 inspiring women from across India, she brought along with her Laxmi, Khushboo, Sunita, Kunti, Rama and Aarti, all young graduates of Prerna, a high school for underprivileged girls founded by Dr Sahni in the city way back in 2003.

Each one took to the microphone confidently to talk about her life before a cheering audience.

Their life stories were quite similar – most hailed from a lower caste family and had faced poverty, illiteracy and violence till they found, and eventually graduated, from Prerna.

Girls from Lucknow’s Prerna school are given lessons in feminism from an early age so that they develop a sense of self and gain confidence to voice their aspirations for the future.

Set up over a decade ago with four teachers and 80 girls from the surrounding slums, Prerna today extends quality education to over 700 girls from economically depressed families with financial support from donors. After finishing school, some of these young ones find employment as teachers or clerks while others choose to earn as well as study further at the university. And once they start earning a regular income, many are not just able to support the education of their younger siblings but they also take care of their parents and grandparents.

One after the other, the girls who accompanied Dr Sahni talked about the environment they were born in and the space that they have managed to create for themselves now, despite the odds. Above all, each one had found a voice to share her journey of struggle and her aspirations for the future. Each one revealed how she has understood that she is no less than the men in her family or, for that matter, in society.

“I was so proud of having found myself, to have had the courage to find myself. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. For the longest time I didn’t believe in myself. That is because in India a woman is not expected to have a sense of self; everything and everyone tells you not to have a self. You are made to feel very guilty if you want to have your own identity,” Dr Sahni points out.

For one who was married as soon as she turned 18 and who completed her graduate and post-graduate studies as she brought up two daughters, Dr Sahni understands the value of education.

Dr Urvashi Sahni, who has founded the Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) believes that education should not just enhance skills but also equip young women to face and overcome life’s challenges.

In fact, as soon as she realised that education is a powerful tool to discover one’s self, she first pushed herself to finish her studies no matter what the challenges. That helped her to discover who she was and also to recognise the oppression that most other women face in their everyday life.

Coming from an upper middle class family, Dr Sahni was sent to a first-rate school to gain a competent education. Yet, she recalls how where she learnt how to read and write she gained little knowledge of anything else. For instance, she was taught nothing about herself or of her rights as a woman. “I was given skills but was not taught to use the skills for myself. I was not taught that I have the right to my own life. Over time, I came to the conclusion that education should really be about this – about building the self,” asserts the educator, who did her graduate studies in the US and then came back to her hometown Lucknow to establish Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) in 1995 where girls’ empowerment remains a key part of the curriculum.

The Foundation has established several schools for middle-class urban students, children with special needs, marginalised girls as well as youth in remote, rural parts of the state. The schooling in all these institutions is uniformly focused on creating a feminist perspective in the students, something that Dr Sahni had acutely found lacking in her own learning.

“We use the Critical Feminist Pedagogy approach at Prerna to enable girls to gain a feminist stance from a very young age,” she explains. This approach helps her to equip the girls to meet tough challenges in life, particularly discrimination based on gender and class. They discover ways to not only fight but successfully overcome it as well.

Dr Sahni’s own search for the self coincided with the coming of age of feminist pedagogy ideas that attracted academicians in the 1980s for its interdisciplinary effort to challenge age old assumptions about teaching. It was around the same time that Critical Feminist Pedagogy had forced issues of gender and power to the core of the learning process. At present, she is extremely proud of the Prerna Girls School where multimodal tools, such as critical dialogues, drama, digital stories and music, are being used to educate youngsters with the sole purpose of building a self. The belief is that there has to be a relationship between the self and the world, a relationship of mutual respect and care.

A dedicated staff of 16 teachers works with the children to facilitate them to rise above the fundamental obstacles that are posed by illiteracy, poverty, violence and prejudice.

The girls, who religiously make their way from the cramped slums in the vicinity, have access to the same infrastructure and facilities enjoyed by students of the up-market Study Hall School, including a hugely popular computer education course.

Girls are also given employment opportunities after completion of their course.

Photo: www.studyhallfoundation.org

Prerna provides vocational training to those who are interested and they are later hired as interns by the Study Hall School and Dosti, another school for children with special needs run by the SHEF.

In this way they are able to earn a small stipend as they assist senior class teachers and computer teachers even before they have finished school. Depending on what they want to do after they complete their education, Prerna graduates are encouraged to apply for jobs as lab assistants, library assistants, receptionists or find work in the school canteen.

It is her pride in Prerna, which runs classes from kindergarten to Class 12 for those who are otherwise severely disadvantaged in every way, which inspired American writer and photographer Mick Minaird to pick Dr Sahni to be featured in ‘The Poetry of Purpose’, a lush hardback book in words and photographs that he has co-authored with Dr Shashi Gogate, a practicing pathologist.

Incidentally, Dr Sahni is the only woman from Lucknow to be part of the inspiring collection that includes portraits of celebrated feminist activist Kamla Bhasin and Vimla Devi, a powerful elected village head in Mewat, Haryana, among others. “We travelled all over India for over two years before short-listing 15 women leaders for the book simply to make them and their contributions to society visible. I found that these women are scaling heights of the human spirit and improving the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways to create not a perfect society, but simply to improve it,” states Minaird. His description certainly fits Dr Sahni’s efforts.

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