The Better India » Underprivileged

Aseema: Expanding Horizons of Education

Rahul Anand — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:09:23 +0000

Education, we’ve always believed, holds the key to a progressive future. Currently, less than 50% of our children in the age group of 6-14 years attend school. The Right to Education (RTE) bill 2010 provides a necessary foundation for spreading primary education in the country, which should improve the percentage of children attending school. In absolute numbers, this bill could impact 35 million children who are right now deprived of education due to various reasons.

Aseema, a Mumbai based non-profit organization, is working with underprivileged children to provide them a nurturing and stimulating educational environment. By doing so, it aims to bring these children back into the mainstream of society.

Assema Montessori is a first of its kind center for street children in India. Established in August 2000 at Pali Chimbai Municipal School, the Montessori provides children with a firm education foundation.

In 1996 Assema started the Project Igatpuri for educating the tribal children of Awalkheda, a small hilly village situated 5 kilometers from Igatpuri.

The Better India caught up with Aseema and here is an interview with them:

What was the motivation behind starting Aseema?

In 1988, Dilbur Parakh worked with the Union of Civil Liberties in Thailand and was earlier involved with social work in Mumbai. Since 1990, she worked as the legal officer for Asia with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Geneva. But she always knew that she had to work with children. The introduction of the Convention on the Rights of the Child during Dilbur’s posting in Geneva strengthened her resolve to work for the rights of children. She worked there for over five years and then decided to quit her job and get back to India. On returning to India, she started ‘Aseema’ at the grassroot level with some like-minded people. Aseema was formally started on 15 December 1997.

What is Project Igatpuri? And the challenges you faced while setting up this project?
A systematic study of the people at Awalkheda, Igatpuri and the surrounding villages, has helped Aseema achieve a comprehensive understanding of the educational needs of the children in these villages. The experience gained in conducting educational activities in Mumbai has helped in starting our Education Centre for Tribal Children in Awalkheda. The Education Centre will empower the children with a strong educational foundation and enable them to build a brighter future for themselves and their community.

Construction of the Pre-Primary Section started in February 2009. Owing to the torrential rainfall in Igatpuri from June to September, we have been able to carry out construction activities only from October to May. A classroom and a toilet block at the Education Centre have been constructed. A Solar Energy system has also been installed. This is necessary in Igatpuri as the area faces power cuts ranging from 3 hours to 9 hours a day. We had the Public Works Department construct a paved road up to the village. Tree plantation drives have been carried out with the help of the local people as well as children from our Mumbai projects and a well has been dug which is open to use by the villagers as well. Aseema’s well was the only source of water for some people last year. A water harvesting expert has contoured the land and contour trenches and check dams have been created which will help to recharge the well.

In March 2010, Aseema started pre-primary classes for the first batch of 30 children.

This year we also had 40 children studying in the Sitabai Kavji Mengal Aanganwadi set up by Aseema in the nearby village of Jambhwadi, Igatpuri in July 2007. These schools are the only well-functioning schools in the area and have become centers for further development of the community.

We have recruited local people as teachers and have introduced them to Aseema’s teaching approach. The Aseema approach stems from the belief that all children have an innate love for learning which grows and flourishes when there is a bonding between the teacher and the child. It also lays a lot of emphasis on the holistic development of the child rather than only academic achievement. This approach draws from the Montessori approach to education which gives children the freedom to learn and grow at their own pace. The school has, therefore, been equipped with carefully designed Montessori material and other attractive teaching aids.

The challenges we faced and are still facing are numerous. It will take a while before the local community completely accepts and trusts us. It is only once they see their children learning and doing well at school that they will really believe that education can change their lives. Other challenges like raising funds for the construction and running of the Education Center continue but when we see the little ones regularly coming to school and enjoying their work, we feel it is all worthwhile.

What is the social impact Aseema has been able to make on the community?

Aseema’s Community Center acts as an integral link between the communities the children come from and the schools. It generates awareness about the importance of education, monitors attendance and dropout rates, etc. Through our activities in the school, children are becoming more aware of their rights and responsibilities and subsequently they carry this awareness forward into the community. The parents are thrilled and proud to see their children perform at the Annual Exhibition, Annual Sports Day and Annual Day as well as on Open Days and at PTA meetings.

In June 2009, we introduced a teacher training programme for community women at our Pre-Primary Center located at the Santacruz (W) Municipal School. This in-house integrated training programme draws young women from the local community and gives them intensive training in the Aseema approach to education. This programme has strengthened the student-teacher bond. With both the children and the trainee teachers coming from similar socio-economic backgrounds, they relate better to each other, and the trainee teachers are committed to ensuring that the children grasp all that is being explained in class. It gives them an opportunity to adopt a professional career, contribute meaningfully and gain the respect of the community.

What are the other activities carried out by Aseema to provide holistic education to children?

Since its inception, Aseema has been striving to provide high quality, relevant education to Mumbai’s most neglected children – children living on the streets, or in slums, in inhuman conditions. Today, we are proud to see over 1000 children enrolled in school, learning well and exploring their potential.

In partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), we are running three schools – Pali-Chimbai Municipal School (PCMS)in Bandra west , a suburb of Mumbai, the Santacruz (W) Secondary Municipal School (SMS) and the Kherwadi Municipal School (KMS)in Bandra East. Our programmes in PCMS and SMS may be regarded as models for education in Mumbai. They have shown how MCGM schools can upgrade their educational programmes and offer better services to children while working in partnership with NGOs and other bodies. We are currently implementing this model at KMS which we have recently adopted and are keen that it be replicated in other municipal schools as well. We are currently working with the MCGM through high level committees and other focus groups to promote the implementation of a well designed public private partnership.

How did the concept of Children’s Art came about? What are the products on offer and how do you plan to take it forward?

A somewhat unique programme at Aseema is the transforming of some of the artistic flair of the children into marketable products. Our children create beautiful art under the guidance of teachers who give them complete creative freedom. The children’s drawings are then used to make high quality products of paper, ceramic, cloth and wood.

We started with selling the children’s paintings at exhibitions and gradually moved to transferring their paintings on to products like crockery, napkins, scarves, paper bags, etc. The popularity of our products drew the attention of the students of the Wharton Business School, who with the help of students of S.P. Jain Institute of Management studied our products and created a business plan to help Aseema become self sustaining. This study led to the establishment of our Products Division.

Our products include greeting cards, ruled books, notepads, art books, gift paper pen holders, combined holders, card holder, memo holder, pin holder, trivets, mugs, key chains, bags, mobile and spectacle cases, pencil pouches, change pouches bed table, coffee table, coasters, trays, etc. Prices range from Rs. 15 to 2000 and all proceeds are ploughed back into Aseema’s educational projects.

Click here to visit the website and to know more about Aseema.

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AWIC: Literacy Through Library

Rahul Anand — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:16:53 +0000

Libraries are as the shrine where all the relics of the ancient saints, full of true virtue, and that without delusion or imposture, are preserved and reposed. That is a famous quote by Francis Bacon.

Most of us who love reading cherish the time we spent as children in libraries scanning through books of various shapes and sizes with vivid covers and enticing titles. Libraries are the repositories of knowledge. But a large number of children are deprived of this wonderful experience; they don’t get to read which in effect does not inculcate in them the habit of studying.

AWIC, Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children, is a voluntary organisation working towards the promotion and development of literature for children in India. It represents writers, illustrators, librarians, editors and publishers. Founded by late K.Shankar Pillai in 1981, AWIC endorses the ethics and functions of the global organisation IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People), a non-profit which represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together.

The various projects of AWIC include the following:

Children’s Library Project

Winner of the IBBY-ASAHI Reading Promotion Award, this project was started in 1983. Today 114 libraries in Delhi and across India have been setup under this voluntary scheme to promote reading. Each library is provided with free books. The project aims at making good books available to children who have no access to books .

Most of the libraries are managed by AWIC members on a voluntary basis. While most libraries function from the homes of AWIC members, some libraries have also been set up in parks, hospitals, railway platforms and slum areas for underprivileged children. Each year AWIC gives out one Best Librarian award and two Reader of the Year awards!

AWIC initiated IBBY library project – creating children’s libraries at Madi Village in Delhi (NCR), at Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh, at Jaipur, Rajasthan and Daman in Goa.

Literacy Project

In 1995 AWIC launched its Literacy Project and has published two Hindi alphabet books under its schemes, ‘Buy, Teach and Gift’ and ‘Teach and Gift’. Under the second scheme, AWIC distributes these books free in all Indian states, including remote areas where children have no access to good books.

Book Promotion

Book Promotion Cell promotes the cause of children’s books written by Indian authors by conducting book talks. Besides this, the organization participates in national and international children’s books fairs.

AWIC Book Therapy project

The Book Therapy Project is a particularly interesting one and was started after the 26/11 terrorist violence in Mumbai. It was started in order to promote the use of books to help children during those difficult times. Reading can be therapeutic; helping children come to grips with situations that create turmoil in their minds. Book Therapy helps children cope with such stressful situations, and even prepares them for further eventualities. Through workshops AWIC aims to train facilitators to administer book therapy and also develop books, including picture books and anthologies, which provide a healing effect to children.

If you have some free space in your home or office, you too can start a library for the underprivileged! For becoming a member of AWIC, all you need to do is download this application form http://www.awic.in/about-awic/AWIC-Membership-Form.pdf and fill it up and mail to the address provided in the form.

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Conserve India: Using Fashion Against Poverty

Rahul Anand — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:20:57 +0000

Urban India is glaring at a huge waste management problem with no clear policy examining waste as a part of the production-consumption-recovery cycle. In India, over a million people find employment in rag picking and recycling of waste; and this is an unorganized sector.

Most of the rag-pickers are poor, illiterate and belong to rural immigrant families. Many commence their profession at the young age of five to eight years. Most of them have never attended any school. While collecting rags they are subjected to chemical poisons and infections. Due to malnutrition, they suffer from stunted growth and anemia. These rag pickers have been weaned out of our social fabric and as begging is being abolished more and more beggars are becoming a part of this scavenging community.

Conserve India, an organisation in Delhi founded by Anita and Shalabh Ahuja was born of a desire to reduce India’s mountain of waste. Their team, after a lot of research, struck upon the idea of Upcycling by washing, drying and pressing plastic bags into sheets.

Handmade Recycled Plastic (HRP) is made from polythene bags picked from Delhi’s streets, rubber from old truck tyres’ inner tubes, old denims and saris. The processes used to make ‘Conserve’ bags and accessories have been specifically developed to be as energy efficient as possible and to keep out polluting dyes and chemicals. This not only helps the environment, it also cuts costs, giving the organisation more money to invest in other social projects.

Santosh Kumar started collecting plastic bags for Conserve India as he could earn three times as much by selling plastic bags to be made into HRP instead of selling the garbage elsewhere.

Ragpickers enjoy working for Conserve as it directly implies that they, perhaps for the first time in their lives, will have enough to feed their families and rent homes that they can be proud of. On an average, a conserve ragpicker earns around $70 a month compared to a ragpicker who earns somewhere around $25.

The ragpicking community is unorganised; it is hard for them to protect their rights. By giving them ‘Conserve Employee Cards’, Conserve India helps them have a voice in the society. Conserve India has also started a campaign called Recognition for Ragpickers. As part of this, the organisation is trying to persuade the Delhi government to create an official register so as to recognize Delhi’s 150,000 ragpickers and give them their right to a fair wage.

Conserve also offers training to its workers so they can do better jobs in their organisation. Conserve supports schools in slums where many of its employees live. With an initial funding from Asian Development Bank, Conserve is now starting two new projects for tracking the general welfare of its workers and providing health clinics for those who have no access to healthcare.

In collaboration with top designers, Conserve India makes high-end fashion items like handbags, wallets, shoes and belts from the handmade recycled plastic.

Conserve India has collaborated with Fair Trade for marketing its products, which are available in stores across US, Japan, Europe . Their products can also be bought online through the Conserveshop.

By buying Conserve’s products one not only gets to be a trend setter in fashion, but also gets to help some of India’s poorest people and its environment.

For more information visit their website http://conserveindia.org. Infact if you want do something about the waste clogging the streets of your city, you can set up your own Conserve and be the change that you want to see in the society. Mail Conserve India at info@conserveindia.org or call on +91 11 43095301.

New! Jobs Listings featuring internships, volunteering opportunities & more. Click here.

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Unsung Hero: Vipul Thaker

Guest Reporter — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:28:39 +0000

This article is dedicated to one of the many unsung heroes bringing about a change. His name is Vipul Thaker, a simple man with simple dreams. Without going into his background, let me start from one of his birthdays. It was on that day when he decided he wanted to do something different. He decided to educate a Rabari (a tribe in Gujarat) child. A makeshift classroom was created on the terrace of his two bedroom house. As days passed by, Vipul went on to explore the talent in the slum surrounding his housing society. A few more students joined his class and subsequently the classroom was shifted to a light post on a nearby road. His class had no roof and was hence exposed to the harsh elements of the weather. The classes went on nevertheless. Every evening at around 09.00 pm the class would commence.

Within one year Vipul had around twenty children who worked in the day time and regularly attended his evening classes.

Looking at the progress of this informal school, the parents who belonged to the Rabari community came to his aid. They gifted Vipul with an empty hut to which the classes now moved. Of all the problems that Vipul faced, one was that of gender discrimination. The girls were not allowed to study. After much persuasion from Vipul, the parents were convinced and the girls walked in for the very first time. Within a month their strength doubled.

Vipul Thaker's school and students

This school wasn’t Vipul’s full time profession. He had a day job. He did receive some voluntary contribution from a few NRIs. After a point, he decided to admit his students in to a municipal school. Additionally, the evening classes were regularly conducted to ensure students did not miss out in case they didn’t go to school in the day.

Vipul had a dream to nurture – he wanted every child to get education on par with what their more privileged peers got. He negotiated with the private school principals, head masters, teachers and finally led to the introduction of a scholarship scheme. And so today out of forty students, around twenty five of them have been admitted to a school with better amenities for the students.

In the last few years, some of his students have shown their skills at the state level in the field of dramatic and graphic arts. Today he can proudly say that these children have something to look forward to. They have a future too. Vipul considers the renowned Gujarati educationist Gijubhai Badheka as his source of inspiration. He believes that Gandhian ideals too have been a prominent force behind his willingness to contribute selflessly.

The important thing, dear readers, is that this man and many more like him are actually striving to provide an identity to these children. They are providing a platform through which these children can express their ideas and needs.

Vipul and thousands of such grassroots revolutionaries are working towards bringing a constructive change in the society and we salute them for their relentless work in making a better India.

This article has been written by Arnav Anjaria. He is a third year student of Integrated Masters in Political Science at the University of Hyderabad. He can be contacted at arnav.anjaria@gmail.com

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Udayan Care

Dhimant Parekh — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:45:20 +0000

Shivam Udayan is an intelligent kid, quick to grasp new things. Now he has started learning horse riding at school. Ajay Udayan has been the head boy of his class since the last two months, he is very interested in sports and extracurricular activites.He also took part in Ramayana sessions in school. These are just two stories out of the 180 kids in Udayan care, 11 of whom are in boy’s NOIDA home There kids are mostly orphan or from abusive, destitute and dysfunctional backgrounds. The children over here live in well furnished, modern homes, with all the facilities that one would see in an upper middle class family. Children in the Noida home go to schools such as Rockwood and Assisi Convent.

Udayan care is an NGO started in 1994 by Dr. (Mrs.) Kiran Modi. Headquartered in Delhi, the organisation is working towards regenerating the lives of the disadvantaged children and women. They are committed to their aim of sustainable social development through various programs that include :

Udayan Ghars Shelter homes based on the Group Foster Care model developed
by the organisation with the sole aim of providing a family like environment for oprhaned,abused kids so as to promote social integration, brotherhood and providing the best possible education . Each Udayan Ghar is run by lifetime a volunteer mentor parent, the home on an average has about 15 children. Ghars are located in popular neighbourhoods and children attend private, English medium schools, and participate in vocational training and mental health programmes . At present they have twelve homes in and around Delhi/NCR.

Udayan Shalini Fellowship A distinctive higher education and vocational training scholarship, that works towards the transformation of disadvantaged girls into educated, independent and confident citizens like 22 year old Smita Verma who moved her family out of a one tenement flat in the congested bylanes of Old Delhi’s Chandi Chowk to an independent house in a decent location. She became the first engineer in her family , all thanks to the Udayan Shalini fellowship.

Outreach programme Started in 2004 to provide financial assistance to the children of HIV infected parents so that they are able to receive better nutrition, schooling and prospects of a better future. A long term relationship is established with the children through workshops, counsellings and home visits. In the eventual loss of parents, children are assured with Udayan Ghars.

Sugam Vedashram Project Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu was the worst affected by the Tsunami that rocked the shores of the country. Of the total district population of 1.4 million, approx. 197,000 were directly affected and 6051 were killed.Gasunie Engineering Technology (GET), Netherlands decided to ameliorate the suffering fisherman and develop a proper rehabilitation plan.

Finally three villages namely Chinnurpet, Chandrapadi and Talampettai were chosen and Sugam Vedashram Project was started in collaboration with Bandhua Mukti Morcha and GET. The aim of the project is to provide an educational and training platform for the devastated fishermen community.
At present they are seeking funds for the construction of the Center.

Udayancare is currently in the process of starting a hostel for underprivileged women. The organisation is accredited by Give India and Credibility Alliance.
Here are some wonderful photographs of the children at Udayan Care:

Children at the Winter Camp in Jagshanti Udayan Ghar, NOIDA

Contact Details

Please visit http://www.udayancare.org/ to know more.
Blog : http://www.udayancareblog.blogspot.com/
Twitter : http://twitter.com/udayancare

This article has been written by Rahul Anand, an IT consultant , entrepreneur and social activist living in Delhi. He has been associated with Udayan care as a volunteer since the last two years; has started a program with cafindia (charity aid foundation) by the name of 100ruppeeclub. Also, his venture www.simplypoet.com is the world’s first multi lingual poetry portal

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Divya Chaya Trust

Jheel Parekh — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:20:19 +0000

The Divya Chaya Trust (DCT) was established in 1984 mainly to help destitute children and women. Their main aim was to support educational and vocational activities at schools in rural areas and encourage educating the orphans and school drop outs.

Their work is significantly differently as they impart career counseling and provide students with opportunities for further studies. The trust holds confidence building therapies in order to enable women to support themselves financially.

Divya Chaya Trust is located at various states across the northern part of India including West Bengal, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and is currently working with various child care homes and ashrams. These include the SD Jain Mahila Ashram and Arya Bal Griha at Delhi, Ramakrishna Vivekananda Mission situated in West Bengal and Delhi.

The trust has around 49 employees who work full time for the establishment and betterment of their reach. Apart from the above, there are approximately 50 volunteers who are working for the same mission.

Their remarkable achievement for the year 2007-2008 is that they have sponsored educational expenses for 500 children. They also had organized seven career counseling sessions for more than 150 children who had graduated and were looking out for jobs.

Their contribution towards the growth of special children with various disabilities is also outstanding. Although the government claims that of the total disabled population only 2% are educated and very few are employed, the DCT is doing their best overcome these figures and make them more presentable for the country. To achieve the same, the trust has various services which are solely for the disabled. They have a range of options to reach the disabled, which include financial aids, or even providing them with simple basic necessities like a hearing aid, a wheel chair or even a Braille kit. A contribution from our end towards supplying these necessities would definitely be of immense support to them.

The most disappointing fact, however, remains that their total income is severely lower than their expenditure. The trust did loose a significant amount which could have been well avoided, had there been enough contribution made towards the trust from citizens.
Despite this, the trust did not loose hope and has recently built a residential home for the elderly at Haryana.

It is truly incredible to know that citizens of our country are going beyond their reach to dissolve the bridge between the privileged and under privileged by ensuring that primary education and fundamental living necessities are being provided to significant section of people.

Read more about Divya Chandra Trust here: http://www.divyachayatrust.org.in/

NGO write up done by guest reporter Jheel Parekh.

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Interview: DSF Founder Maitreyee Kumar

Dhimant Parekh — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:46:07 +0000

In this post we bring to you an insightful interview with Maitreyee Kumar who is the founder of Dream School Foundation. Before we get into the actual questions, here is a brief background about Maitreyee.

Maitreyee started her career as software professional and worked with multinational software development firms in India and abroad for over 8 years before she made a shift towards social development. Her desire for social change and interest in child development through civil society mobilisation urged her to join CRY (Child Rights and You). She worked with CRY in the resource generation and volunteer management divisions for a decade and was instrumental in setting up and coordinating Volunteer Action at national level. Educated at Pune University (Masters in Computer Science), Maitreyee provides leadership and direction to the organisation and is primarily responsible for the overall management and administration of the organisation. She was also a recipient of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Fellowship.

Interview

The Better India (TBI):Tell us about Dream School Foundation (DSF) and the work that it does?
Maitreyee: Dream School Foundation (DSF) is a Bangalore based non-profit organisation working to ensure the child’s right to quality education. Our School Development Programmes help with holistic development of government schools while our initiative – HeadStart, addresses and assists a smooth transition from primary to secondary stages of education and strives to ensure continuity till the 10th grade for the vulnerable and underserved children.

We started as a group of committed individuals volunteering their time and skills for the cause of quality education for disadvantaged children in Govt. schools. Later we formally registered the organization and now 4 years later, we are fairly established with organizational framework in place, focused school programmes and two Education and Development centres for High School students. The underlying belief of our organisation is faith in people’s ability to contribute towards the education and development of our children.

DSF Volunteers with Maitreyee (5th from right, standing)

TBI: Who has benefited from your program and how have you made a difference?
Maitreyee: The objective of the our intervention at the school level is to enhance the learning levels of the children studying at the government schools through support and partnership with teachers, active participation of the community coupled with intensive class room and school level interventions through trained personnel, teachers & volunteers. We believe that these interventions create an environment and processes, which ensures holistic development and enhanced performance of the school and its students.

Our initiative HeadStart aims to mentor and track individual students from the various schools, we support, through and beyond their Higher Primary / Middle school and High School Education. The underlying driver of the programme is to ensure that children both continue into high school (not drop out) and make an informed choice of schooling in the neighbourhood schools that are willing to give them an opportunity to share a learning experience without being discouraged by the financial liabilities.

The programme is strengthened by volunteer-involvement to mentor and track the performance of the participant – students and motivate them through the commitment of financial support for 3 years of High School Education. It is closely associated with our Learning Centres where the student-participants will have the opportunity to capitalise on Spoken English and Life –Skill Tutoring. We have seen marked improvement in the academic performance as well as personality development of these students and they are much better equipped to face the challenges of the world today.

TBI: What inspired you to create an organization like DSF?
Maitreyee: My experience and exposure as a software professional and later work with CRY gave me lot of opportunity to have a world view of society and social development. I came across several well meaning individuals who wanted to do something to bring about a change but very few ended up doing anything worthwhile. Some of us who were really passionate for the cause of Education and felt it is the only sustainable tool that can empower the nation and bridge the economic divide between communities in India started getting together.

We saw that while govt. efforts have ensured that most children have access to schools, quality education in these schools was still a dream. Schools needed to be equipped to provide education that is more than just development of cognitive abilities and rote learning and make learning an exciting and stimulating experience for children. Thus was born the idea of a Dream School which was developed by this group of passionate individuals with a keen desire to bring about a change.

TBI: How does DSF sustain itself?
Maitreyee: A large percentage of our funding comes from CSR initiatives of corporate firms while another significant part is from individuals and groups.

TBI: What are the schools that are currently under the purview of DSF?
Maitreyee: DSF partners around 20 schools across Bangalore for the Holistic school development and extends its services on smaller scale to several other needy schools. Our schools are primarily located in North Bangalore – RT Nagar, Yeshwantpur, Rajajinagar areas, while we also work with some schools around HAL airport area. Our Learning centres are situated at Yeshwantpur & RT Nagar.

Students at a DSF Adopted School

TBI: What plans do you have for the future?
Maitreyee: This year we would primarily focus on strengthening our interventions both at our existing partner schools and Learning centres. Meanwhile the public education scenario in the urban context is undergoing several reforms and changes. We need to wait and watch before we step further in our programme expansion in urban areas.

Instead it’s the rural schools that are kind of orphan and need developmental support. There we also have tremendous scope for enhancing community participation in the school development. We plan to take on a pilot School development programme in the outskirts of Bangalore, extend our existing programmes to the rural community and then explore possibility of scaling up the initiative.

Computers at the DSF's R T Nagar Center

TBI: In what ways can our readers contribute to DSF?
Maitreyee: DSF owes its beginning to few committed individuals who volunteered for the cause of quality education. We have full faith in people’s ability to contribute towards the nation building process. Whether it is through volunteering your time or financial contributions, each one of you can reach out to underserved children. One can be a member of our School Support teams and volunteer at a school or mentor / teach students at our centres. We are in need of sponsors to contribute to the High School education of our HeadStart children.

One is also welcome to help in specialized areas like website & content development, financial accounts, counseling, child psychology, education etc.

TBI: Any other message you would want to provide or talk about?
Maitreyee: We believe that people at large are responsible for the situation of the state of education and children today. And people should play a proactive role to change the situation through collective action. We need to work on formation and strengthening of alliances that promote collective action which will finally result in influencing govt. policies and bringing about constitutional changes. We as educated citizens need to widen our perspective, get more aware and involved in the education system and advocate the right cause that would benefit a larger population than a narrow segment of society.

Maitreyee is ably supported by DSF’s Co-Founder Sabu Joseph. Sabu holds the post of Director – Strategy & Partnerships. Here is a brief bio of Sabu:
Prior to initiation of DSF, Sabu worked with Centre for Environment Education (CEE), in Bangalore where he initiated and managed projects in Environment and Sustainable Development. He taught Social work and management in IIRM, MATS school of management and was visiting faculty in many management institutions and organisations. His interest lies in training and development and has conducted various programmes in corporate, academic and NGO settings. Sabu currently consults with global organisations on sustainability and business transformation.

He provides vision and direction to DSF and is responsible for strategic planning and partnerships. He holds a Masters in Social Work and also a recipient of Common wealth Secretariat scholarship on Environment Education (TEE).

Contact DSF

For further information, please click here to visit the website of Dream School Foundation.

You can also e-mail DSF: info[at]dsfindia[dot]org

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Super 30 – The Road To The IITs

Anuradha Parekh — Wed, 27 May 2009 07:52:07 +0000

Welcome to the second contribution from our remarkable guest editor Utkarsh Joshi. In this interesting article he talks about the selfless commitment of one man who has made it his life’s mission to identify and nurture talent that has the potential but not the financial means to make it to the IITs. This is the story of Anand Kumar and his Super 30.

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It takes a lot of resolve and hard work to come out of difficult situations and succeed in life. It takes even more to share one’s success with others like oneself and help them also succeed.

Anand Kumar has been there and done that.

Based out of Patna, Anand Kumar lost his father at a young age and his family faced many financial hardships early on. There was a time when the entire family was dependent on his mother’s earnings. At a point in time he even delivered home made papad’s made by his mother, to shops and homes on his bicycle. However, gifted with superb mathematical skills, he was encouraged by friends and family to pursue his dream of higher studies abroad. In 1992, he founded the Ramanujam School of Mathematics as a club where anyone could join free of any cost and attend training camps.

In 1994, he secured an admission in Cambridge and Sheffield universities but his financial health did not allow him to pursue his dreams. However he did not let that deter him. He converted his club into a coaching institute providing coaching for various competitive examinations. At the same time, he decided that what happened to him should not happen to others. Financial health should not come in the way of talent being recognized and nurtured.

This led to the creation of the Super 30 initiative.

This initiative provides free coaching, boarding and lodging to 30 talented students from financially weak backgrounds. These students are handpicked by Anand and his team and trained for the IIT JEE entrance exam. This initiative is funded by the money he earns from his coaching institute where he teaches up to 500 students in a single batch, thrice a week for two and a half hours each. He teaches upto 4 such batches at a time and charges these students a very reasonable 4000 rupees for the 11-month course. This money is channeled into the Super 30 initiative. The results for the Super 30 initiative have been extremely encouraging.

Founded in 2003, 18 students made it to the IIT’s in the founding year. The number rose to 22 in 2004 to 26 in 2005 to 28 in 2006 and 2007 and up to 30 in 2008 and 2009. Yes that’s correct! In the last two years, the super 30 boasts of a cent percent record with 30 out of 30 students coming through.

Today Anand Kumar has come a long way. His dream of going abroad has been fulfilled and he has been a speaker at Atlanta, where he addressed an annual conference organized by the American Mathematics Society and the Mathematics Association of America. He also has made contributions to The Mathematical Gazette and the Mathematics Spectrum, both reputed journals published from the UK, and Parabola, published in Australia. But he derives most satisfaction from the fact that he has helped talented students from the lower strata of society to fulfill their dreams. With future plans of spotting and nurturing talent in young students, he now intends to set up schools for the financially weak segment of society and leverage a similar business model. So that talent does not fade away for want of finances, and education does not remain the privilege of the financially stable only.

Visit the Super 30 website to read more about the wonderful initiative.

Image Courtesy: The Hindu

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Village Service Trust

Anuradha Parekh — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:55:45 +0000

Village Services Trust (VST) is an NGO based in Tamil Nadu with a mission to facilitate rural development through community development projects. Their vision is to “serve the basic needs and priorities of the socially, educationally and economically backward sections of women, foster rehabilitation and overall development of the physically challenged and provide utmost care and support for child welfare”.

VST’s main focus areas are women’s empowerment and child welfare and they currently operate in the Dindigul and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu. Many of their initiatives, targeting the areas of education, health and overall welfare, are implemented in tandem with the state government and other NGOs operating in these areas.

VST has enabled the formation of women’s group in village to campaign for better representation and involvement in key decision making processes. They also have implemented a Grameen Bank model micro credit system that is supported by Self Help Groups (SHGs). These SHGs have also been successful in building community network within these societies for women and the marginalised.

VST also runs health centers to provide medical, maternity consultations and counselling. In collaboration with the Aravind hospital, Madurai, VST has organized eye and dental camps. They are also active in spreading awareness about personal hygiene, HIV, STDs, immunization and family planning.

The other major focus for VST is child welfare with emphasis on rehabilitation of abandoned and abused children. VST rescues at-risk children and provides them shelter, education, vocational training and, more importantly, an opportunity to lead a normal life again. The child rehabilitation project has been operational since 1999 at their Dindigul center. It is estimated that there are 3500 children living on the streets of Dindigul.

Many of the abandoned or run-away children seek work in factories and shops to earn a living. Their predicament makes them easy victims of sexual, labor and/or drug abuse. VST seeks to help these children by help strengthen family structure to minimize run-aways, scouting for and reaching out to the abandoned as early as possible and shelter them before abuse. They also rescue abused children and provide a safe shelter where they can grow in a nurturing environment.

At present, there at 83 children being cared for at the shelter. It takes almost Rs. 1.5 Lakhs or $3,000 a month to sustain this project, to provide for children’s basic needs ie food, clothing, health care, education etc.

The child rehabilitation project currently has a crisis of funds. VST is seeking donations to help them continue operations and provide for these children.

Below is the link to their website which is enabled with a Paypal system for donations. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated by VST and the children. You can also choose to sponsor a child at the shelter.

Village Services Trust

Please do visit the website to read more about the work that they are doing on the ground.

You can also contact them at

The Village Service Trust

Michaelpalayam – 624215
Nilakottai Taluk
Dindigul District
Tamil Nadu

Phone: +91 (451) 6531 997
Mobile: +91 (0) 995 286 4440 or +91 (0) 984 212 4729
Fax: +91 (451) 242 0430 or +91 (451) 244 0062

Email: thevst[at]rediffmail[dot]com

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Yuva Bengaluru

Dhimant Parekh — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:48:26 +0000

On Sunday, I was invited by a volunteer to visit the premises of a school which is crumbling in terms of infrastructure. The school is Deena Seva Sangha, located close to the old Kino theater.

We first entered a small room termed as ‘hostel’. It was a dark room, perhaps 20 feet by 7 feet wide. Aluminium chests were stacked wall high in one corner. Various pants and shirts hung on top of one makeshift wooden wall which served as a provider of privacy.

Going ahead, we were taken to the main hall that served as the dining and sleeping area for the 65 students who study and live here. Then we were shown the store room, where the food rations are kept. The school sends its students to the city market once a week to get vegetables, which are given free to them by some generous and charitable vendors.
Moving on to the school building, which lay adjacent to this ‘hostel’, we were shown a pipe jutting out of the wall, gaping with its outlet wide open. In the past, the volunteers have put a tap on it to facilitate drinking of water, but every time they have done that, someone has stolen the tap overnight. A measly 10 rupees for us, but perhaps a meal for someone else. I then entered the building, which is two storeyed. Walking through the corridors, I see the empty classrooms with wooden benches strewn around. I reach the last classroom and look at the blackboard. Someone has scribbled the famous four letter ‘f’ word on the board, in cursive handwriting.

I move back towards the entrance and by now one of the volunteers has managed to get the door to the library opened. I enter the library and find that it is being used more as a junk yard, with all sorts of things lying around. There are broken tubelights jutting out of brown dusty cardboard boxes, a broken abacus lying in the middle of the room. In one corner, is a small two door cupboard that has the much sought-after books (much sought after by the visitors, since this was a libary after all). The books are few and most are torn. I then get out of the building and look at a smaller building in front of me. This one has the words ‘War on Want, UK’ engraved on top of it. “Why would someone provide war when you want it”, I wondered to myself. It took me a few more moments before realizing that the word “want” was used as a noun, not as a verb. Which meant that the word “want” here referred to the property of being in need of something. A little google-ing later gave me the website of this organization – War on Want.
We then get out of the building and there is a tea session held by the volunteers. Their aim? To showcase the state of the school and garner some funds.

If you would like to visit the school or donate, contact these folks: Yuva Bengaluru

(This post originally appeared on Dhimant’s personal blog with the title War on Want: www.dhimantparekh.com)
Image Courtesy: http://yuvabengaluru.org

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