City students turn teachers for under- privileged kids

“Ye desh badlega. Hum badlenge isse.” Remember those famous lines from Rang De Basansti, which inspired many youngsters? Well, Ahmedabad is fortunate to have some students who are actually making a difference by contributing towards the education of underprivileged kids. At a time when people are busy blaming the infrastructure in government schools for dropouts (a recent survey of students registering for AMC schools showed a 46% drop) and lack of quality, some young enthusiasts are showing the society that passion and strong will can make a huge difference. After attending lectures during daytime in the pursuit of their own dreams, they spare some quality time in the evening to aid the dreams of the less fortunate kids. Here’s taking a look at how they do it:

Skill building

, the high tech way
It’s easier to explain things graphically, and a group of budding engineers from a city college devotes three hours daily to teach some skills to first generation slum kids. Varun Badola, who initiated this project, says, “A hired room near Gurukul acts as our school. Ours is a group of six students who make animated presentations to teach different subjects on a projector screen. Two hours of subject teaching is followed by an hour of skill building, including dance and sports, daily.”

Place hardly matters, willingness does
For the needy, a well-built school isn’t a priority. Sneha Patel, who teaches kids of construction workers (mostly migrants), shares, “Their parents toil hard at the sites, leaving them alone. We spend around two hours to teach them the basics of reading, writing and counting. They are very punctual and extremely eager to learn new things, which they have never been exposed to.” To pursue their passion, these youngsters have conquered challenges like parents’ unwillingness for their kids’ education and the builder lobby finding it uncomfortable at times.

Extra-curricular as formal education
Activities like dancing, singing and painting attract kids the most. At the same time, these activities teach them some basic things in a creative way. “I am not into teaching alphabets and numbers to kids. I teach them art and craft. They are fond of origami. I also teach them to carve beautiful sculptures from easily available things like mud, matchsticks, thread, branches and leaves. I spend an hour with these kids from Gulbai Tekra daily.” says Vani Awasthi, a budding architect who also shares her innovative ideas with slum kids.

Just doing their bit for a better future
These youngsters feel they are only performing their duty towards building a better society. Devang Pichai, a budding chartered accountant who spends one hour daily towards this noble cause, shares, “These kids are open and unbiased towards whatever they are taught. It is easy to mold them and bring them at par with the ones who go to schools. They pick up new things really fast and have an appetite for more. I teach them the basic things to make sure that they are not discriminated against in future.” The kids are also taught about healthy habits and cleanliness. Additionally, he teaches them some of the asanas that would help them increase their memory, and the kids religiously perform those.

A Helping Hand
When you do something good for others, you usually find support. These youngsters are well-supported by several parents and students from well-to-do families, who donate books and craft material to these

volunteers

, thus giving a further boost to the good work. Are you ready to be a part of this commendable effort?