Getting down to work
After several days of getting adjusted to the intricacies of Delhi--such as figuring out the chemist is the pharmacy, the stationer's sells paper goods, and Internet access is faster and cheaper than the states--we spent this morning meeting with our volunteer coordinator.
We all came to do meaningful volunteer service with an established NGO in Delhi, so today was especially exciting. I and several other volunteers will be working with Vidya, an NGO that provides economic and educational opportunities to women and children in Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai. We had chai and very interesting discussion about many things Indian with the incredible Delhi director, Mala Goyal.
Mala-ji explained the problem very simply: though all children need to be educated, not all children can afford the fees to attend school. Vidya exists to provide non-formal schooling at a more affordable cost. Charging children a nominal fee is essential, she explained, so that the youth have an investment in their studies.
After initial success with educating children, the organization expanded to provide classes for the mothers, again based on a simple principal. If the mother is educated, and values education, she will instill the same values in her children. Mala-ji explained this matter of factly. So the program expanded to provide classes for the mothers. And Vidya continued to expand their services to include micro-credit programs, classes for high school drop-outs, and income-generating enterprises. Again, Mala-ji's conviction was so deep, that I honestly believe that small steps, like teaching conversational English, can lead to major impact in women's lives.
While I'm generally elated to be experiencing India in depth, I'm especially excited to work with this particular NGO, Vidya, because of it's belief in taking practical steps that lead to revolutionary change. A literate woman is an empowered woman, and an empowered woman demands more for herself and her family.
Did I mention that I'm teaching conversational English to women who speak Hindi? Banneker, my dear alma mater, didn't offer Hindi...
We all came to do meaningful volunteer service with an established NGO in Delhi, so today was especially exciting. I and several other volunteers will be working with Vidya, an NGO that provides economic and educational opportunities to women and children in Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai. We had chai and very interesting discussion about many things Indian with the incredible Delhi director, Mala Goyal.
Mala-ji explained the problem very simply: though all children need to be educated, not all children can afford the fees to attend school. Vidya exists to provide non-formal schooling at a more affordable cost. Charging children a nominal fee is essential, she explained, so that the youth have an investment in their studies.
After initial success with educating children, the organization expanded to provide classes for the mothers, again based on a simple principal. If the mother is educated, and values education, she will instill the same values in her children. Mala-ji explained this matter of factly. So the program expanded to provide classes for the mothers. And Vidya continued to expand their services to include micro-credit programs, classes for high school drop-outs, and income-generating enterprises. Again, Mala-ji's conviction was so deep, that I honestly believe that small steps, like teaching conversational English, can lead to major impact in women's lives.
While I'm generally elated to be experiencing India in depth, I'm especially excited to work with this particular NGO, Vidya, because of it's belief in taking practical steps that lead to revolutionary change. A literate woman is an empowered woman, and an empowered woman demands more for herself and her family.
Did I mention that I'm teaching conversational English to women who speak Hindi? Banneker, my dear alma mater, didn't offer Hindi...
posted by Rhonda Henderson at 11:09 AM
1 Comments:
This is better than "Lost"...can't wait for more!!!
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