BACK TO SCHOOL

I have a younger sister who is also at Vidya Bhawan, and a younger brother who is two years old. My mother looks after our brother and she does farming. She lets us take the corn from our fields and take our goats to the mountains. Our father drives taxis.

I miss school very much. My favorite classes are storytelling and music. At school I loved planting trees. The teacher explained to us that if we plant trees we will have fruits, shade, and a lovely breeze. I keep thinking about having picnics under the trees with my friends. We have great fun on the slides and the swings.

I hope, I can go back to school.

Back to School Campaign

We are raising funds for 500 children from amongst the lowest income households from urban slums and rural villages in and around Udaipur district in Rajasthan to be enrolled in Vidya Bhawan school. Over 70% of kids at Vidya Bhawan (like Leela and Tara pictured above) come from families earning less than 15,000 rupees a month - or just over USD1/day per person, incomes well below the poverty line. These families have been hit extremely hard by Covid-19, losing loved ones and jobs, spending too much on medical costs, falling prey to despair, and dropping out of school.

Vidya Bhawan urgently needs help to continue to provide education to 500 students who cannot pay their fees because of Covid-19. Without immediate assistance, many students - especially girls - will drop out and will never return. They will be forced into child labor and early marriage, and subjected to violence and abuse. Instead, with your help, they can go back to school and realize their dreams.

The average cost of educating a child is 30,000 rupees for a year.

About Vidya Bhawan

For ninety years Vidya Bhawan has worked closely with local communities to provide wholesome education for all. In normal times, 4,000 diverse students from southern Rajasthan’s lowest income households study on a 600-acre campus with sports grounds, libraries, laboratories and opportunities for art, craft and the exploration of nature. (At present, due to Covid-19, learning is offered online). This rounded learning, combined with a commitment to peace and tolerance, makes Vidya Bhawan students responsible and civic-minded. Many of these responsible alumni are now doctors on the frontline of India’s Covid-19 response, teachers counselling their students, or are organizing their communities to help each other.

Covid has taken a lot. Don’t let it take their future. Help send 500 children back to school.