Education for 100 street children in India

As the school year came to a close last month, the AIC Pre-Primary School children were treated to a field trip at Pune's historic Empress Gardens to celebrate the hard work of all of our students and teachers this year. The children were thrilled to have an opportunity to trade the crowded, slum environment of urban Yerwada for the lush, green landscapes of the so-called "Jewel of Pune." On the morning of the outing, they were so excited that they even began lining up at the AIC Education Outreach Centre several hours before the bus was scheduled to depart! 

Following a bus ride that can only be described as "rousing" (lots of singing, nursery rhymes, bouncing up and down in seats!), the children could barely contain their excitement as Bunty didi sorted out tickets and they were allowed to walk through the entrance gates. Once in the garden, the teachers and caregivers divided up the children and let them loose on the playground, where they spent the next hour enjoying slides, swings, balance bars, climbing ropes, and merry-go-rounds.

When the mid-day sun started to get hot, the children tromped through the stream that flows through the garden, cooling off briefly before taking rides on the miniature train that runs through the sprawling lawns. Judging by the kids' delighted shrieks as the train rounded each corner, this ride was definitely among their favorite parts of the trip! 

Finally, the time came for a picnic lunch! The children and staff settled in under the trees and unpacked a special lunch of idlis, coconut chutney, chips, and juice boxes. Everyone had certainly worked up quite an appetite by this point, and the children polished off the food in no time.

Eventually, the time had come for AIC teachers and caregivers to herd the children back to the buses so that everyone could head back to the Education Centre. Since the picnic, the children have been talking non-stop about this fun-filled excursion to one of Pune's most beautiful historical sites and the memories they made on this day. Since most of these children rarely leave the streets and slums, we at AIC look for every opportunity to provide exposure to other environments and experiences. We greatly appreciate the support of our donors in making this field trip possible for AIC's youngest and most impressionable pupils and would also like to convey our gratitude to Sapling Nursery (http://www.saplingnursery.org/) for so generously donating the use of their buses to transport the AIC children to and from the gardens. Thank you!