Sampa is fifteen and a first generation learner. She lives with her family in a bamboo house with no electricity and no running water. Her father is a labourer and her mother cuts grass, bringing in an income of 500 per year. Since starting our education classes, Sampa's become ambitious and wants to be a teacher! We are so happy to be there for her, but 8 million children drop out of school at ten years old in India. We want this to stop. We want to reach many more children like Sampa.
The rural communities in West Bengal do not have the privilege of prioritising child education. Short-term survival is more important, which leads to high drop out rates, child labour and child marriage. The long-term investment of education becomes out of reach, subsequently keeping these families in poverty. With the free RISE literacy programme, these children and their families can continue getting food on the table without sacrificing education.
By providing free and interactive learning we instil a 'Yearn to Learn' in our students. Their aspirations are raised; they dare to dream of breaking the cyclical poverty their families have grappled with for centuries. We have staff on the ground visiting our students families, helping them to understand why education is so key, and supporting them to overcome the socio-economic boundaries. The UK partnership with the India students encourages global citizenship and broadens their horizons.
We currently work with 130 students in India, but we want to reach many more. 2,500 will allow 18 more children to enrol on Yearn to Learn. They will join the beneficiaries we already have in undergoing an ideological shift, imparting this onto their children, and the work we do will impact those in generations to come. We want to engage and empower, overcoming the challenges faced and persevering with the knowledge that 'education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.'
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
