By Glenn Fawcett | Executive Director
Sangeeta and Priya are in 11th grade at Solara Secondary School and traveling together on Blossom Bus for the past two years. They live in Bholara, a remote village in Palwal District of Haryana.
Sangeeta is 19 years old and has been traveling to school on the Blossom Bus for two years. She is a topper in her class of 35 students. Before the bus came to her village, Sangeeta had no choice but to walk to school. “Walking to school in the heat of summer, during heavy rains and especially in winter, when the fog is so thick you can’t see where you are going, made it very difficult to attend school regularly and I missed 4 and 5 days a month. Since getting on the bus I am able to attend school every day and I’m now standing 1st in my class! My favorite subject is history. After high school I want to complete college and work as a history teacher.”
Sangeeta’s parents are very dedicated to their children’s education. They are both totally illiterate, working as farm labor and without any land of their own but have managed to ensure high school education for their five children. Sangeeta is the youngest.
Her dad Krishan tells us, “We have to work very hard to educate our children and we don’t ask Sangeeta to do any housework so she can focus on studying.”Her mother Sukhavati added “I feel very ashamed that I am totally illiterate and never went to school a single day. I don’t want my children to have the life I have and am very happy they are all getting educated.”
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Priya, a first cousin to Sangeeta has also been traveling on Blossom Bus for almost two years. She is third in her class out of thirty five students. Priya and her family live in a small village, 30 kms from Palwal, Haryana. She tells us, “traveling on the bus is very enjoyable as we get to chat up with friends and it’s a relief that we don’t have to face daily harassment from boys on the road and in the fields. It's also very exhausting walking to school and back in the heat of summer and rainy season, when our clothes become filthy with dust and mud every day.”
Her father stressed the challenges of living in a remote area:“Girls safety in these parts is a big issue. There are many [dangers] waiting to ambush girls on their to and from school. They pass remarks and try to get physical with them. There is a real danger of attack which was a big worry for us while our girls had to walk to school. We are now very happy and relaxed as the bus is like a steel safe so they go and come back safely every day.”
Two of Priya’s siblings are already studying in college, a boy doing 2nd year BSc and a girl in her first year doing B.Arts. After completing year twelve in the coming year, Priya will be the third first generation learner in their household to graduate high school and pursue a college degree.
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We are so happy to see families like Priya and Sangeeta’s who are uncompromising in their children’s education and we are honored to be able to support their success.
Thank you for ensuring access to education through Blossom Bus.
By Suraj Kumar | Project Manager, India
By Suraj Kumar | Project Manager, India
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