Transform the lives of 3200 children in Hyderabad

In a class of 44 students and a period of 45 minutes, a considerable amount of time was spent in making this tiny boy just sit in his place. Every time he speaks, sarcasm ensues laughter in the class – to a point where Aishwarya (Teach For India Fellow) now gets angry at not being angry anymore, while giggling like a kid with the rest.
Rizwan’s elder brother was thrown out of school forcefully and as said by the principal, “This boy too is following his brother’s footsteps.” Known for his mischief, absolute disinterest in studies and impulsive behaviour, his name is on the lips of every teacher’s furious face.

A thumb rule – be the best friend of the naughtiest kid in class and your lessons are sorted. As a first time teacher, Aishwarya followed this religiously, but little did she know that he would turn out to be the single most influential person in her life right now.
“Rizwan can make anybody smile”, all the girls would say to Aishwarya during recess when she asked about him, “but he can also make anybody cry!”. She would often go up to him and talk, to understand the ‘why’ of him acting the way he does. After months of trying, she thought these conversations were futile until she started zooming out – Rizwan waited for her to leave school every day, asked her to even wear a ‘burqa’ with the worry that men in their locality cat-call, attempted to write numbers in his math notebook at the least and shared more about himself with each conversation.

Over this year, Aishwarya has seen 12 year old Rizwan cry because his abusive father threw him out of a balcony, massive scars on his face from the constant beating, secretive sad eyes from the insults of teachers who say he is a nobody, swollen palms of corporal punishment and his torn shirts from staying nights out in an auto rickshaw to escape his household.

School was his freedom ticket. As his Didi, she had the herculean task of making this kid believe in himself. All the boys, who grew up with sticks and belts, needed was love and an encouraging presence. His mother and Aishwarya worked together to do just that and it was the toughest thing she had to do – protecting this child from the taunts of teachers, canes of the principal, damaging habits from ‘friends’ (older boys on the streets) and from his father who would call and insult her for paying the tuition fees he refuses to pay.

Aishwarya thought she had failed when he broke her trust by lying to her about his ‘hookah’ sessions, when he jumped off his seat in the middle of a dangerous ride in an amusement park or when he refused to listen to anything she had to say sometimes.
Now she knows better than to give up, when he sits even during breaks to practice problems, when he writes letters to her to talk about his emotions, when he scored the third highest among the boys in his final math exam, when he reduced smoking, when he makes an effort to answer and learn in class and when he says ‘Didi, I trust you more than my mother’.

He still makes everybody laugh (and also cry) with his incredible wit while masking all the pain he goes through. He still continues to inspire Aishwarya to do better than my best in the classroom. The rest of them will eventually see what she sees in this child – an exceptional heart, but it will take time. The meaning of the name ‘Rizwan’ is Acceptance.

Story #1

Khaja, a 6th grade student in a Teach For India school, wakes up at 5 AM every morning to fill water, because if he doesn't he will have to miss out on the extra morning class that his TFI teachers take everyday before school. He also helps his grandmother with cooking as both his parents leave to for work at 6 am to make the ends meet. Khaja wants to become a doctor but his parents, unaware of the importance of education, sent him to an Urdu medium school (Madarsa) till 5th grade. 

Khaja's grandmother on finding out about Teach for India from her neighbors convinced the whole family to get him admitted into our school. A timid child who was exposed only to generic ways of teaching, was now sitting with students who were giving feedback and appreciation to their own teachers in the morning circle. Every time there was an Origami or Painting session in the class, he took extreme interest and always was the first to finish. The joy on his face was apparent when his teachers did various activities to explain the simplest of concepts of Math, Science and Social.

Initially Khaja had a lot of difficulty in following the class and coming at par with everyone else due to his lack of understanding of the language used for teaching(English). He was always reading but never participated. But that one answer in his Math class made Milind(Teach For India Fellow) realize his true potential. In a Teach for India classroom where every child is eager to participate, Khaja was encouraged by his peers and teachers to participate more and more. And everyone obsereved that Khaja was out smarting most of the brilliant students who have been in a TFI classroom for over four years.

There were various camps for extra curricular activities organized by the TFI fellows(Camp Diaries) in that school with activities such as, Dance, Beat Boxing, Drama, Art, etc., Khaja, through these camps, started to love Art and Dancing and went on to perform at various occasions such at the Mid Year Summit at TFI. In the auditions for a Drama by the class to promote Women Empowerment, Khaja aced the role of a Father and the team won a 2nd place in Draamebaaz. Within a few months into a new school, Khaja has made a tremendous improvement not only in his academics but in other activities. Today Khaja is not only accelerating towards his dream but also leading the other kids in the class to reach theirs. 

Story #2

Preethi - this little girl in one of our classes is a happy child with a story that constantly inspires! She makes people believe that good things do happen. Tragedies have occurred one after the other in her life yet she still continues to smile and sets an example for other kids to learn from. Her faith on her didi's (Teach For India Fellows) and people she loves is immense and she knows with them around she will be alright! 

Preethi is an orphan who lived on the streets with her grand mother and great grandmother four years ago after her mother died of cancer and father abandoned her. She was a shabby looking girl who always roamed in the streets, seen with a chai and a bun with extremely low levels of hygiene. The family survived by begging and eating the food given by the people who lived near by.

In the last four years the way life spanned out for her and how she faced the innumerus challenges and blessings makes us think she is special. In these  four years she lost both her parents and her grandmother. She was adopted by a well meaning family whom she still loves a lot but unfortunately they abandoned her abruptly. Finally with the help of the TFI fellow who was teaching in her class, she found her way into Rainbow homes in Musheerabad.All her requirements currently are being taken care of by the home and the TFI fellow along with the other fellows who joined the school.

Despite all the difficulties,  Preethi has blossomed into a lovely and sensitive child with no sense of hatred for anyone. Being continuously exposed to abusive language/environment  on the streets what surprises is how she managed to shield herself and not let it affect her. She is very hardworking and is consistently picking up in academics. She is one of the high performing kids in the class. She is very interested in extracurricular activities and was part of the winning team in Dramebaaz -  a drama competition initiated by Teach For India Fellows. 

What also makes us mention that she is special is her capacity to reflect on her weaknesses or episodes of stubborn behaviour and rationalise. She is very ambitious and has multiple aspirations like IAS officer, teacher but fundamentally wants to help many more people like her, when she grows up.

Links:

• Story of Khaja - Inspiring Student