Using Solar Energy to Help Children in Rural India

Guess What, Friends?

Thanks to the efforts and contributions of everyone involved, the solar panels at Anjana Vidyakendra School are now installed, fully functional, and powering an entire computer lab in rural India! 

Here’s how effective your efforts have been, as described by an email from SELCO Solar India, our partner and solar panel providers for the school:

“….the current has failed for the past 12 days at Anjana School and surrounding villages due to some transformer burst.  But all the students are able to study in the evening with our LFE [Solar powered LED] lights.  Also, the teachers who stay close by are using the lights for class preparations...”

Now these children and teachers in rural India have access to modern educational tools, all because of you. 

Good work!

The Girl Scout Connection Continues

As we mentioned in our last project update, a local Girls Scout Day Camp leader contacted Friends Unite after reading a story in the New and Observer about our efforts to help these children in India. 

Pam and Murali gave a presentation to the Girls Scouts about the Anjana School a few weeks ago.  We were inspired by the girls’ knowledge of global issues, their understanding of friendships, and their drive to help. 

What did the Girl Scouts do?

They collected used books and educational software programs.  In fact, boxes and boxes of them!  These boxes are now in route to India.

These young women also created booklets of drawings and information about themselves to share their lives and experiences with children on the other side of the Earth.  This is the beginning of a Pen-Pal program the Raleigh Girls Scouts, with the help of Friends Unite and Brahmi, is conducting with the children at the Anjana School.     

What does this mean?

New Connections, New Experiences, New Friends!

Stay tuned! 

And You Do The Hokey Pokey…

The children at Anjana School got to show off their newly-formed computer skills, as well as their Hokey Pokey skills, on a recent visit to the school by Murali and his wife, Cheryl.  If you want to break the ice, do the dance – the Hokey Pokey!

You must be thinking - What does the Hokey Pokey have to do with all of this?

Read Murali’s blog post about his visit to the school, his experiences with the (dancing!) children, and the vision of everyone involved with this wonderful partnership and project. 

You’ll get some good insight into why we’re a part of this, and how simple things, like a dance, can connect people, young and old, from across the world.

Thank You

Building connections is one of Friends Unite’s primary goals, whether through fundraising, collaboration, sharing of knowledge and ideas, or any other way you can help us come up with.  Your contribution to give access to education is what caused the connection to happen between the Girl Scouts in North Carolina and the children at Anjana School. 

Please continue to spread the word about this important project so that we finalize the funding.  We still have to raise about $1,800.  We need your help.

These bright young minds have already shown you a small part of what they can do. We look forward to see the leaps and bounds they will be capable of with the steps you helped them create.

And it’s wonderful to see a new generation of leaders reaching out to help people – the Raleigh Girl Scouts!

Thank you for caring enough about the education of the world’s future leaders to give them the tools they need to succeed.  This project and the connections that resulted from it would not have happened without your conviction, your contribution, and your continued interest.

Thank you.

Links:

• Blog Post on the Anjana School Experience
• Friends Unite Home Page