About the Organisation: The project runs 20 centres which are spread out over the city of
Pune. These centres are not schools but centres for extra tuition and other activities. The main curriculum covers English, Maths and general hygiene. Although the children go to a local school where they are taught in the local language (marathi), inside the centres the only language spoken is English.
Children are aged 6 and upwards to the centres in groups of 60 at a time. While the drop-out rate in some of the local schools is 40% the drop out rate among children attending the project's centres is less than 10%.
Who they are: The project was started over 15 years ago by an 18 year-old student who wanted to make a difference to lives of less privileged children, enabling them to maximise their potential and change their lives.
She persuaded others to join in and then set about the task of persuading local schools to give them space. The aim was to encourage the children to learn by giving them an enjoyable experience using everything from clay, paint singing to objects from everyday life.
Today there is a young and vibrant team committed to improving the education and quality of life of children living in slums and marginalized communities. Working in Mumbai as well as
Pune, they touch the lives of around 2,600 children everyday.
What they do: Each of the 20 centres in
Pune run two and a half hour sessions in shifts, morning and afternoon, so there can be as many as 60 children coming to each centre every day.
The children are taken on monthly field trips and outings linked to class projects which – include trips to markets, hospitals, the local zoo as well as other places of interest or amongst many others. The project also runs summer camps with workshops, games, drama, yoga and dance.
There's even an alumni club for children who've reached 18. It helps them keep in touch with each other and some have become volunteers with the project.
What you can do: As a GapGuru volunteer you can assist in teaching at the centres, mentor children, help at the art class and in other programmes, collect and donate materials for the centres, conduct workshops, organise special events or even help with administrative tasks at the office. There are opportunities to help in a variety of ways depending upon your interests, skills and ability.