Villiage School Visit

When I visited Lilla Parishad School in a small village called Metgutad, in the state of Maharashtra, India, I found the students were using mats, gunny bags and plastic sheets to sit on the floor and attend classes.

The school has about 340 children and ten classrooms but no desks to sit at. Most of the girls I talked to in this school want to become doctors, lawyers, teachers or IT engineers. They all come from poor families, and being girls, chances are slim that they will realize their dreams.

Here in this school, I listened to the Principal and teachers regarding the needs for proper seating facilities in the classroom. With the help of our Foundation, we decided to build benches for the school. The cooperative decision was for Hope is Life Foundation to supply materials and the villagers to provide the labor. The benches have already been delivered at a ceremony attended by the Regional Education Officer and members of the Village Council.

When I visited the school again when we delivered the benches, the students were thrilled to see them. I am glad now they do not have to sit on the mud floor listening to the teachers. The Foundation also opened a library for the school.

BEFORE - classes are conducted while children sit all day on mud floors. They take notes and write while keeping their notebooks on the floor.

We gave the materials to make benches and the villagers, with the help of the Village Council, built the benches for the children.

NOW - I was so happy to sit with the children on their new benches!