Here you find profiles of some of our volunteers, who
have agreed to share their experience on our website.
Also, see one of our volunteers teach in this video made by The Wall
Street Journal:
Click
here.
Teaching/TEFL Volunteers
Isabel Bedford (UK) Spring - Summer 2007
After graduating in summer 2006 from Manchester University, UK, I did
a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) course with
desire to spend some time working as a volunteer teacher abroad. I
found out about PPES from the website idealist.org and was immediately
interested in the school's philosophy and aims. I worked as a volunteer
teacher, mainly teaching English to older girls in small groups and
focused primarily on improving their speaking/communication skills. In
addition, I assisted the other teachers at the school and helped put
together a Computer Studies syllabus.
One of my other major tasks
was creating personal profiles for all of the girls at the school. This
was an extensive project that involved speaking to each student
individually to find out about her family background (income, number of
brothers and sisters, family issues etc.), daily life (jobs at home,
progress in her studies etc.) and her ambitions for the future. I also
visited each of the girls' homes and took photos of them with their
families. I used all the information to create a computer profile for
each girl. Another of my projects was working with a small group of
girls to create a play promoting the school and illustrating the
positive impact of Pardada Pardadi's work on the community. The play was
then performed by the girls in several villages in the Anupshahar area.
My experience as a volunteer was intense and full of challenges, but
full of unique and wonderful moments. I was proud to forge close
relationships with the girls and teachers despite language and cultural
barriers. Contact Isabel: izzybedford(at)yahoo.co.uk
Agnes Rec (USA) Summer 2007
I found Pardada Pardadi by chance. My university organized some
volunteer opportunities in India; interested in women's education, I
applied to PPES. I originally planned to work for PPES from Delhi to
increase the organization's internet presence, among other projects.
During my first week in India, I visited the school in Anoopshahr and
was quickly won over by the students. Rather than remain in Delhi, I
moved to Anoopshahr where I taught English and computer classes. With
Izzy, another volunteer, I developed a syllabus for the computer classes
that focused on hands-on learning rather than rote memorization. Back
in Delhi at the end of my time in India, I created the PPES blog -
http://pardada-pardadi.blogspot.com/ and maintained it for a while once
I left India.
At PPES I got to know a few of the students more closely. In
particular, I worked with Rupvati, then in 10th grade, to help her
improve her English. Though she sometimes struggled with the language,
every time Rupvati met with me she brought a sunny demeanor and a
determination that made her a pleasure to teach. Towards the end of my
time in Anoopshahr, I got to meet to Rupvati's family at their home in
Parlay. It was an amazing experience to get to know the students as well
as their families. Contact Agnes: humanonthemove(at)gmail.com
Pranav Chandra (INDIA) Spring 2009
During my time at the school, I noticed that while PPES students’
writing and reading skills were good, most girls were not comfortable
speaking the language. So I attempted to make them more accustomed to
using the language through exercises, word games, skits, songs etc. I
also got about 35 copies of this Rapidex English book for the classes,
which were a big hit among the students. In terms of specific
curriculum, I focused on using situations/vocabulary building. We had
specific classes on other practical matters like how a bank works or how
a post office works. We also had a bank visit for some of the girls in
higher classes where they learnt about how they would deposit/withdraw
money, or write checks, etc. With the my older students girls I helped
them to learn more about Microsoft excel, word and power point, and
increased their knowledge of the Internet. All the class girls opened
email accounts and learned how to use email. (I responded to about 35
emails that week!)
It was a revelation hearing the girls' stories
regarding their background and upbringing. Some of these girls are from
broken or very poor homes, having alcoholic fathers or where their
parents have been killed in property disputes. The fact that they have
the avenue to come to this school, as well as that they can excel here
and have such fantastic attitudes to their studies and activities was
amazing! When I look at some of the (slightly scruffy) girls in class 5
as they come into the main school, compared to the class 8-10 who have
grown immensely during their short time at the school, to me it really
displays what a transformational role the school is playing in their
lives. To go to their home and see their houses and families (where they
would otherwise be farming or helping raising children) and then at the
school to see their progress, their level of knowledge, enthusiasm and
future prospects is inspiring. Contact Pranav: pranavairlines(at)yahoo.com
Lindsay Johnson (USA)
January 2009 - December 2009
I found the school online when I was looking for a place to
volunteer. I wanted to come to India and this school looked like a
wonderful place to work. I liked that it was in a rural area, and was
dedicated to helping girls. While here, I have taught small English
classes to girls in 8th and 9th class. I have also held English lessons
with some teachers and faculty. For a couple months, I worked with a
group of 7 girls in a drama class, and they created three short plays.
Two were performed in a village and one was performed in Delhi. I have
organized the books into categories and started the library running. I
created a checkout system on the computer. An ongoing project has been
the creation of profiles for each student; this is something I am still
working on. In addition to this, I am transferring exam and attendance
records to the computer. My favorite thing has been teaching girls in
9B - they are a small class of 5 girls and are all extremely smart and
eager to learn. I also love visiting my girls at home in their villages
- getting to see them with their families and in an environment outside
of school.
I was introduced to PPES by my father, who shared an article with me
about Pardada Pardadi Girls Vocational School in Anupshahar in a
national newspaper. Sam Singh's efforts and his approach to bring about
women empowerment truly inspired me. I wrote to him looking for
opportunities to volunteer. PPES immediately responded suggesting
various projects that I could help with including the marketing and
growth needs of the school. I spent six weeks with PPES, helping the
organization by recommending strategies to improve marketing, and help
with growth and expansion of PPES. I also had the wonderful opportunity
to interact with the schoolchildren, offer a lecture in Geography and
Unites States to Class X girls, and play Pictionary with Class XIII
girls in the newly established library. Currently, I work as a
management consultant in Boston. I am volunteering to start the first
U.S. based chapter for PPES in Boston. This chapter will help increase
awareness of PPES in the U.S., raise funds for PPES from U.S. based
supporters and staff internships and volunteer opportunities at PPES
with local residents and professionals. Please feel free to reach me
via email at mayank.rit(at)gmail.com.
Jenny & Dave (USA) Spring 2008 - present
Jenny and Dave were living in Delhi when invited by Pardada Pardadi
to visit the school and learn about the charity. It was a life-changing
experience for them, and they jumped at the opportunity to hold an
online fundraiser to build toilets in the homes of PPES students.
Because the fundraiser was so successful, they organized another
fundraiser called Rags to Pads. Finally, Jenny became a fulltime
employee in the Delhi office to help with their online communications.
They have since left Delhi, but continue to help PPES with their ongoing
dedication. Jenny helps to maintain the PPES website and assists and
promotes Pardada Pardadi using social media (Facebook and Twitter).
Likewise, she helps PPES Delhi staff with utilizing the Internet for
online fundraising. Dave also contributes by maintining and updating
the websites (Rags to
Pads and PardadaPardadi.org). Additionally, they donate
server space to host these sites.
Medical Volunteers
Paul Brakeman and Jen Brakeman (USA) Summer 2009
I am a science teacher and my husband is a doctor. We became
interested in volunteering at Pardada Pardadi after the head of my
school Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA visited India and developed a
relationship with Sam Singh. Since then, four of our high school
students visited PPES and several Pardada Pardadi students have visited
our school in California. I was interested in traveling to PPES and
working with the PPES 10th graders on some focused science education in
a setting that would be different from their formal classes. My husband
and I traveled to India in the summer of 2009. We brought various
supplies that we donated to the school such as books, paper, rulers,
pencils, library stamps, markers, and the science kits. During our time
there, my husband gave cursory medical exams and taught about health
education. I watched several classes each day, and then met with three
groups of about 10 girls. My original goal was to work with the 10 girls
to design an experiment to test something that captured their curiosity.
Because I brought several science kits, we used the materials from those
kits to explore the world and learn about science. Although we ended up
not fully completing our experiment to test the effect of exercise on
heart rate, we did explore the physical world of light and magnets, read
some kid science books in English, and had a lot of fun! Naturally, I
supported PPES by buying a whole bunch of beautiful products that the
girls made! As with most volunteer experiences, I feel that perhaps I
got more out of my time with the girls than they did with me. I would
love to hear about any memories that the girls have of my visit, - when
my husband and I have time to come back and volunteer again!
Special Project Volunteers
Jacobi Wade (USA) Summer 2008
Jacobi served PPES for six weeks in which time she set up and
organized a library. Now PPES students can check out books to take home!
Basic Hindi books are very popular, as well as Dr. Seuss books because
they use very simple words that are great for our young learners. The
fun illustrations of the English children books help PPES students to
understand the meaning of the words. The library is an ongoing project
and more books (in Hindi and English) are always appreciated! If you
would be able or willing to donate books, please contact Wendi at wendi(at)pardadapardadi.org.
Rikki Asher (USA) 2007, 2008
During my sabbatical leave from college teaching, I wanted to visit a
school in rural India. PPVS provided the set and setting to carry out a
Bookmaking Project, in February of 2007, and a Peace Quilt Project, in
February of 2008. Children on two sides of the world--the Bronx, New
York, and Anupshahar, India--took on a challenge of creating a quilt
that communicated aspects of their lives to each other.
Eighteen
8th graders created quilt squares that represented a personal peace
story and learned about another culture through the exchange. Through
this project, these students became aware of aspects of their
environment and themselves that they had not consciously experienced
before. A Bronx student comments: Village life in India is very
different than life here. . . I see how the Indian students showed their
views on life. I worked hard to show the Hip Hop group. I hope they
enjoy our quilt.
This project gave both groups a chance to learn
more about an area where they lived in new ways. Through the project,
students tapped into their imagination and learned that their
environment holds significant messages for them. Now the quilts that
were created by Rikkis students hang for display in the entry hall to
PPES. The lovely works of children's art brighten up the hallway and
providing smiles to all the students who feel excited to have
participated in such a fun project!
Wendi Boxx (USA) Volunteer Program Coordinator 2006 - present
When I arrived in 2006 at PPES as a volunteer, my work was
practically impossible due to the lack of English at the school. After
starting my own English class with teachers and older students, I
proposed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program.
Drawing on my experience as a US Peace Corps TEFL volunteer (Romania
2000 - 2003) I set about making PPES' volunteer program. I understood
the potential grassroots networking that such a program could produce.
It was my hope that through establishing a volunteer program PPES could
grow, as could its role in stopping the exploitation of rural girl
children.
Several years later, our PPES volunteers have
accomplished so much more than just teaching English. They created a
student register to track academic and vocational progress, established
a school library, constructed lesson plans and teaching materials, and
perhaps most importantly, firmly established an English curriculum.
Volunteers have helped PPES with grassroots fundraising that has made it
possible to enroll more girls to the school. Moreover, volunteers have
instituted teacher training workshops that convinced PPES the importance
of investing in teachers as much as students. Likewise, volunteers have
helped teachers as well as students to see themselves as a part of the
PPES mission. In autumn 2009, we added a full-time English-Hindi
teacher. PPES, impressed with the progress of its students, is now
determined to become an English-Medium-School!
In 2009, convinced
of the results of the volunteer program, we expanded our volunteer
program to include professional volunteers. We now offer local intern
positions in marketing, finance, and production planning. Moreover, we
hope to continue expanding. It is my hope that more doctors, lawyers,
and other business professionals will be interested in completing small
projects such as providing medical checkups for the girls, legal counsel
or business expertise.
Empowering local communities makes a
tremendous impact in stopping exploitation of its most vulnerable
members. Volunteer programs are an important part of the necessary
skill-transfer for NGOs to grow and to increase the cross-cultural
understanding that leads to international friendships. I hope you will
join us!
