8/9/2019 Looking Back and Going Forward_Krutika Patel_Feb2015.docx

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Looking Back and Going

Forward

Krutika Patel

Executive Director, Sajeevta

Foundation

February 2! " 2!# "

Five year$ back % $at on t&e veranda watc&ing t&e $un ri$e and illu'inate t&e beauti(ul (ore$t

t&at our &o'e (aced) daily %*d watc& c&ildren wandering between tree$, a +eacock"(eat&er in

&and at ti'e$, or a +atc&ed +a+er kite $eeking new activitie$- .&i$ neig&bour&ood i$ w&ere our

interaction grew wit& t&e c&ildren, t&eir (a'ilie$, t&e co''unity, our /r$t +artner"$c&ool, and t&e

+lace w&ere our 'ind$ began to o+en u+ to new way$ o( learning t&at built u+ a$ Sajeevta

Foundation*$ Learning for Success (LfS) +rogra''e- .oday % write 'y t&oug&t$ $itting in

Sajeevta*$ 0e$earc& 1entre $urrounded by book$, learning re$ource$, c&ildren*$ creative work,

and collection$ o( out$tanding t&oug&t t&at in$+ire our work-

Sajeevta"$tudent$* Succe$$ Scorecard$ are &ead"lined wit& I dont need to be pushed; I will pull

myself up to reach my goals: a$ we (ocu$ on t&e 3ualitie$ o( inde+endence, &ard work and

innovation- .oday t&e environ'ent o( exa'ination$ $ee'$ to &ave blocked o4 t&e de+t& o(

under$tanding and t&e li'itle$$ ex+loration t&at learner$ can love- %n rural %ndia around &al( o(

our c&ildren are not gaining t&e ability to read or to do ba$ic 'at&e'atic$ at +ri'ary level- .&e

noi$e o( t&e bla'e ga'e /ll$ new$+a+er colu'n$ wit& +roble'$ +a$$ed (ro' govern'ent to

$c&ool 'anage'ent, +a$$ed to teac&er$, +a$$ed to +arent$, and t&en 'o$t ea$ily +a$$ed on to

t&e (ailing5 c&ildren) w&o in 'y &eart $&ould be being e'+owered and not con$tantly berated

a$ weak"learner$- 6nly t&roug& collaboration between all key +artner$ can we o+en u+ door$ o(

&o'e$, $c&ool$ and $+ace$ in t&e neig&bour&ood (or new way$ o( learning to 7ow (reely and

vibrantly t&roug& all o( our 'ind$ we will 'ake t&e environ'ent t&at t&e c&ildren o( our (uture

will never cea$e to grow in-

.&e wide and dee+ +roble'$ o( education are not to be $olved by neatly +rinted elegant

+aragra+&$) direct work on t&e ground i$ w&ere $olution$ are de/ned- 8e*ve &ad 'any toug&

day$, going (ro' door"to"door to /nd a &o$t (or our 2"&our learning $e$$ion$, en$uring t&ere are

(under$ (or t&e 'ont&ly ex+en$e$ o( $tationery, $c&ool uni(or'$ and tran$+ort, but we were 'o$t

concerned a$ we $truggled to /nd +arent$ willing to include t&eir daug&ter$ in our +rogra''e-

8e reac&ed out in t&e neig&bour&ood, vi$iting (a'ilie$ to convince t&e' t&at daug&ter$, not ju$t

$on$, $&ould learn well- .&i$ i$ in t&e ti'e w&ere %ndia*$ wo'en are re+orted to be $+ending

'ore &our$, t&an 'en, doing &ou$e&old c&ore$ t&an anyw&ere el$e in t&e world, w&ere violence

again$t wo'en $carred our $treet$, bu$e$ and $c&ool$- 6ne year back, % wa$ a$ked by an elder

to leave a +ublic library in t&e village we lived in at t&e ti'e) anot&er 'ale &ad u$ed a 'obile

+&one to in$tantly re+ort a (e'ale entering t&e library- .&ere i$ a co'(ort and convenience inletting $uc& 'e'orie$ be (orgotten, but t&e +owerle$$ne$$ we (ace can only 'otivate our e4ort$

(or a di4erent $ociety and a better li(e (or all o( u$- Six 'ont&$ later, a coincidence 'eant % wa$

wit& t&e Sajeevta $tudent$ in a local ca(e 9a $ocial"ex+o$ure vi$it: $itting next to a newly"wed

cou+le curiou$ about our work (or $ocial c&ange) we later ca'e to know t&ey (unded t&e $a'e

library t&at %*d been evicted (ro'- ; bla'e ga'e wa$ not in our 'ind$, in$tead we $at toget&er

and +lanned a village outreac& +lan and a++ro+riate learning (or c&ildren and wit&in two 'ont&$

a$ a tea' o( t&ree wo'en we ran daily cla$$e$ (or c&ildren 9boy$ and girl$: o( t&e village in t&e

now inclu$ive library $+ace, a$ a $&ort"ter' $u''er vacation +rogra''e- .&i$ $a'e re$ilience

'eant t&at a(ter two 'ont&$ o( neig&bour&ood outreac& we &ad t&ree girl$ and two boy$

enrolled at our $econd +artner"$c&ool wit& regular $u++ort (ro' t&e Sajeevta Foundation-

.&i$ account ca+ture$ ju$t $o'e o( t&e $&ared will"+ower and deter'ination t&at &a$ 'ade

Sajeevta*$ work &a++en every day (or t&e la$t # year$- %n eac& one o( t&e$e $torie$ i$ a +art

+layed by $o 'any o( u$ our $ociety- 8e*ve learned (ro' 'i$take$, &ad toug& day$ o( (ru$tration

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and argu'ent, but never can we $ay we are &el+le$$ w&en toget&er a$ a grou+ wit& t&oug&t

and co''it'ent we can c&ange t&e world- 8e begin our < t&year o( work wit& tec&nical and

/nancial $u++ort (ro' t&e 1entral S3uare Foundationto $trengt&en our Learning for Success

+rogra''e in +artner$&i+ wit& 1&aitanya Sc&ool"Gand&inagar, ;nand =iketan Sc&ool"

Gand&inagar, and t&e c&ildren and (a'ilie$ we*ve known $ince 2!- .&i$ year we will recruit

additional $ta4 to dee+en t&e t&inking o( our work and we will /nd 'ore $c&ool$ willing to

+artner wit& u$ to include c&ildren o( all background$ to learn (or $ucce$$ in li(e- 8e will learn

(ro' our 'i$take$, let tran$+arency re+lace our (ear o( re$+on$ibility, increa$e our re$ilience, and

toget&er we look (orward to t&i$ new year o( learning (or $ucce$$-

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