Have You Met These Exceptional Teachers from @projectwhydelhi ? #WATWB

Volunteering for a nonprofit can often be a grueling or frustrating experience. Over the years of my association with Stop Acid Attacks and Project WHY, I have often found enough to whine about (and scolded myself for it) but every once in a while there is a cause for a quiet reassurance or celebration.

A few months ago, Anouradha Bakshi, the founder of Project WHY spoke about the Adopt-a-Teacher program. Since the non-profit often supports migrant children, it is impossible to support the individual education of a child, who would often move away without notice. Instead, it was decided to fund the salary of a teacher:

 

“Each teacher takes care of 45 to 50 children in a day, that is 50 lives, 50 dreams, 50 futures. And they do it year after year, then over 10 years each teacher teaches and mentors 500 kids. So by adopting one teacher, you are making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children.The average cost of a Project Why teacher is 10, 000 rupees a month (145$ or 130 euros). That is all it takes. We urge you to adopt a teacher as an individual, or a group of friends.If a few people get together to commit to giving a little each month, you can easily fund a teacher. You will receive updates on the teacher, on the children they teach, and the difference you’ll be making in these precious lives.It is possible to make tax-deductible donations from the USA and France, and you can also contribute from the UK, and other countries.

Adopt a teacher, and change many lives. Help us help these teachers and children, and keep alive our dream of education for all.”

We have a total of 45 Teachers at Project WHY, and have managed to get 10 of them adopted.

And last week, I won the Fay Khoo Award along with two other talented food writers in Penang, Malaysia—it is an absolute windfall of 360 USD.

Here are a few pictures, and the delightful little hand-painted tiffin-box that is the award. The award was started in memory of Fay Khoo a talented food writer who was taken from us too young, so it is a bittersweet event for its founders.

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I’m using it to fund the salaries of two Project WHY Teachers for a month: Sophiya Tirkey and Sonia Goel.

Sophiya has been with Project WHY for 18 years, and has been instrumental in the founding of the Okhla centre which today supports the all-around education of 350 children. A kind, gentle soul, she is one of the mascots of Project WHY, embodying its spirit of no-frills, no-fuss hard work and dedication.

Sonia Goel joined Project WHY 8 years ago, and both as a single mother and a teacher for teens, she’s been a pillar of strength. Project WHY has enabled her to take care of her daughter as well as contribute to society.

I’ve met both of them during my trips to Project WHY and it is my privilege to be able to support their salaries for a month. Here they are, with me, and with their colleagues and students.

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The hope is to get all the Teachers adopted—my request is for potential donors to get together in groups( 10 USD a month is great if a group of 12 decides to take action!), or to approach their organisations or schools to adopt one teacher. Project WHY has done honest, quiet work over the last two decades, and teacher’s salaries are their biggest overheads. If those are taken care of, Project WHY would have the breathing room to find other avenues to become self-sustainable.

To check out the Teachers who can still be adopted, CLICK HERE.

For a one-time donation that would also be hugely appreciated: CLICK HERE.

My debut literary crime novel,”You Beneath Your Skin,” published by the fab team at Simon and Schuster IN is slowly making its way into the world. It is available in India here.  Worldwide, here.  All my proceeds go to Project WHY and Stop Acid Attacks.