15th December – my 3rd year visiting a
TFI class room. This year was as inspiring and over whelming as the previous 2.
The kids sang for me and showed me a short video on their Design For Change
project (DCF is an amazing initiative by Kiran Sethi, do google it and read
about it).
Their love for their Didi (TFI fellow), twinkling eyes, big
smiles, eagerness to answer my questions and the beautifully decorated
classroom spoke volumes of the efforts taken by their Fellow !!
Then arrived a thank you note and the TFI book by mail(Redrawing India by Kovind Gupta &
Shaheen Mistri)….I was intrigued and started reading, couldn’t put it
down….. The stories of little children and the hardships they face…exposure to
alcoholism, wife beating, pornography, bad language, superstitions, stories of
children tied to their beds for safety while moms go to work, cloth
stuffed in their ears to keep bugs away, girl child put in a garbage bag
and dumped in a bin, drugs given to a crying baby……why do they have to be
exposed to this life & worry about the next meal or the next place to sleep
when instead they should be learning, reading, laughing……why is it such a
privilege to get a decent education in our country ??? Why are there so many
children and such few opportunities ???
The book made me go through a range of emotions in just a
matter of few hours, anger and sorrow
when I read about the plight of these children and the education inequity, awe when I read about Shaheen Mistry’s
(founder of Akanksha and TFI) privileged background and how she gave up a life
abroad when she was barely 18 to live here and make a difference (without
knowing a word of hindi), pride when
I read about all the Fellows and their persistence and finally hope when I read about the 5 year
journey and their impact assessment !
A short summary on the program (2014 – 15 statistics from their annual
report)
1.
58% children don’t complete primary school, 90%
don’t complete school, 32% grade 2 students cannot recognize numbers, 52% grade
5 students cannot read grade 2 text, 45% schools don’t have girls toilets.
2.
13426 applications for TFI fellowship received
and 7% acceptance rate.
3.
910 fellows, 660 alumni, 271 schools, 7 cities. A good set of sponsors & believers (especially proud of my role models Anu Aga and Meher Pudumjee)
4.
The “Firki” is their symbol – “spinning
discovered colours to form a movement” – so apt
5.
Each fellow teaches for 2 years and has a target
of 1.5 years of growth
6.
Art and Musicals are a big part of the learning
experience. Their musical Maya had 75 children participating, practice spanning
18 months which resulted in 11 spectacular shows in 2 cities
7.
Classroom emergencies arise daily – disruptive
and disrespectful kids, pencil stabbing, kids fainting of hunger, leaking
roofs, non functional bathrooms, waterless taps, desks falling apart as the
iron is stolen for sale, non co-operative school staff …..but there is a strong
induction and training program for incoming fellows and structured hand holding
through the 2 years to help
8.
The fellowship is a unique leadership
development opportunity, 64% alumni are engaged in some form of education
development initiative.
9.
TFI has adopted a strong corporate approach in
terms of a super competent board as well as group of advisors, sincere
management team with positions for key areas such as training and fellows
impact, alumni impact, national events, city directors, HR, technology. I would
strongly advise you to read their latest annual report on their website. This
corporate approach has helped them with their scale & sustainability.
What I liked the most about this book is the afterword – long list of specific
suggestions given for how you can help …..apply for a fellowship, donate money,
spread the word, connect with a child (take them to a movie, give them an ice
cream or gift of their choice), make your children more socially aware,
grateful and responsible, advocate for education equity…..
Most importantly, this book & my personal experience
with TFI has reinforced my sense of gratitude – to focus on what I have rather
than what I don’t have, to switch from musing over problems to finding
solutions, to change my limiting mind set from being judgmental and opinionated
to giving faith a chance……
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