One of the most important facets of my trip (which, so far, I have not written very much about) has been my experience volunteering at a school called Chethana Trust. My original intention was to work with an organization here in Mysore called
Odanadi, however, since nothing in India seems to work the way you expect it to, I ended up instead working at an after school program run by the wonderful people of Chethana Trust.
The center was founded by two Psychiatrists and caters to an oft neglected part of Indian society: individuals with disabilities. There is a day program for children with disabilities such as Down Syndrome, a vocational school to help older students to develop a trade, and an after school program for children with learning disabilities. They also recently opened a beautiful school just outside the city that caters to all students with the goal of providing individualized education, something sorely lacking in most children's educational experience.
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| Two amazing women: Dr. Rajini (left) and Surabhi, one of the teachers. |
For the past four months, I have been volunteering with the after school program. I've been working with children ages 5 to 15, teaching them everything from simple reading and writing to cellular biology. Though some days have been more challenging than others, every day has been rewarding.
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| This is Saria |
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After 4 months of practicing spelling, this is as close as she
could get to "I'll miss you"... touching nonetheless! |
I have learned so much from the heartbreaking stories of some of these children. In classrooms of 50-60 students, learning disabilities go completely unnoticed and unaddressed. One of our students was repeatedly beaten at school for failing to perform a "simple" writing task that, given his entirely diagnosable disability, he found extremely challenging. What's even more sad is that even once parents are made aware of their children's disabilities, they often refuse to acknowledge them out of pride and cultural pressures. They would rather watch their children struggle than get them the help they need, if that means labeling them as somehow "inferior." One of our more severely dyslexic and hyperactive children was pulled from the program for this reason.
The lucky few who I had the pleasure to work with affected me deeply and taught me so many things. There are moments I'll never forget, like when they made me eat freshly picked clover (a delicacy!), when they left me in charge of their pet locust, or when I accidentally confused a girl's name with a delicious breakfast food.
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| Poori |
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| Purvi |
I will miss their bright smiles and beautiful faces, and I feel lucky to have spent time with them.
