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I couldn't educate my first daughter beyond Std.10
This is my second daughter
We found sending our kids to school difficult
We survive on daily wage labour
My daughter can't use the morning to study
She'd have to get up at 6 to gather flowers from the field...
and give us her wage of 10 rupees
From this, I would give her Rs. 2 and send her to school.
My grandparents and my parents didn't go to school...Neither did I...
How about others in your village?
Well... nobody from our village is educated...
My husband hasn't been able to work for some years now
because of a surgery he underwent
He can't do any physical work
It's tough to manage the family expenses with these kids
I sell flowers door by door and eke out a living
I wanted to send my daugher to work when she finished Std.10
But then Aspire came along and so, she is now in Std. 12
'S. Arunkumar' The program looks at nurturing students' talents
then comes their academics
The key is to identify a student's skills and develop them
At Aspire, there is no caste...everyone is treated equally
I liked that a lot
Our parents normally buy us new clothes only for Diwali. At Aspire, we were also given school uniforms.
Even small things like pens, pencils and erasers cost money
Every basic need of a student was provided for.
Like how parents take care of their child's education, Aspire took care of me
'Maheswari' - I didn't know to operate a computer or speak in English
After joining here the soft skills programs, spoken english sessions...
...and computer classes helped me a lot
'Jayakumar' - There were weekly programs...
written tests to improve general knowledge and awareness
group discussions to improve our communication skills...
We have enjoyed healthy interaction between boys and girls...
In villages boys and girls shy away from speaking to each other
but here we were brothers and sisters and interacted without inhibitions
Girls and boys were treated at par,
much like how it is usually in cities...
I'm doing BBA now, in my final year
I benefited greatly from the industrial visits we went from Aspire
I learn about them in detail in college now
I learned to work on Excel, Word and Paint on Computer classes
Most of it came handy while doing my apprenticeship last year
and now for doing SAP systems
We went for a trip to Kerala and that I enjoyed thoroughly
That was the first time i traveled in a train! It is an unforgettable experience for me
We went to the satellite museum in Bangalore...
...we learned how the hydraulic systems operate.
It was a memorable experience...
I want to do MBA next...
something I started longing after joining Aspire
My father used to be a mason...
Seeing him work from childhood, I always wanted to be building something
When I was studying in 12th, i discussed with teachers at Aspire...
my next steps
I said I wanted to be a Civil Engineer
I scored 1049 marks, Biology First Group
Everyone was happy
I met the required cut off and got my engineering seat
We took a loan and paid the first semester fees and joined Engineering
Since then, sadly, I have not been able to involve much in Aspire's activities..
I like the work I do here...
to help educate these children, improve their exposure...
I do this out of my own interest in this work, not for the salary alone.
To ensure that only eligible students are selected for scholarship
we assess their involvement for over a year before taking them
by enrolling them in students' clubs
The scholarship students are selected after a lot of screening
and a few rounds of home visits
I'm proud that every rupee of sponsorship goes to benefit the student
I have always been surprised at how Aspire has succeeded in identifying genuinely needy students
It is a tough task, especially since the selectors are not from these villages...
A lot of careful scrutiny, observation and diligence is exercised
..such that the most deserving children are selected.
I have personally covered more than 20 villages so far...
Many villages have no roads or bus services
In such remote villages where education is not given importance,
...Aspire has shaped up children who are now securing top marks
If my parents had support like Aspire, I would have been a graduate. I stopped after Std. 12.