Helping New Dehli's Poor Schoolgirls

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When I decided to go to India in November with a group of women travel writers/photographers, I wondered how we could do some good while there and leave a lasting impact (besides contributing to the retail economy). I contacted the writing leader, Margot Bigg, who'd lived in India five years, with my thoughts of contributing to a worthy cause. After some research she suggested Protsahan, a foundation for poor girls from one of Dehli's slum neighborhoods, which strives to teach school girls English and some creative arts with the goal of lifting themselves out of poverty. The 14 writing conference attendees donated an average of $20 each and three of us went shopping for the supplies from a list the creative coordinator of the school, Jony Dash, gave us. I also had three indestructible One World Futbals to leave with the girls. Dawn Bauman, a fellow attendee and I took a taxi ride (now that was an experience) to the Dehli neighborhood where the school was located. You can read the fascinating story of how the school came to be and about its founder and executive director, Sonal Kapoor, (and make a donation) at www.protsahan.co.in.

When Dawn and I arrived at the school, most of the girls were still at the government (public) school they attended until about 2 pm. We were warmly welcomed and offered water while we talked to Jony about the foundation. He's been with the school since 2014 and is the Center Coordinator. His background was not in education but when he was approached by Sonal to come on board to help lift these girls out of poverty and perhaps a future in a brothel, he gladly accepted the challenge. There are about 140 girls enrolled, ranging from 6 to 17 years old and they come to Protsahan after their school day to learn English, sewing, photography, handicrafts and other creative arts. They also play basketball and soccer. He said the hardest "sell" is to the fathers of the girls. The school is free, but the fathers are for the most part farmers or unskilled laborers and don't see the advantage of educating girls beyond domestic arts. After all, they are just going to be married off (sometimes before they are teenagers) and be mothers, yes? Some of the girls usually go with their family to country villages in the summer, where the parents are from and often they don't return to the school. But Jony and the other team members and volunteers try hard to keep them engaged.

Dawn and I wrapped up our visit after about 90 minutes to get to the airport. But we left feeling hopeful for the girls and honored that we could play a small role in helping them create a better future.

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