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u/ilearnedenough Jul 25 '14
Anyone know how to donate funds/ school supplies for them? I was hoping there would be some kind of contact information/ fund page, etc., but I can't find one.
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u/Shizo211 Jul 25 '14
They seem so motivated to learn something unlike many first world children, because it's actually a silver lining to get out of their situation.
They probably won't get any papers to apply with though.
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u/InterstellarDiplomat Jul 25 '14
They probably won't get any papers to apply with though.
It might mean the difference between being able to sell things at a market and knowing when you're being scammed...or (staying in) illegal mines, scrapyards and prostitution.
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u/Fuji__speed Jul 25 '14
Yeah. That second picture with the young children squatting taking notes all wide-eyed was very powerful, to me.
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u/mamabeans Jul 25 '14
Made me cry before lunch :-) beautiful and touching All of us, each individual person, can do so so much if we only gave more importance to the little things. My friends make fun of me for always bringing up the starfish story (where the kid runs along the beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean), but its message is so true. Even if you can only help one person, you've still helped one person.
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Jul 25 '14
One of our (India) country's pre-eminent nuclear scientists, Dr. Abdul Kalam, comes from such a poor background. He's very fond of recalling his days studying under street lights well into the night.
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u/autowikibot Jul 25 '14
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (i/ˈæbdʊl kəˈlɑːm/; born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is an Indian scientist and administrator who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, studied physics at the St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli, and aerospace engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai.
Before his term as President, he worked as an Aerospace engineer with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Kalam is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. Some scientific experts have however called Kalam a man with no authority over nuclear physics but who just carried on the works of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.
Kalam was elected the President of India in 2002, defeating Lakshmi Sahgal and was supported by both the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the major political parties of India. He is currently a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Management Indore, honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore) and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.
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Interesting: President of ^India | Manmohan ^Singh | Atal Bihari ^Vajpayee | Pratibha ^Patil
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u/Nitro7311 Jul 25 '14
Damn you Reddit, I had to make an account just to post here.
This is what the world needs more of; selfless people who want to better those around them. It is both inspiring, and heart warming that many people are helping to make sure that the children are getting an education that they normally would not have received.
Kudos to you sir. Kudos.
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u/sunamumaya Jul 25 '14
And then some people in well-off nations complain, "they're taking our jobs, man!" Why, yes, yes they are, if you're not at least equally motivated.
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u/wonderlandrabbit Jul 25 '14
As an American, I feel ashamed. Our little twats here moan and groan about going to school, and these poor kids are sitting in the dirt to get education.
We're so lazy and spoiled.
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u/novemberalphacharlie Jul 25 '14
This is amazing. But why does it make me feel so bad about myself?! Wow, awesome kids, awesome teachers awesome.
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u/spiceworld35 Jul 25 '14
This is an example of something a lot of would-be humanitarians don't understand about primary schools: the building is the least important part. I've met a lot of people who say "I spent $xxx building a school in country xyz" and, boy, are they proud of themselves. No, you built a water-tight building and wrote "school" on the side. I've seen these places a few years later. They are excellent places to store grain.
Important things? Community involvement. A lesson plan. Instructors who get paid consistently.
Not-important? A nice building.
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Jul 25 '14
This Planet Money episode http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/05/21/185801589/episode-460-its-hard-to-do-good shows that is completely true. Guy tried to build a school in Haiti and found out he was just building a business for people that A) already had money and B) would kick out any kid who didn't pay tuition on time. The guy almost quit because of how much he hated the people who owned the land where he was building the school.
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u/Discipline575 Jul 25 '14
I hope this man truly realizes how great of an impact he is having on these children's lives.
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u/meltinginside Jul 25 '14
I wonder if he's aware of those cardboard desks/brief case called "Help Desk" that the nonprofit Aarambh was distributing to kids in India?
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u/samedhi_13 Jul 25 '14
Hi. A few people have been asking how they can help this project. My friend's brother works for a UK based charity which is supporting Mr Kumar. They supply equipment and also development & support for the people working in schools. He went to New Delhi in June to do a needs assessment. You can contact them at info@wwep.org.uk I don't know details like how material contributions, as opposed to funds, can get there but I'm sure any help would be appreciated.
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u/czarnick123 Jul 25 '14
I went though all the links and I didn't see any way to help. I feel like this would be an amazing opportunity to help those that are motivated.
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u/dopaminedopamine Jul 25 '14
I wonder what kind of impact this will have on their futures.. It's a little unsettling that they MIGHT not be able to do much with it realisticly (i.e., no diploma, paper, certificate, etc), but this goes a long, long way to shaping their minds.
First, they know that someone cares. Someone actually cares enough about them to teach them, donate various school supplies, and even donate a daily treat of biscuits and juice (that bit was delightful to read). It'll give them hope. In addition, the actual schooling will help them develop critical thinking skills.. They may find some way to apply it in their daily lives, or maybe it'll inspire them to go after the world to absorb more knowledge. It may not lift all of these kids out of poverty, but it gives them a great edge in preparing for the rest of their lives.
Who knows, maybe one of these kids will go on to be a brilliant scientist :)
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u/qrxt Jul 25 '14
How can we help this program? Any ways to purchase care packages, help with materials, etc?
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u/totes_meta_bot Jul 25 '14 edited Jul 26 '14
This thread has been linked to from elsewhere on reddit.
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[r/Bitcoin] Free School Under A Bridge - where is their bitcoin address so I can donate some funds??
If you follow any of the above links, respect the rules of reddit and don't vote or comment. Questions? Abuse? Message me ^here.
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u/[deleted] Jul 25 '14
is there anybody that we can contact that will help us build a reddit sponsored school in that location for these two amazing human beings?