Dear Phyllis,

Fifteen year old Munesh lives in the village of Nagla Gangapur, and she is currently in class 10B. Her father, Bheem, is a farmer, and her mother, Krishna, is a housewife. Munesh’s father has an 8^th class education while her mother has none. Munesh has seven sisters and one brother who all live in a three room house; her family has no toilet or electricity, but they do have a hand pump for water. Also, her family has one cow, two buffalo, and one goat which all provides milk for her family, and the buffalo provide a source of labor.

Munesh is a very smart girl who is serious about her studies. Her favorite subject is English in which she practices all the time especially when a new volunteer is here! Munesh is always one of the first students to come up and talk with them. After Munesh graduates, she wants to become an English teacher! Also, she loves to sing and play volleyball when she gets the chance.

In PPES, there is a scholarship for girls to receive bicycles. This scholarship is given to girls that are dedicated to school and who live to far away to walk. Since Munesh has a bicycle, she is able to come to school more often, and it is safer for her also. Walking home in the dark is a very unsafe thing for these girls to do, so the bicycle also ensures safety to the girls. With the bicycle, Munesh only has to ride 45 minutes instead of an hour and a half that it might take if she has to walk!

Thank you so much, Phyllis, for supporting Munesh in your donation of a bicycle because this will ensure her safety coming to and from school! Thank you again!

Thank you also, Belinda, for donating two sets of school uniforms, winter clothes, socks and shoes to Sharda. She takes great pride in her appearance, and will keep them spotlessly clean.

Dear James, David, Craig, Alice and Brad, Leo, Bill and Colleen, Erik, Molly, The Butson, and Belinda,

Seven year old Pratigya lives in the village of Deeppur in Uttar Pradesh, India. Her father, Prahlad, is a laborer, and her mother, Moolvati, is a housewife. Her family lives in a three room house with a toilet, hand pump for water, and electricity. After school, Pratigya’s main chore in the house is to sweep the house. Furthermore, her family has one cow and five buffalo which provide them with a source of milk, labor, and even an income. If another family needs a buffalo for labor, that family can give something in return.

Pratigya is in grade 2 in the school run by Pardada Pardadi in rural Uttar Pradesh. She loves coming to school, and is very regular. Every morning, Pratigya rides her bicycle with other girls from her village to Pardada Pardadi. At school, one of her favorite subjects is Math. She loves challenging herself with math problems, and the math activities that teachers do are her favorite. When Pratigya has free time, her favorite game is a tag.

Every Saturday at school, Pratigya is given one of her favorite sweets at Pardada Pardadi for lunch, and it is called jalebi. It is orange sugar syrup deep fried and it is very sticky, but many of the girls love this sweet!

Thank you so much James, David, Craig, Alice and Brad, Leo, BIll and Colleen, Erik, Molly, James (x 3) and the Butson Family for coming together to support a full year of tuition for Pratigya! And thank you, Belinda, for providing two sets of school uniforms for Pratigya.

Every day that Pratigya comes to school is another day that is promised for her success in life.

Richa is 11 years old from the village of Dugrau, and she is currently in class 5. Her father has passed away, and her mother, Maya Devi, is a housewife. Richa has two brothers and three sisters who all live in a three room house that has a working toilet and a hand pump for water but no electricity. Also, her family owns two cows and three buffalo which provide them with milk, and the buffalo provide them with a source of labor.

Richa is a bright young leader in her class because she wants to learn and challenge conventions. Every day, Richa comes to school on her bicycle along with her friends from her village. When Richa is in school, one of her favorite subjects is math; she loves to solve problems with equations and the answers it gives her. Math will help Richa along her journey to becoming an engineer after graduation! Richa likes school because she can learn how to play more educational activities, and she loves to read both English and Hindi books. When class is outside, Richa’s favorite sport is cricket. Richa loves cricket so much that she will even play with the older girls! After school is out, sometimes Richa gets herself a samosa, a pastry like snack shaped like a triangle filled with potatoes, peas, and spices, for 5 rupees because that is her favorite snack. At home, Richa helps out her mom with cleaning pots; her mother is very serious about Richa’s educations so academics are always first!

Thank you so much Max for donating a set of school uniforms to Richa. Every day that Richa comes to school is another day that is promised for her success in life.

Seventeen year old Priyanka hails from the village of Fatehpur. Her father, Omvir, is a farmer and her mother, Rukmani, is a housewife. Priyanka has one older brother and one younger brother and her whole family lives in a two room house that has no electricity but a hand pump for water and a toilet. They have three buffaloes which are used for milk and labor, giving them an additional source of income.

Priyanka is enrolled in grade 9 at the English medium school run by Pardada Pardadi. She loves attending school and especially the vocational and computers skills class. She also loves her English class and is often seeing practicing her language skills with volunteers in her school. For a girl whose home doesn’t have electricity, having the opportunity to use a computer is very exciting. When Priyanka graduates, she would like to study to become a doctor in Anupshahr.

Your generous donation, Brigid, will enable Pardada Pardadi to provide a set of two school uniforms, a sweater, a pair of shoes and socks that will last her an entire academic year.

Your generous donations, Erika, Jigna, Ioana & Radu, James ( x 3), Anup and Neil (x 5), will ensure that Priyanka is trained in embroidery for an entire year. Which she may not take it up as a career after graduating from school, this would definitely help Priyanka earn money to supplement the family income.

Thank you so much, for your support of Priyanka!

Sujan is 7 years old and hails from the village of Karanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Tittu, is a laborer, and her mother, Mobarik, is a housewife. Sujan has one sister, and her whole family lives in a one room house, which has a toilet, a hand pump for water and an electricity connection. After school, Sujan helps her mother around the house. The family also has one buffalo, which provides the family with milk for consumption and sale.

Sujan is a young and lively girl; whenever a person walks into her classroom, she is always one of the first ones to talk with you. One of her favorite subjects is English, which is loves practicing on your. At every opportunity, Sujan interacts with visitors. Every morning, Sujan and her friends walk to school through dirt paths. During school, there are activities which are both educational and fun, and one of her favorite games is called kho-kho. It is a form of chase and tag in which all the young girls love to play. Her favorite sweet is called barfi; it is a milk based sweet which is perfect for the summer because it is not sticky or it doesn’t melt. As of right now, when Sujan wants to finish with school, she wants to become a doctor.

Thank you, Kristin, for supporting a full year’s tuition for Sujan. Every day that Sujan comes to school takes her closer to success in life.

Thank you, Shawna, for donating two sets of school uniforms, including winter wear and shoes to Sujan. Her new clothes are an added incentive for her to continue going to school.

Dear James,

Twenty year old Pooja hails from the village of Fatehpur. Her father, Rukamvir, is a farmer, and her mother, Omwati, is a housewife. Her father has a 12^th class education while her mother has none. Pooja has three sisters and three brothers, all of whom live in a two room house. Her family has no toilet or electricity, but they do have a hand pump which is used for water. Also, her family owns one buffalo and five goats which are used both for milk, providing them an additional source of income and labor too.

Pooja is a class 10 student, studying at the school run by Pardada Pardadi in Anoopshahr. She is a sweet girl who seems shy at first, but when you get to know her she loves to laugh and socialize. One of her favorite things to do is study which paid off because she came third in her class last year. Also, Pooja loves to read and play sports like softball. Like any high school student, Pooja is still undecided about what she wants to do after she graduates, but her teachers are convinced that Pooja will succeed at anything she puts her mind and heart into.

The school provides a scholarship for girls to receive bicycles. This scholarship is given to only those girls who are dedicated to school and who live too far away to walk. Since Pooja has a bicycle, she is able to come to school more often, and it is safer for her also. Walking home in the dark is very unsafe and which is also the main reason why many parents pull their daughters out of school. The bicycle ensures safety for these girls and Pooja now only has to ride 30 minutes instead of the hour or an hour and a half that it might take to walk!

Thank you so much, James, for supporting Pooja in your donation of a bicycle because this will ensure her safety coming to and from school!

Thank you also, Belinda, for donating two sets of school uniforms, winter clothes, socks and shoes to Sharda. She takes great pride in her appearance, and will keep them spotlessly clean.

Fourteen year old, Pooja hails from the village of Makhaina. Her father, Sunil, is a driver, and her mother, Kusoom, is a housewife. Her father has an education up till class 10 while her mother has no education at all. She has two sisters and one brother, all of whom live in a four room house that has a toilet, hand pump, and an electricity connection. Pooja and her sisters have no responsibilities in her household; this is very rare for girls because many families make them cook, clean, and help around the farm with the animals and with the grain.

Her mother wants Pooja to succeed in school because she knows the value of education and the opportunity that Pardada Pardadi is allowing these girls to have.

Pooja is studying in grade nine, at the school run by Pardada Pardadi. She is a bright young girl, full of energy. Every day she is excited to be at school and a person can tell that by just talking with her. Pooja likes Pardada Pardadi very much because she knows that she is getting an opportunity to have a better future. She likes learning how to use the computers, and she also likes to study. One of her favorite subjects is English; she loves English because she can practice with the volunteers that come to the school. Furthermore, her parents are very supportive of her schoolwork and they always are pushing her to study. When Pooja graduates, she wants to become an inspector with the police force because she wants to help out the country from corruption.

Her school has chosen to open a school the area that Pooja lives, so that these girls can get an education and have the ability to have a job after they graduate. Supporting these girls will ensure the success of them!

Thank you so much, Brigid, for supporting Pooja with a set of two school uniforms, a sweater, a pair of shoes and socks that will last her an entire academic year.

Fifteen year old, Rachna hails from the village Makhaina. Her father, Chandravir, is a doctor, and her mother, Roopvati, is a housewife. She has two brothers and one sister whom all live in a two room house; Rachana’s family has no toilet, no hand pump (her family uses the local hand pump for water), and they have no electricity. One of Rachana’s responsibilities is just housework which can include cooking, cleaning, and helping her mother when she needs it. Furthermore, Rachana’s family has two buffaloes which provides them with milk and an additional source of income.

Rachana is studying in grade nine, in a school run by Pardada Pardadi. She is a bright and engaged girl. Her sister, Rubi, is also studying in the 8th grade at the same school. One of Rachana’s favorite things about school is getting to learn how to use the computers in the computer lab. She also likes to draw paintings in the program called Paint. In addition to this, her favorite subject is Math, and she loves to play games, especially football and cricket. When Rachana finishes school, she wants to become a doctor, just like her father and takes school extremely seriously. She had an excellent attendance record of 99% last year!

Pardada Pardadi has chosen to open a school in the area that Rachana lives, so that these girls can get an education and have the ability to have a job after they graduate. Supporting these girls will ensure the success of them!

Thank you so much, Brigid, for supporting Rachana with a set of two school uniforms, a sweater, a pair of shoes and socks that will last her an entire academic year.

Fourteen year old, Pinky hails from the village of Nagla Gangapur. Her father, Bhim Singh, is a farmer, and her mother, Krishna, is a housewife. Her father has an 8^th class education while her mother has none. Pinky has seven sisters and one brother, all of whom live in a three room house. Her family has no toilet, but they do have a hand pump for water and an electrical connection. Also, her family has one cow, three buffaloes, and one goat which provide them with milk, and the buffalos provide them with a source of income.

Pinky is studying in grade nine at Pardada Pardadi School. She loves to sing and her friends quite often encourage her to sing for them! Furthermore, Pinky was a participant in the school’s theatre troupe, performing short plays in the village and in Delhi. She is a very poised and excellent speaker. When Pinky finishes school, she would like to become a police inspector in Delhi.

Her school, Pardada Pardadi, provides scholarship for girls to receive bicycles. This scholarship is given to girls who live far away from school and attend school regularly. Since Pinky, now has a bicycle, she is able to come to school on time. Walking home in the dark is very unsafe, which is one of the main reasons that prompt parents to pull their girl children out of school. But, with the gift of  a bicycle, Pinky only has to ride 30 minutes instead of the hour or an hour and a half that it took her to walk to school and back!

Thank you so much, Lauren, for supporting Pinky in your donation of a bicycle which will ensure that she attends school regularly and completes her education.

Your support will help her become independent, which is a privilege, few girls in her village enjoy.

Thirteen year old, Neetu hails from the village of Nagla Gangapur. Her father, Shyauraj, is a farmer, and her mother, Kanti, is a housewife; her father has a 10^th class education while her mother has none. Neetu has three sisters and a brother, all of whom live in a two room house with a toilet, hand pump, and electricity. In addition to this, her family owns two buffaloes which provides them with milk and and an additional source of income.

Neetu is a grade nine student at Pardada Pardadi School for girls, in Anupshahr. She is an attentive girl who likes to sing and dance. One of her favorite things about school is playing Saturday morning cricket with her friends at school. When she finishes school, Neetu would like to become an air hostess, so that she can be independent and take care of herself.

Her school, Pardada Pardadi, provides scholarship for girls to receive bicycles. This scholarship is given to girls who live far away from school and attend school regularly. Since Neetu has a bicycle, she is able to come to school on time, and it is safer for her also. Walking home in the dark is very unsafe, which is one of the main reasons that prompt parents to pull their girl children out of school. But, with the gift of  a bicycle, Neetu only has to ride 30 minutes instead of the hour or an hour and a half that it took her to walk to school and back!

Thank you so much, Roland, for supporting Neetu in your donation of a bicycle which will ensure that she attends school regularly and completes her education.

Your support will help her become independent, which is a privilege, few women in her village enjoy.