Gulab* is a 15 year old girl from the village of Mauharsha, and she is currently in class 9A. Her father, Satish, is a farmer and her mother works with PPES. She has one brother and one sister who all live in a two room house;  Gulab’s family has a toilet, a hand pump for water and electricity.

Gulab enjoys eating rasgullas, loves playing cricket and is an enthusiastic student in her sewing class as well. Her favorite subject is English. In the future, Gulab wants to be a teacher someday and equip other children with what she has gained!

Thank you, James, for donating two sets of school uniforms, winter clothes and shoes to Gulab. Every day that Gulab comes to school is another day that helps her dare to dream of a good future.

*Name changed to protect identity

Fifteen year old Juli lives in the village of Salmtpur in Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Yatendra Pal, is a farmer, and her mother, Vimlesh Devi, is a housewife. She has four sisters and a brother.

She is a bright student and is currently studying in the school run by Pardada Pardadi Educational Society. She wants to become a computer engineer and become economically independent.

Your gift of a bicycle, Carolyn, will ensure that Juli does not face any trouble in getting to school. Many girls in rural India are forced to drop out of school, because it is not safe for girls to walk long distances, and they cannot always find someone to accompany them. Having her own bicycle will mean that Juli is not dependent on anyone and can pedal to school safely.

Thank you so much, Carolyn, for ensuring that Juli continues to get an education.

Beena is a 15 year old girl from the village of Shivnagla , and she is currently in class 9A. Her father, Mahaveer Singh, is a farmer and her mother, Sarupi, is a housewife. She has one brother and one sister who all live in a one room house;  Beena’s family doesn’t have a toilet, but they have a hand pump for water and electricity.

Beena is an avid learner who believes in utilising every opportunity to learn and build up her skills. She is an enthusiastic student in her computer classes as well. While some of her friends spend time playing computer games, Beena dedicates herself to learn typing. During her leisure, Beena enjoys playing football as well. In the future, Beena wants to join the police force someday!

Thank you, Bill, Craig, Bill and Colleen, Amy, Anna, Callie, and Amie, for coming together to donate two sets of school uniforms, winter clothes and shoes to Beena. Every day that Beena comes to school is another day that encourages her in her go-getter attitude.

Fourteen year old Razim  loves the experience of speaking English and the rush of self-confidence that goes with it. She lives in the village of Karanpur and isa student of Grade 7 A. Her father, Imamuddin, is a laborer and her mother, Safiya, is a housewife. Razim’s father has completed Grade 8 in school and her mother is illiterate. She has  one sister and one brother.  The entire family  lives in a three room house which has a toilet, electricity, a hand pump for water and a buffalo that is used for milk and as a source of labor.

Razim is an extremely smart and hardworking girl whose  favorite subject is English. She is very passionate about computer science too.  She likes to play Kho-Kho and loves a good game of cricket. As for food preferences, she loves and devours bananas.

Razim wants to take full advantage of  her computer training and English speaking classes so that she can be ready to succeed upon graduation.

Your donations, Cindy, Alice and Brad  (x2), Paul, Mark, Dean and Julie, Gillian, and John (x5), will ensure that Razim gets one computer skills class and one spoken English class every week for an entire year. Both these are essential skills for a girl who wants to go in for higher education and a professional career. Learning these skills will also give Razim the much needed confidence to succeed.

Thank you, Cindy, Alice and Brad, Paul, Mark, Dean and Julie, Gillian, and John , for coming together to provide essential skills to Nishu.

Nineteen year old Gulshan lives in the village of Karanpur. Her father, Imamuddin, is a laborer and her mother, Safiya, is a housewife. Gulshan’s father has completed Grade 8 in school and her mother is illiterate. She has  one sister and one brother.  The entire family  lives in a three room house which has a toilet, electricity, a hand pump for water and a buffalo that is used for milk and as a source of labor.

Gulshan  is a student of Grade 8. Along with her schooling, Gulshan, who is determined to do her bit in fighting the family’s poverty desired to gain special vocational skills to expand her opportunities for the future. Gulshan is very smart and hardwoking by nature.

Your donations, Debbie , will enable Gulshan  to attend a six-month vocational training course. At the end of the course, she will be eligible to get a job with a wholesale manufacturer of clothing. This will prepare her to be economically independent, and so give her a greater say when it comes to deciding her future.

Thank you, Debbie, for opening up the doors to a better future for Gulshan.

Fifteen year old Reena resides in the village of Amba in Uttar Pradesh.  Her father, Munnay Singh, is an agricultural laborer while her mother, Machchala Devi, is a housewife. Both her parents are illiterate. The total earnings of the family place them well below poverty line.

Education would never have been a priority for the family, but now that she is enrolled in school, the family realizes the value of the education that Reena is getting through Pardada Pardadi.

Reena is beautiful and intelligent. She loves playing games such as Kho-Kho and Kabaddi. She enjoys reading, drawing and  particularly enjoys embroidery with sequins and beads.

Thank you, Bellevue Rotary, for your donation of year of tuition. Your generosity will ensure that Reena is able to attend school for a full year.

Sixteen year old Preeti resides in the village of Badpura in Uttar Pradesh.  Her father, Rajbhadure, serves in the Indian Army while her mother, Sashi Devi, is an illiterate housewife. She has three brothers. The total earnings of Preeti’s family place the six member family well below poverty line. All of  Preeti’s family lives in a  house that has a toilet, and their only source of water is through a hand pump.

Education would never have been a priority for the family, but now that she is enrolled in school, the family realizes the value of the education that Preeti is getting through Pardada Pardadi.

Preeti is gentle-natured and serious about her studies. At the same time, she also loves playing Kho-Kho, cricket and is a particularly good dancer. Her greatest ambition is to become a teacher at Pardada Pardadi, and to help support her family.

Thank you, Bellevue Rotary, for your donation of year of tuition. Your generosity will ensure that Preeti is able to attend school for a full year.

Nineteen year old Sapna lives in the village of Shajanpur. She dropped out of school after finishing Grade 10. Her father, Surendar Sharma, is a labourer, and her mother, Mamta, is a housewife. She has one brother and five sisters, and they live in a five room house with a hand pump, but no sanitation facilities. The family also owns a buffalo which is used for milk and as a source of labor.

After completing Grade 10, Sapna has been staying at home and has been engaged in housework. She would like to start working, but her parents do not want her going too far away from home, so her options are limited, specially since she does not have any special vocational skills.

Your donation, Bellevue Rotary, will enable Sapna to attend a six-month vocational training course. At the end of the course, she will get a job with a wholesale manufacturer of clothing. This will make her economically independent, and so give her a greater say when it comes to deciding her future.

Thank you, Bellevue Rotary, for coming together to enable Sapna to become economically self-sufficient.

Seventeen year old Gudya, hails from the city of Anoopshahr, and is a student of Grade 10 B at the school run by Pardada Pardadi in Anoopshahar, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, J Kishanlal, runs a bicycle shop, and her mother, Munni Devi, is a house wife and she has two brothers and one sister. The family lives in a two-room house which does not have sanitation facilities or electricity, but has a hand pump for water.

Gudya is a very intelligent girl, who enjoys coming to school. She likes vocational classes, in particular, sewing,very much. Her favorite game is cricket and she devours the Indian sweet, burfis. She wants to become a drawing teacher, and spark creativity in children.

Gudya’s parents wanted to pull her out of school because they did not think it was safe for a young woman to travel alone. Your donation, James, of a bicycle could not have been more timely. Now, Gudya can cycle to school safely, and this also enables her to save time on her daily commute.

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

Twelve year old Reashma, hails from the village of Karanpur, and is a student of grade 9 at the school run by Pardada Pardadi in Anoopshahar, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Julphkar is carpenter and her mother, Salma, is a housewife and she has three brothers. The family lives in a three room house which has sanitation facilities, a hand pump for water and electricity. They also own a buffalo which is used for milk and as a source of labor.

Reashma is a very intelligent girl, who likes English very much. Her favorite game is Kho-Kho. She wants to become a teacher, and educate poor children.

Reashma’s parents wanted to pull her out of school because they did not think it was safe for a young woman to travel alone from Karanpur to Anoopshahar. Your donation of a bicycle could not have been more timely. Now, Reashma can cycle to school safely, and this also enables her to save time on her daily commute.

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