Ishaan Dave visited Manjakudi with the GYLP program, Dec/Jan 2023/2024
https://indicanews.com/indian-american-high-schoolers-india-educaiton-aim-for-seva/
“In the US kids don’t take studying and school as seriously as the kids who we met with in India. All the children there were very focused, hardworking, and disciplined. They played hard but studied even harder. That was great for me to see, and that was something that I will try to implement here when I’m at school.”
“And I learned that being genuine and being honest is the best way to connect with the people there. Everyone there was very eager and pleased to meet me, as I was with them. I learned that since they were so genuine, we were able to connect, although there were several cultural and language barriers. I believe that AIM for Seva, as an organization, strives to make a genuine impact in that community,” Ishan added.
The applications for end of year 2024 will open in March. Please contact goelrani@hotmail.com if you have an interested student.
Sankar Niranjan visited Roorkey Vidyalaya, end of Jan 2024
Visited the Roorkee vidyalayam project today which is stated for inauguration next month.
Most of the construction is almost done and is in the final stages.
The vidyalayam will have K-12 students with a capacity of 1200-1500 in total at capacity.
The adjoining chatralayams (one each for boys and girls) will house 64 children each from the tribal population of the hill districts in Uttarakhand.
There are living quarters for the staff and the principal on site.
We were accompanied by Mr. Uniyal, a very dynamic Principal of the Swami Dayananda school in Rishikesh and is also the one overseeing the entire project locally.
We were introduced to the team of engineers who are in charge of the project and to the local village chieftains (Pradhans) who were very instrumental in seeing this project through.
Once open, will be a remarkable institution catering to hundreds of children. Has been executed very thoughtfully by the local team and the leadership in India!
Happy to share a few pics from our visit today.
Rani and Ajit Goel’s recent visits to Chatralaya and Vidyalaya
With Isvara’s grace It has been a great privilege for our family to support the cause of AIM for Seva over the past 15+ years. We believe in education and are convinced that for many marginalized children in India, education is the means to uplift themselves, their family and society. On my recent trip to Rishikesh, Uttrakhand, It was my personal goal and great joy to visit several AIM for Seva projects and see our funds in action, benefiting the young children.
The Saraswati Dayananda Secondary School is a well run and happy place that provides education to 834 students from KG to 12th grade split between 478 boys and 356 girls . The facilities are basic but sufficient for students to get a well rounded education in liberal arts, sciences, music, visual arts and sports. I visited several classrooms and spoke to students from many grades to learn about their dreams and aspirations in life. It was so fulfilling to be a small part of their journey. The students overall were engaged, disciplined and looked happy. The school is looking to acquire a play ground and also add an auditorium that would allow for the entire student body to assemble for school wide functions and showcase their talents to a wider student body. The school is currently seeking funding to build the auditorium.
On my recent trip to Rishikesh, I also had the privilege to visit the Girls hostel, supported through AIM for Seva funds. The hostel is about 35 minutes drive from Rishikesh, where these girls attend the English Medium Swami Saraswati Dayananda Secondary School. A school bus provides the transportation.
There are 29 girls currently residing at the Chatralaya ranging in age from 6 yrs to 17 and some are siblings. The girls come from poor backgrounds where their mother may be a domestic servant and father a laborer or a street cart vendor. Without the financial support and time to study that an AIMS chatralaya provides these girls, they wouldn’t be able to get even basic education and an opportunity to be literate. I spoke to many of them and found that when at home they are shouldering the burden of housework which leaves them exhausted and without much time to focus on getting an education.
They seem happy at the hostel, were neatly dressed, and very gracious. Like other children their age, many of them love music and dancing and once we got going, they were happy to showcase their talent with enthusiasm. It was very fulfilling to visit the chatralaya and see the positive impact your donations through AIMS are making on these young lives. Thanks to you they have an opportunity to get basic education, which I believe is a right of every child.
Please donate generously. Just $500 helps transform a child for a year.
DonateRecent Visit by our Bay Area Volunteers to Chhatralayas
By Vasan and Neerja Raman
AIM for SEVA Presentation -Raman
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By Kalpana and Bharat Dave
Student Home Visit – Kalpana Dave
Hari Om. While attending a retreat at Swami Dayananda Saraswati Ashram in Rishikesh, we were blessed with a visit of a girls Chhatralaya (hostel) and a school built with support from the donors of AIM for Seva. Our visits were arranged by Swami Hansanandaji and Mr. Kumar Iyar who are in charge of all AIMS projects in Uttara Khand.
