Give and you shall receive
My experiences volunteering with an NGO
At the start of the month, I had the opportunity to join an NGO for a book distribution campaign in the rural parts of Palghar district.
The entire team planned to distribute notebooks to kids in over 130 zilla parishad schools—a mammoth task, indeed, but one that motivated everyone.
This is a story of what I saw and experienced with lessons learnt from those kids.
Hour 1-3
We reached our rendezvous point at around 7:30 AM, having left our place at 6 AM. The drive was breathtakingly scenic.
Escaping the hustle and bustle of the city to enter a quiet, slow-paced village immediately felt refreshing.
After a quick breakfast and unloading of all the books, we were assigned groups, schools to target, and a local guide (a teacher at one of the zilla parishad schools) to help with the campaign.
It was chaotic, but fun. We left at around 10:30 AM haha!
Hour 4-9
Each school was a different experience.
We went from seeing a fully established school that rivals private schools in cities to schools in such remote corners where our vehicles would barely enter.
However, one sight was universal - the kids’ smiles.
Each child was so excited to learn that we had given them notebooks. According to some teachers, many cannot afford even basic stationery.
Some called it a “godsend”.
Some children cannot afford school uniforms.
Tiffin and lunch boxes are completely absent.
Some classrooms have tarpaulins for roofs.
Some have been upgraded to smart boards, all thanks to their teacher’s hard work.
Regardless of their environment, each child wore a smile.
Their grateful smiles clearly contrast with their conditions.
You could also see the drive in their eyes to learn.
Many teachers guided these budding learners to explore more and more.
Particularly, I was in awe of one 8-year-old girl who could add, subtract, multiply, and divide three-digit numbers all in her head faster than I could.
We had one teacher comment on this system.
“We are providing them with as much as we can, and up to the grades that we can teach, solely by ourselves. Beyond that, they need guidance. They are all talented, but without the right exposure, they end up wasting their time away in games or, worst of all, addictions. It is saddening to see former students go down those trenches, but what can just one person do?”
We were also supposed to list all the tangible requirements that each school might have.
Some requested classroom and infrastructure upgrades.
Some requested a mere set of umbrellas because the kids couldn’t afford them.
What stood out to me was the true dedication and passion each teacher had towards their batch of learners.
Everyone treated their learners with respect, adoration and upheld a sense of expectation, making the learners want to improve.
You don’t see this often in city schools.
Learners, particularly in the primary school years, are malleable.
Their environment affects them deeply.
Past a certain age, without the right guidance and world view, their talents are bound to be wasted.
It takes a village to raise a child—this statement holds a lot of truth.
However, one needs the right kind of “village”, the right community, to nurture and grow talents.
We ended our set of schools by 3 PM without eating a single morsel of food - just energised by the smiles of each kid.
When we sat down to discuss our experiences, everyone shared a feeling of being humbled by seeing how these kids thrived in an environment like that.
Lessons learnt
Make the most of your environment.
Most people either stay satisfied with the superficial conditions posed by their environment or stay comfortable within the act of finding a “better suited” environment.
No environment is tailor-made for you—that’s just a fact.
I can sit and complain about the fact that I don’t get as many open spaces in a city, while a village child can complain about having to walk hours to reach any convenience store.
At the end of the day, those who thrive are the ones who realise that their city may have a lake around which there’s a walkway (me, literally on the day of writing) or those who open their convenience stores near settlements.
After utilising the potential within your environment, evolve and start in a new, unfamiliar environment.
This happened to me when I first came back from Pune to my home.
After three years of living in Pune, my home felt like an unfamiliar environment.
I felt like a beginner and there couldn’t be anything more exciting than that.
Similarly, the kids that we visited saw a glimpse of what our world looked like.
Some were inspired.
Those few had outgrown their environment a long time ago.
They need a fresh start to evolve.
The moment they get it, they will be unrecognizable.
Learn from everything and everyone around you.
You will never grow if your eyes and ears are permanently shut.
Everyone, even the most unexpected people, animals or situations, has a lesson to share.
It is only when you are open to accepting them that you learn from them.
Your company and surroundings matter.
Since everyone and everything teaches, what you learn is also determined by what’s around you.
If you are aware that your surroundings are not benefiting you, you have outgrown that environment and need to move further.
Stay grounded but fly high.
A reality check is essential for your growth.
Look back at where you started and reflect on where you’ve reached.
That is the best grounding exercise one could ask for.
However, always dream big.
That’s how you justify the efforts you’ve put to reach where you are.
~Mihir Iyer
PS: An IG reel by one of the teachers:
