Asha for Education University of Pittsburgh Chapter hosted an awareness event this past fall as a way to connect directly to the students and families in India that we are seeking to support. Most Asha chapter organizations focus on a specific Asha project in a specific region and/or school of India. This year, our focus has been on the project called Navsarjan. This project focuses on eliminating discrimination, specifically of the Dalit population, in the state of Gujurat and combating inequality in genders and classes at the educational level. Specifically, this project funds scholarships for girls who face educational inequalities in order to slowly bridge the gender gap. There is also an initiative to encourage extracurriculars, participate in vocational training, and fund informal education centers.
This pen-pal system was created when our business manager, Harsh Agarwal, traveled to India and visited a school in a village in Northern India. The teachers at the school and Pittsburgh’s Asha Chapter both thought it would be a great idea if American university students could write letters to Indian school-children. These letters could contain words of encouragement, questions about what students in India are learning, and an invitation for students to ask questions to the university students as well. These letters were written in English for the most part, and will be translated to Indian school-children by teachers if necessary. We are awaiting for their response still, as it will take some time for translation, writing, and shipment.
Our hope is that we will get responses to our letters soon and one day be able to live video chat with children in India!
Here is a picture of some members making letters:
