From grinding poverty to graduation

My name is Sheetal. I am 16 years of age. I have 2 brothers and I live in a small dwelling by the main road in Gaya India. My family is very poor and my mother works cleaning houses for about 50 Rupees a day.( Note about $1.10 cents). My father is too ill to work. I was lucky to go a People First School and get an education, but with my brothers being small I also need to help the family.

People First gave me a wonderful chance under the CAPS programme, and because of my situation found a part time work experience and job training opportunity in the People First Office where I am learning bookeeping and accounting. But due to support from the CAP's programme I also want to do do a Basic Diploma in Computing skills.

If it were not for the People First Staff counselling my parents to allow my education to go forward I would probably be married now with no real future .

I want to say these opportunities given by People First to myself and many others are our way out from a life without hope.

Thank you for all your help and I ask you on behalf of all of the students in this fantastic programme, please help us, against the odds, to make our dreams come true.

NOTE  This was translated from Hindi and is unedited.

Links:

• Our website

Hello  Everyone,

This is Naresh Sir with your regular progress report. I want to first wish you the best compliments of the season and express on behalf of us all at People First our very best wishes for a great new year for all of you and your near and dear ones.

The photograph above was taken very recently at a kindergarten run by People First in the village of Kanjiar in South Bihar.  One wonders what the future will bring for all these children , what path lies ahead of them, what will  they achieve in their lives?

The mission statement of People First, which can be found on our website ( the link is below) talks of giving opportunity to those it has been denied due to poverty family circumstances or oppression. This appeal helps Children under our CAPS scheme, (which means Children’s Academic Personal Scholarships). As you know it may in the future enable some of these children to be sponsored through college or University, something they could never achieve without help. You donations go directly to help such students.

But what about those who may have other skills, or are budding musicians or have a practical aptitude and need vocational training? We want to help as many of them as we can.

Therefore I am pleased to announce that from January 2013 we are incorporating the current CAPS students into a new more inclusive programme, the T.O.P.S programme , which simply means “The Opportunities Programme”. Please look out for more details of this programme in our next update. With your help we can help an ever wider range of poor students who deserve to realise their full potential in life. Please kindly read Upendra’s story on our website which is just one example of the impact on just one Life.

Lets join together and give opportunities to young people, it can change everything, because positive Social change starts with education.

Here a comment from Ranjeet, a 10^th Class student now preparing for his Class 10 examinations.

“ I was working washing pots at a roadside café a long way from home when one of the teachers at the People First School in my village, Kanjiar persuaded my parents to send me to School in Bodhgaya on a CAPS place. It was hard at first, no one in my family is educated. But oh my goodness me, what a chance I have to really be something now, to earn and help my family after my studies, pleae help students like me. Thank you so much!” 

“And yes I love playing cricket too”!

With Best Wishes and Appreciation to all of you,

Naresh