Laxmi has been associated with Apna Skool for 16 years. She teaches children at Panki Construction site in Kanpur. Her family consists of her husband Dinesh Verma, a lawyer, her 26 year old son Saurav, an Insurance agent, her 21 year old daughter Amrita, a graduate, and the youngest son Shubham, a student in Grade 12.

Laxmi completed her schooling in 1980, soon after which she dropped out and got married. She was unable to study further partly because her parents had passed away at the same time and also because the family was left with limited resources to make ends meet.

Hailing from such a background, Laxmi is sensitive and keenly aware of the opportunities that education can afford to children in poverty. She is zealous about laying strong foundations of learning and desires that her students complete their graduation, gaining access to good employment opportunities.

Additionally, Laxmi is talented in knitting, sewing and embroidery. Therefore, she not only teaches academic education but also equips the children in these useful skills. Her commitment and passion for the children’s uninterrupted education manifests itself in her daily interactions with the children in Apna Skool.

Your generous donation, Heather, covers Laxmi’s salary for three months, making her an earning member in the family and encouraging her to continue teaching and imparting valuable knowledge.

Thanks so much, Heather, for your support that directly impacts the lives of so many!

Thirteen year old Shankar is studying in grade 7 at a mainstream school in Kanpur UP. He was initially enrolled at an Ana Skool centre and studied there till 4^th grade, but since his family showed that they were keen on ensuring he got a good education, Jagriti helped get him enrolled in a mainstream school. He has six siblings- three brothers (one elder and two younger) and three sisters. All the older children in his family assist their parents in their work, and Shankar and his younger siblings are studying. Shankar’s parents father, Rajendra, and mother, Lakhiya, migrated from Jharkhand, a state in central India to Kanpur in search of work and have been working in brick kilns ever since.

Shankar shows a keen interest in theatre and likes to participate in plays in his school. His brother was bitten by a snake recently and due to lack of proper medical access, his family had to wait many anxious hours (since the incident happened in the night) before they could get him admitted in a hospital and cured. This incident has made Shankar realize the need for basic health care which is denied to so many like his family. He wants to become a doctor when he grows up. Shankar also creates awareness among the brick kiln workers about the need to educate their children and convinces them to send their children to school!

Thank you, Stacy, David (x2), Tom, Sarah (x2), Ray and Lael, Dennis (x2), and Mahendra (x3), for coming together to ensure that Shankar’s tuition, transportation and uniform expenses are taken care of for an entire year.

Thank you, Ravi, for donation a year of study materials to Shankar.

Eleven year old Guddu joined the Apna Skool centre at Kalra brick field  in the year 2004 and after graduating from grade 5, was enrolled in a mainstream school in Kanpur . His elder brother attends the same school in the 8^th grade. Guddu’s family realizes the value of a good education for their children, and so have chosen not to go back to the village during the seasons when they don’t have work, so the children can continue attending school.

Guddu actively participates in the Drama programs in his  school and is a keen cricket player and won’t miss playing with his friends on Sundays. He aspires to join the Indian Army and defend the nation.

Thank you, Bri, for donating a year of study materials to Guddu.

Thank you, Stacy (x2), Matthew, Trish, Jerame, Kandace, Rao, Ray and Lael, Mark and Lisbet, Pradeep and Mahendra (x2) for each donating a month of tuition to Guddu.

Your generosity ensures that Guddu can dream of a happy and prosperous future.

Arti studied in an Apna Skool centre from grades 1 to 5 and is now enrolled in a mainstream school in Kanpur. Prior to getting in touch with Apna Skool, Arti had no clear focus about her own future, but now feels that by diligent schooling her own personality will develop and dreams of becoming a Teacher. Arti is keen about Drawing and Painting, Dancing and Sewing and tailoring as co-curricular activities. She takes enthusiastic part of keeping the neighborhood clean and is proud to be known as a good painter. She enjoys composing poems (kavita) in Hindi and has published a piece in the Ekalavya’s monthly magazine, Chakmak.

Thank you, Elena and Shanen, for providing one full year of comprehensive medical care to Arti.

Thank you, H’Sien, Thomas and Jerame for coming together to provide one full year of school lunches to Arti.

Thank you, Chris, for donating two sets of school uniforms to Arti.

Thank you, Michelle, for donating a year of study materials to Arti.

With your support, Arti is sure to do well in life.

Eleven year old, Suraj, hails from Chattisgarh, a state in Central India. His parents migrated to Kanpur, UP four years back in search of work.

His father, Shalik, and mother, Rukhmani, are construction workers. He lives in a big family of 11 members including five brothers and three sisters, hence their economic condition is not very good. The family runs solely on his mother’s earnings as the father does not contribute his earnings to the running of the household. It is his mother who looks after the household chores and their needs, after a hard day’s work, with a little help from his sisters.

Suraj has been going to the Apna Skool education center for the past four years and is currently studying in grade 4. He loves studying here and looks forward to going to the Center each day. His younger sister is also enrolled in grade 2 at Apna Skool. Suraj realizes that his sister and he are really fortunate to have received this opportunity to go to school, as they are the only two members who are studying here.

Besides studying and spending time at Apna Skool, he is also interested in painting. He loves participating in the Bal Sabhas which is a Children’s Parliament that is constituted in each Apna Skool education center, every Saturday. Suraj is an active child in school, who is grateful for this opportunity to study and know the world outside. He aspires to become a Police officer when he grows up.

Your generous donation, Ioan, will enable Jagriti to provide a year of lunches to Suraj, thereby ensuring that he stays healthy and happy and continues excelling in school!
Your generous donation, Elizabeth, will enable Jagriti to provide a year of study material to Suraj, thereby ensuring he stays in school!
Your generous donation, George, will enable Jagriti to provide two sets of school uniforms to Suraj.

Thank you, Ioan and Elizabeth, for supporting Suraj!

Thank you, Chuck, for providing a year of medical care for Suraj.

Thirteen year old Sangeeta is delighted to study at Apna Skool as this is the first school that she has ever attended. And despite starting late she wants to continue her studies and dreams of being a teacher one day. Sangeeta’s parents father Bihari and Mother Usha Devi migrate from Bihar to work in the brick kilns of Kanpur for an average period of six months every year. She has two sisters and three younger brothers. Sangeeta and her siblings help their parents to ensure extra income. Sangeeta has always felt a sense of discrimination against the girl child in her family. Her father is supportive but her mother is partial towards her brothers. She was not allowed to go to school for a long time partly because of the nature of her parents’work and also because they were not keen on educating a girl child. Fortunately for Sangeeta , her parents started work at a brick kiln in Kanpur last year where an Apna Skool center was operational. The teacher convinced her parents and she could finally enroll herself in a school for the first time in her life. She has not looked back since then. She now studies in grade 1. She enjoys playing football at school.

Thank you, Chuck, for donating a year of comprehensive medical care to Sangeeta.

Thank you, Ajay, for donating a set of study materials to Sangeeta
Thank you, Wells, for donating a full year of school lunches to Sangeeta.
Thank you, George, for donating two sets of school uniforms to Sangeeta.
With your support, she can hold onto her dream of continuing with her education.

Pradeep feels that his general outlook about the society has dramatically changed after his becoming a member of the Apna Skool team and this, he says, has contributed to his self esteem. He is now determined whatever career he will pursue, his concern for society will remain and he will always want to be engaged in activities of Apna Skool. He derives much happiness and peace of mind by playing a role in the upliftment of the society.

Thank you, George, Mahendra, Elena and Shanen, Jeffrey, Katherine, Lee, Leo, Marc, Michael, Molly, Cindy and Trish for coming together and supporting Pradeep’s salary for three months. Through him, you are having a positive impact on more than 30 children and their families.

Vishambar’s parents mother, Dayavati, and father, Sukahu, migrated along with the entire family from Chattisgarh to Kanpur. Both of them work as casual laborers at construction sites. Though the family continues to have roots in Chattisgarh, they live in a slum community in Kanpur, and return to their native village only infrequently.

When they first moved to the city, Vishambar helped his parents on the construction side, but once he was enrolled in Apna Skool, the community learning center run by Jagriti, he stopped working except on Sundays. After finishing grade 5 from Apna Skool, Jagriti helped get Vishambar enrolled in a private school in Kanpur. He is currently in grade 8, and is doing well academically. His hobbies include painting and singing. He is fascinated by the world of computers and wants to pursue computer related vocation.

Thank you, Thomas (x2), Jeff and Tricia, Fawn (x2), Dean and Julie (x2), Akiko, Bill, Cindy and Craig for coming together to donate an entire year of tuition for Vishambar.

Thank you, Srikanth, for donation an entire year of study materials to Vishambar.

Dear Rob, Dennis, Anna, Leo, and Shreeya,

Eleven year old Sonu Prajapati’s parents, Bardani Prajapati and Kusum Kali migrated to Kanpur two years back from their village in Hamirpur, UP since they thought labor in a city can earn more than what a landless agriculture labor earns in the village.

Sonu is currently studying in his fourth grade. He has a younger brother who is also studying in the same school run by “Apna Skool” at the brick-kiln center. Sonu says, “Our life is not good in comparison with other children. So, I wish to work hard and become an engineer. I love studying in Apna Skool, it has given me a new hope in life.”

Sonu is too young to figure out which profession he should pursue but his mantra in life is to take a respected degree and establish his family. Sonu is a very good story-teller and is an avid reader of story books. When he joined Apna Skool he had very poor eye sight. Now he has undergone a thorough eye check up ,facilitated by the Apna Skool migrant labour project and wears glasses.

And now, thanks to your generous donation, Dennis, Sonu will receive free medical check-ups for an entire year that will keep in check, his eyesight and any other ailments that he may be prone to.

Your generous donation, Rob, would ensure Sonu has a brand new set of two uniforms to wear during the year.

Anna, your donation of a year of school supplies would help Sonu keep up with the rest of the class during the year.

Leo, Shreeya and Dennis, your donations would ensure that Sonu gets one full year of nutrition for  of a full year of nutrition for  which would incentivize him to keep coming to school.

Thank you, Dennis, Rob, Anna, Leo and Shreeya. The donations your made comes as a big relief to Sonu’s family and they can’t thank you enough for your kind gesture.

Ranjan is currently studying in the fifth grade. He is particularly good at Mathematics and Hindi. His favorite sport is Kho-Kho (an Indian sport played by teams of twelve players who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team). He also enjoys watching various educational and entertainment movies screened by the “Apna Skool” team on various occasions. Ranjan aspires to become a teacher so that he can educate many more children like himself.

Thank you, Adam, for donating a full year of medical care for Ranjan.

Thank you, Mahendra, Mark & Lynn and Michael, for together donating one full year of school lunches.

Thank you, Neil, for donating a year of study materials.

Thank you, Marty and Lorri, for donating a set of school uniforms.

Your support means a lot to Ranjan, and will motivate him to study well so he can fulfill his dream of becoming a teacher!