Final Total Raised:
$2,399.71
out of
$2,000.00
(Rs. 1,03,188 out of 86000)
Generous donations allowed us to demolish the original goal of $1000 in only three days (you guys rock) and even surpass the ambitious goal of $2000! This means that the donations will enhance the lives of nearly 1000 rural schoolchildren.
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| Mandur Primary School has 158 students in grades 1-7 and is located in a rural village just outside of Bangalore. Though the kids have only one ball and a dusty patch to play in, they are quite talented at volleyball and recently won a multi-school competition! | Basavangudi Primary School has around 150 students in grades 1-7 and serves a village on the north side of Bangalore. The facilities and equipment the students have at the school are dull and lacking, but their smiling faces light up the rooms. | |
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| Jyothipura School has around 250 students in grades 1-10 and is located in a rural village near Mandur school. Roughly 80% of the children at this school are from families below the poverty line. The children are very gentle and well-behaved and the teaching staff, parents, and administration are extremely caring. | Tindlu Primary School is small and welcoming. It typifies government schools in rural Karnataka, struggling to provide an enhanced education while facing a limited budget and an unreliable electricity supply. | |
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| Banjaarepalya Primary School is similar to the other schools. It is government-run, but incorporates more physical education and internationally-oriented instruction than the others. | ||
| Equipment For the Schools - Each school received the following (worth around $400) along with a document explaining the use of each item: |
| Description | Why Purchase These Items? | |
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3 Volleyballs | It was a surprise to find out that this was the most popular ball game at Mandur School. When the kids want to play volleyball, they draw the lines on the court by dragging their feet in the dust. |
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2 Footballs | This sport is my personal passion and spreading the love of the beautiful game was one initial motivator for this. Football in India is not strong, but it is popular. |
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15 Pairs of Knee Pads | The most popular games in rural India are, fittingly, those that require zero equipment: two variations on tag called kho kho and kabaddi. The kids asked for knee pads for playing these games, as they often dive on very rough surfaces. Here is a video of kids playing kho kho at Mandur school. |
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5 Badminton Rackets | This game is popular in India, but is not always an option because the equipment tends to be in poor shape. A few sets of good-quality rackets will allow the kids to play using nets at nearby parks. |
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50 Badminton Birdies | Even worse than not having good rackets for badminton is not having any birdies. The teachers and kids I spoke with specifically asked for more birdies because they currently have none and cannot play badminton at all. |
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1 Ball Air Pump | This is a useful item for footballs, volleyballs, and playground balls. It seems like very few places in India have one of these at all (most places do not have enough sports balls to necessitate a pump). |
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2 Cricket Bats | Though it is not the national sport of India (field hockey - who would have thought?!), it is the sport that has "captured the people's hearts and minds." Rural kids often end up using subpar alternatives like broomsticks if they play at all. |
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1 Set of Cricket Wickets (6 Stumps and 4 Bails) | The wicket that each batsman protects consists of three stumps that are delicately bridged by two tiny pieces called bails. When the ball, a fielder, or the batter knocks a bail off the stumps, the bowler (i.e. pitcher) earns a wicket (i.e. an out). |
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24 Tennis Balls | Due to the risk of injury from playing with (often extremely hard) cricket balls and no pads, kids often play cricket with tennis balls. Tennis courts are seldom available. |
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1 Throwball | Throwball is a game that is popular among girls. It involves two teams passing a ball over a net; its closest analog is volleyball. It can be played with just about any ball. |
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10 Cotton Skipping Ropes and 5 Nylon Skipping Ropes | Remember elementary school? The kids will love these (also called jump ropes). Who's up for some double dutch? |
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2 Snare Drums, 1 Bass Drum, 1 Set of Hand Cymbals, 2 Triangles, and 2 Pairs of Maracas | I'd be remiss if I believed that sports equipment is the only thing these schools are lacking. Teachers made requests for a drum set to teach basic music lessons, but we are going beyond that and providing a whole percussion section! |
About Give the Gift of Sports and Music!
Growing
up in the US, sports and music
are important parts of being a kid.
Unfortunately, many
children in India have access to limited or no sports or music equipment.
I have selected five
underfunded schools in Bangalore that, with your
generous help and donations, have
received
sports and music equipment. I have
personally gone to meet
and deliver equipment to the school children, teachers, and principals.
Your generosity has demonstrated that a
small donation can tangibly help these kids get exercise, learn team
skills, make beautiful
music, build
friendships, and HAVE
FUN!
NOTE #1: After a request from one of the schools, musical equipment was added to the donation for all of the schools in addition to sports equipment.
NOTE #2: The massive amount of donations means we can help FIVE schools (instead of just two) - hooray! This means that this donation will reach roughly 1000 children! I assure you that every last dollar/rupee was used to buy equipment for these schools.
NOTE #3: I'd like to give a very enthusiastic thank you to Saurabh Panjwani, Cohan Carlos, and Ghulam Murtaza for providing the logistical help and support necessary to make this all happen. I appreciate it, fellas.
NOTE #4: The donation button has been removed and the comments closed, as this donation is complete. I hope to do something similar again in the future. Thank you all again so much for your generosity.