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Dear Friends,

Namaste!  PRAGATHI, means PROGRESS. This is what we, at the Vidya Vihar, are always striving for.  The children are gradually but surely improving in their studies, art, crafts, computer education, cultural activities and social awareness.  You will be happy to know that two of our teachers, Samuel and Keshava both married lovely girls and Keshava’s wife Prasunna, also teaches in our school.  The teachers have decided to contribute 10% of their salaries every year towards the purchase of something useful for the children.  This year, the children received a nice tape recorder as a gift from their teachers.  Thank you teachers!

The Science section has now a small laboratory, with the help of kind-hearted local donors.  We are sure you will enjoy reading this Newsletter that shows you the tremendous changes in the lives of some of the boys you read about a few years back.  Thank you all for your constant encouragement and support.

Thanks to the recent volunteers – Nick, Mieke, Marie-jose, Emily, Matthew and Denis, Karen, Caroline and Sue for sharing their valuable time and knowledge with the children.

Warmest regards

Manihara & Bhakti

PRAGATHI - VIDYAVIHARA SCHOOL NEWSLETTER 2004

 Shining Stars:*****

 T. Kishore, age 23 years:  A young and energetic boy, he is now working as a Newspaper Page Designer in the Deccan Chronicle – the leading newspaper in Andhra Pradesh and number four in India.  Kishore grew up in SKCV and was in the first batch of the Vidya Vihar tenth class in 1999.  He worked very hard in helping design the syllabus for our school.  He has completed his B.A. privately, got married recently and now lives in Hyderabad.  Our boys attended his marriage and helped with the ceremonies.

 U. Pavan age 22 years:  Pavan, belongs to the first batch of tenth class students of the Vidya Vihar.  He left home at the age of eight due to extreme poverty and total neglect by family members.  He joined a group of ragpickers and roamed the streets and railway platforms for one year.  Then, a friend brought him to SKCV.  Initially, he did not show interest in academics and was very interested in Arts and Crafts and expressed his creativity in many ways.  With gentle encouragement and guidance by our teachers, he gradually became more and more regular and committed to his education.  He has completed his tenth, done one year course in Handicrafts, two years Diploma Course in Art and has just completed a Teachers’ Training Course  ranking first among 300 students.  He now teaches Art and Craft to the younger boys and organizes Craft Exhibitions.

Brave heroes: 

This year, we have remarkable cases of two young boys studying for the Tenth Public examination.  One is J.Ramu, age 16 who, in spite of a congenital heart disease, is very keen on working hard in school.  He has been operated on recently and still continues to get 90%  marks in his exams.  He wants to become an accountant and support his poor parents when he grows up.

Another boy,(name witheld), now aged 17, was tested +ve for HIV at age 12.  However he still is in good health and his spirits and ambitions are very high.  He too, wants to complete his tenth and later on, become a teacher in Computers.  He is an excellent artist and dancer too.

 Here’s wishing our brave boys the best in life! 

From the streets to graduation:

You will be pleased to know 30 boys have passed their tenth class (GCSE Public exam) through  Vidya Vihar School.  U. Pavan and A. Vijay have decided to work with us at the Vidya Vihar, while the others have learnt computers or specialized in other fields and gone back to their families settled with good jobs.  S.K.Khajavali got married this year, works as a caterer  and lives with his family. There are many others who, after getting basic education  have also settled outside with their families working in chappal shops or as masons and electricians.  They are all doing very well in life and visit us regularly.

 Fund Raising through Handicrafts: 

Our young student artists and craftsmen have done it again!  Two prestigious  colleges in Vijayawada – Maris Stella and Siddhartha Mahila Kalashala kindly invited the children to display and sell their beautiful creations in their respective auditoriums.  Through sale of greeting cards, wall hangings, ladies’ bags, purses etc.the handicrafts department collected around Rs. 25,000/- last year. A new project is making book markers with different designs to sell in  local schools.

 Dancing for a social cause: 

Our talented dancers performed for the inmates of the Sub-Jail, on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, thereby bringing light on the faces of the prisoners in their otherwise dreadful lives.

 The Inner Wheel Sisters: 

The Inner Wheel Club has always been involved in supporting our school.  They conducted Quiz Programmes, Anti Tobacco talks, HIV Awareness Programmes and now they have planted 100 fruit trees in our school.  Thank you very much, dear sisters of the Inner Wheel.

 Evaluation: 

Our dynamic Vice Principal Keshava, attended an eight day seminar on Result Based Management, Monitoring and Evaluation in Vishakhapatnam.  Evaluation papers were prepared for the children, which helped us to learn things like their favourite teacher, senior boy, subject, hobbies.  These papers helped us to understand the children better.

Regular Projects: 

We conduct innovative projects once in three months.  A topic is chosen and the teachers along with the children work together in researching, preparing and presenting their ideas through audio, video, poetry, games, quizzes, live models.  The Project covers all subjects like Maths, Science, Social and the ideas are presented in either Telugu, English or Hindi.

Thanks to our volunteers:

For our dear volunteers who helped us set up the school in its initial stage:  You will be pleased to know that the children now address the other children at Assembly and are more open with their ideas and suggestions.  We have regular Projects and Activities.We started with simple topics like fruits, animals, vegetables and flowers.  This year we have chosen Festivals.  Since we had the Pushkarams in the River Krishna, Vijayawada, naturally the Project was on Pushkarams.  The children narrated and enacted beautiful stories and dramas from our ancient scriptures, The history of temples near the river was narrated.  The Geography teacher helped the children to explain the origin of the River Krishna and the states of India it covers.  This was presented with the help of maps made by the children.  We also learnt about the different dams and bridges through this project.  The influence of planets was explained through songs and poems.  The calculation of kilometers, miles, distances and their conversions was done through quizzes.  Beautifully painted charts of the rivers and the temples made by the boys were displayed all along the walls of the Assembly Hall, giving the place a very festive look.  Thank you, Marie Jose, Yose, Robert, Meike, Petra and Abigail!

Teachers Day Celebrations:

Teachers’ Day is always celebrated with great fun at the Vidya Vihar.  It falls on the fifth of September, the birth anniversary of our late President, Dr. S. Radhakrishna who was an outstanding teacher.  On this day every year, we conduct classes in which the roles of teachers and students are exchanged.  In good spirits the students imitate the teachers and teachers in turn, play mischief in the class.  Then we conduct games only for the teachers and the children cheer them.  The teachers enact small skits and dramas for the children.  This is followed by a delicious feast for all.

SKCV on AIR: 

Ms Vandana from AIR (All India Radio) interviewed the children.  They were asked about their favorite movie stars, songs, hobbies etc. Their songs were recorded and then broadcast on Akash Vani on the following Sunday morning much to the delight of our children.

Close to Mother Earth:

We have included pottery in our Craft classes, and our boys have enthusiastically made beautiful diyas (lamps), money boxes and vases out of clay.  The rotating and balancing of the wheel requires a lot of energy and concentration, and they have mastered it well.  This helps them concentrate on their studies better besides creating beautiful clay objects.

Senior development:

Special classes are conducted for languages like English and Hindi for the children interested in developing their language skills.  The teachers converse with the students in the respective languages only, the students read books and some writing work is done, Audio and video cassettes are used to make classes interesting and easy.

Singing class:Ms. Narasamambha teaches singing to the children.  Singing helps the children overcome their shyness and to be able to express themselves better.  Above all, it improves the vocal cords.

Computers for all:

All the children are improving in Computer with expert training given by Samuel.  Languages, Maths, Science and Social are taught through Computers.  The children also learn MS Paint, Page Maker and the basics.  Besides simplifying the learning process Computer training also ensures a stable future for them.

Excellence in teaching:

The sincere Teacher dedication and combined effort of the teachers is responsible in shaping the future of our youngsters.  The teachers prepare their lesson plans and reports regularly, but emphasis is laid on spending more time on preparing materials for the classes and regularly discussing and co-ordinating with each other to make classes more effective.

Young Leaders: 

For Independence Day Celebrations, the boys participated in a Fancy Dress Competition. S.K.Basha was Gandhiji, Father of the Nation. Ravi Teja dressed as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, our late Prime Minister. S,K.Riyaz dressed asBharat Mata (Mother India). Vikram Singh was Alluri Sitaramaraju, Freedom fighter. The flag was hoisted along with these young patriots followed by a talk by Mama Garu on the life of Alluri Sitaramaraju.

Outings and Tours:

• The children went to the Bombay Circus and also got to see the spectacular Magic Show by Jaadugar Anand.  The magician was very kind to allow all our children to attend his show free of cost and spent time with them after the show. 

• The Mangalagiri Weaving Mills was a place of great interest to our boys.  In fact, one of  the boys’ father is a weaver there.

• Kondapalli village, where the local people make attractive wooden toys and then paint them with bright colours, was enthralling for all.

•  Lanco – The Turbine Power Station is a place where the boys learnt a lot practically.  It should be noted that SKCV entire dining hall and kitchen equipment was donated by Lanco.

• Lastly, the Exhibition on Wheels Train was a new experience for all.

Achievements

S.Suresh and B.Bharat Kumar won consolation prizes in the Elocution Competition on “Teenage Day”. The topic was “The Responsibility of Youth in Society”, organized by the Indian Medical Association.  Our talented boys have also been toppers in several competitions organized by Bal Bhavan, AMG International,schools and colleges.  These prizes are for art, craft, singing, dance, sports like high jump, long jump, running races, sack races, lemon and spoon, kho kho, kabbadi, Volley ball and cricket.

Our Local Supporters:

• Kennedy High School has always been a great support to us.  The children collect donations in cash and kind during ‘Children for Children’ week.  SKCV children  are always invited to their  Exhibitions and Workshops.

• Maris Stella College helps us organise our Craft Exhibitions in their campus encouraging their students to help. Their Social Work students include  SKCV in their field work projects  and help in counseling and teaching academically backward children.

• The teachers attend the Vikas Vidya Vanam classes for training once a year.  It is an excellent Non Formal School.  Their students have their picnics here and we exchange ideas. We also have friendly Volley Ball matches in their campus.

• Siddhartha Mahila Kalashala College encourages the children in Crafts by letting them display their creations.  They also organize regular song and dance competitions in our school.

• Siddhartha Public School organizes annual competitions and sports with students of both the schools.

• Bapannaiah School organizes lunch for our children once a year .

• Montessori and Atkinsons Schools have also helped us with regular competitions and programmes.

OUR SCHOOL RELIES ENTIRELY ON THE KINDNESS OF KIND-HEARTED PEOPLE LIKE YOU. PLEASE SEND US A GIFT TO HELP US PROVIDE MANY MORE CHILDREN GET THE EDUCATION THEY SO ENTHUSIASTICALLY DESIRE AND NEED.