Vandana watches her parents struggle

Amidst the hustle and bustle of India’s capital, Vandana watches her parents struggle to make enough money to live. She is a ten year old little girl whose family recently left their village for a better life. In her village Vandana studied up to the second standard until her father suffered a problem with his hand. He was unable to carry on with his work, so the family was forced to move, leaving her sister behind with her uncle and aunt. Vandana and her two brothers left for the city of Delhi. Now her father work as a painter making at most Rs.3000/- a month. A family of six living on such a small amount makes for a difficult situation. When times get especially hard, her uncle has to support the family. Vandana wants to become a teacher so that she can teach those poor children who do not get an education due to poverty

Imagine living in a rented room with no running water or electricity in one of the most crowded slums of Delhi! Asma and her family, which includes her mother and father and her two other siblings, live in such conditions just a short walk from the Tigri HOPE School. Asma’s father makes only a few hundred rupees selling fruit when the weather is good and her mother stays at home to take care of the house and children. Her father and mother moved to the slum twenty years ago to look for better job opportunities.
Asma’s parents send Asma and her brothers to the HOPE School so that they would have better opportunities in life. They believe that with the help of the staff and the variety of the subjects that their children learn they will grow up to be successful individuals. Asma notices and appreciates the hard work and effort of her parents in order to support the family. However, she realizes the struggle her parents must endure, and she knows she would not like that for her future.
One of her favorite memories from the HOPE School is when she learned a dance routine. She also enjoys the school because she knows that the things that she learns now will help her in the future. Asma is 7 years old and in the kindergarten. She is a brilliant student.

We had a wonderful volunteer who came all the way from Sweden. He volunteered at our Tigri School almost a month. He taught English and Mathematic to 3rd and 4th grade students. It was really inspiring to see that without speaking Hindi, he was able to teach. Students were able learn their subject and understand the foreign accent as well. When someone cares language gaps are no barrier! Students were very glad to have him around. They also learnt a lot about Vincent’s place, language, favourite things etc.. . So this gave them a way to learn about the world as well. We deeply appreciate Vincent’s willingness to come and serve our students.

Students are learning English.




Students are learning mathemactic and their workbooks has been corrected.

The education centre at Tigri, Sangam Vihar, celebrated Christmas on 24th of December 2009. It was a very exciting time for the teachers and students of the school. They decorated the Christmas tree together. A good number of volunteers joined in the celebrations. The students sang Christmas carols and enjoyed the snacks brought by the volunteers. They were also happy and grateful to receive gifts from the volunteers. This event also opened up an opportunity for the students to interact with the volunteers. We want to thank all our friends who joined us to make that day special and for all who contributed towards the gifts, snacks, and also who gave their time and love for the students.

Santa stopped by.

Donors participating in the celebrations.

Singing Christmas carols.

Volunteers at School

On the first Saturday of every month the Tigri school plans to have extra activities for the students so that they can have some fun too! We had two volunteers visiting our school along with our five school staff. It was a fun day for the kids. They were able to speak English, sing, and play some indoor games as well. Over all it was a very inspiring day for the children. We look forward to more people joining us to make a difference in these kids’ life.

Children's Day at School

As children in India celebrated Children's Day on November 14th the students at school were not left behind. Thanks to some wonderful volunteers who decided to give the children a reason to smile and enjoy their day. These volunteers brought along with them choclates, chips and juice, which the students enjoyed. They got to watch an animated movie too. It was a wonderful treat for the students. A treat which they would cherish, since most of their parents struggle to even to feed them with basic meals. What is normal for most is "extra-ordinary" for these children. The day ended with the students getting some free stationery too. Thanks again, to the volunteers.

The volunteers with the students


Times of refreshing.


More fun and fellowship

Firasat - Persevering for the future

Firasat is a 12 year old student from Uttar Pradesh. His father works as a fruit vendor, while the mother helps out by pressing cloths by ironing. He has 3 sisters, of whom the eldest being married. They had migrated to Delhi with hopes of making it better financially.

Firasat's father earns Rs.100 to 200 in a day out of which he has to purchase fruits for the next day's sales too. He works very hard. Firasat's mother is very sick, therefore not able to help out much. His young sister has undergone a surgery, and he has to help out his mother with chores at home. As things are quite challenging for a boy of this age, Firasat is very determined not to drop out of school and to make the most out of it. Some times his mother tries to stop him from education as she sees it as a futile effort and thinks it is better for him to start earning. But he has dreams of being an army officer one day.