FROM DREAMS TO REALITY: PEHCHAAN THE STREET SCHOOL
LOST SPRING AND A SUMMER FOUND
During my school days, I read the story Lost Spring by Anees Jung- a tale of children trapped in poverty, their innocence stolen from them because of societal pressure. Starting with Saheb, a young ragpicker in Seemapuri.He has never been to school and for whom garbage is like 'gold'. Then there's Mukesh, a boy from a family of bangle-makers. He dares to dream about becoming a motor mechanic, hoping to break away from a tradition yet he remains confined to the same fate.
But this is not just a story of Saheb and Mukesh, It is the story of millions of children who are deprived of education and denied a childhood.
For many of us education is just a part of our lives but what we don't realize is that for millions of children like Mukesh and Saheb education is like a wonder, a privilege, a dream— they may never attain.
For example-In Lost Spring Girls like the daughter of bangle-makers,the freedom to pursue education is a lifelong wish —a distant dream.
Everyone has the right to dream—we’ve heard this many times. But fulfilling those dreams should also be everyone’s right. Everyone should have access to the resources, empowerment, and support needed to make their dreams a reality.
Statistically, India's literacy rate has improved, but disparities remain, particularly between genders, rural/urban areas, and different socio-economic conditions. Despite initiatives like the Right to Education, which made it mandatory for children to attain free education for up to 14 years. However, its implementation remains a challenge due to lack of trained teachers, increasing dropout rates and poor infrastructure.
Moreover, even now many girls are not encouraged to attain higher education and are expected to do their household duties which is why they have a high dropout rate after primary education.
Also, the youth employment rate is of great concern, especially for those with higher education who lack training and experience in the real world.
For children in their Lost Spring, organizations like Pehchaan The Street School are like a summer they never had.
PEHCHAAN THE STREET SCHOOL
Pehchaan means Identity! in English and this organisation have been giving identity to many underprivileged children and a path to seek knowledge for a better future.
Pehchaan The Street School was established in 2015 and for over nine years now, has been providing free and high-quality education to over 1600 underprivileged children, across ten centres with over 500 active volunteers on the ground and also a large team working online.
Starting with only 10 children and five volunteers Pehchaan The Street School has become a ray of hope for many underprivileged children. They believe that “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Therefore, they offer holistic education to Pehchaan The Street School’s children to empower them and achieve independence.
They rely on crowdfunding for support and are volunteer-driven.
Volunteers and interns work closely with the children and share a common goal,i.e.- to encourage and empower these children to realize and achieve their goals through education and opportunity regardless of their background and break free from the continuous cycle of poverty.
They go beyond conventional studies and provide vocational training to the children to prepare them for today's world, combining practical skills with academic knowledge.
They provide education, training and experience to underprivileged children making learning powerful.
Pechaan The Street School ensures that children not only acquire academic knowledge but also develop essential life skills and values through quality education and educational opportunities. Workshops are conducted for the development of life skills like personal hygiene,good touch and bad touch, and menstrual hygiene -aiming to have an open conversation.
They collaborate with communities and also provide financial support to the children. Pehchaan The Street School encourages parents and community members to participate in its programs. This helps in raising awareness about education and motivates families to send their children to school.They ensure a safe and supportive environment with equal resources for each child there and a powerful emphasis on building emotional intelligence and confidence, which results in the overall development of children.
REAL STORIES OF CHANGE
Lost Spring showed us the harsh reality of children trapped in generational poverty and Pehchaan The Street School brings us the story of children who have broken free from the cycle of poverty.
For instance, Deepak who joined Pehchaan The Street School in 2015 and in 2024 passed his class 12 with a impressive score of 83%.
He was in danger of losing out during COVID-19 because everything went online and students like him didn't have the knowledge of smart devices but Pehchaan The Street School provided him with a smartphone and internet connectivity so that there was no interruption in his studies.
The founder of Pehchaan The Street School, Akash Tandon had the privilege of taking Deepak to Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet the IRS Commissioner from the Finance Minister. It was a chance for them to hear his story and the impact that Pehchaan The Street School has made. He set an example for every child who dared to dream regardless of their circumstances proving - 'If there's a will there's a way'.
Pehchaan The Street School provide an identity to students like Deepaks and works as a driving force to achieve their goals.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT PEHCHAAN THE STREET SCHOOL
•Volunteer-Work on the ground or online and contribute your time as per your availability.
•Internship-Work on the ground or online , one can choose from multiple positions as per interest. All interns get a certificate after completion of the internship.
•Member-Membership is for everyone who can't commit time or can't work either online or offline. One can also donate a certain amount and become a member of the trust.
•Spread Awareness-Share posts or stories of Pehchaan The Street School.
CONCLUSION
The story Lost Spring shows us the harsh reality of our society through the characters Saheb and Mukesh. The same fate has been faced by millions of underprivileged children. However, organisations like Pehchaan The Street School are a beacon of hope for underprivileged children.
They understand that education is not only about literacy it's about holistic development, building confidence, empowering them and breaking from the continuous cycle of poverty or family lineage.
Every child has the right to write their future which is filled with possibilities, with opportunity and nothing limits them from achieving their desired goals.
One can support this initiative through volunteering, interning,spreading awareness, and donating. These children are the future change-makers and empowering them means empowering the nation.
We all need to make an effort to make sure that no child’s spring is lost , they all continue to bloom —-Once in life, we all should be a part of such a great cause.
To know more about Pehchaan The Street School visit the following links-
Website-
https://pehchaanstreetschool.org/
Facebook page link :
https://www.facebook.com/PehchaanTheStreetSchoolOfficial/
Instagram page link -
https://instagram.com/pehchaanstreetschool?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=181sger2fozl7
YouTube channel -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXd4gnTazJh3JugKENt5yog
https://twitter.com/Pehchaan_School?s=09
To Donate via Instamojo-https://www.instamojo.com/@pehchaanthestreetschool
To Donate via NEFT-https://pehchaanstreetschool.org/donation/
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