My Journey With Pehchaan The Street School

June 19, 2025

My Journey With Pehchaan The Street School

Dear Readers,

As I sat down to write my last article for Pehchaan The Street School all I could think of was Anjali back in school- the one who could not gather up the courage to submit her article for the school magazine because she was scared of being judged.

But today, the same girl has become a content writer intern for an organisation that changed her perspective on real courage.

I never imagined that a hesitant, underconfident girl would be writing her final article for an organisation, but here she is.

My internship period was a time of deep learning. I learned a lot from my Team Lead, Jyoti. As I mentioned before, she really has the patience of a saint. I used to keep texting her "What can I add more?" "Is it okay?" She is always there to guide me and provide feedback on my article.

This internship wasn't just about writing -it was about making an impact. From my first day, I remember how confused I was. I didn't know how to write because, yeah, this was my first internship. A shoutout to HR Anu Kaushal during my initial days- I used to text her often, asking "What's next' and all, and she was always there responding. In between, she also sometimes used to check on me about how my internship was going.

First Day At Pehchaan The Street School

I remember how nervous I was because this was my internship. I read other members' articles, and they were so innovative. The first thing I thought was, "I could never think like this." They were connecting it to some cartoon, some song, or something innovative, and here I was wondering how I could even start a sentence.

I kept brainstorming ideas for my first article,staring at the blank screen, and then my friend texted me, stating, 'It's your first time, and you have to start now—it's okay if you make mistakes—everyone does'---Breaking The Blank Page truly.

Therefore,instead of writing something extraordinary, I wrote a simple little generic article titled "Beyond Academics:The Importance of Life Skills in Pehchaan The Street School's Curriculum. " The article explores how Pehchaan The Street School doesn't just provide free education to underprivileged children; instead, it combines academic knowledge with life skills, focusing on the holistic development of children.The first article gave me the confidence to keep going.

Children who inspired me

While working with Pehchaan The Street School as a content writer I came across many stories of their children-

Deepak learned responsibility at a young age but he did not lose hope and continued his studies with Pehchaan The Street School and also passed his class 12 with an impressive score of 83%.

Nargis enjoys learning English there despite struggling with the subject.She wants to become a singer and excel in her studies to make her parents proud.

Nazia learned about Pehchaan The Street School from her friend Nargis.She aspires to become a singer and also recommends attending Pehchaan The Street School to those who face challenges.

These are just instances of children whose stories I came across.

I had neither sat beside these children nor met them, but their stories motivated me to write about them so that they could reach most people.

Redefining Courage

Cambridge Dictionary defines courage as the ability to control one's fear in a dangerous or difficult situation.

Little Bundles of Joy at Pehchaan The Street School show their courage by showing up at Pehchaan The Street School with an aim to change their destiny—they show the courage to learn and dream, breaking their family lineage.

Pehchaan The Street School's children come from places where they have some battles to fight every day.For instance-doing house chores, being a wage-earner for their families,and also going through harsh comments like- "You are not good enough"

"You cannot dream"

Still, they show up to study,dream,and improve their lifestyles.

Finding My Style

Later, I began experimenting more with my writing style, I'd write 400-500 words only to realise that I was going off - I would reread and delete and rewrite and doubt myself in the process. But I kept going and writing and correcting my mistakes-as my TL would guide me.

And then came week 6 of my internship at Pehchaan The Street School I was tiltled as the content writer of the week by my team(Thanks To My TL Jyoti) for the first time. I really couldn't believe it. I remember texting my friends in our group chat during the weekly meet only that "guys I am the content writer of the week".

It felt like a big milestone for me.

That week I wrote two articles titled:

'Creating Change with Kindness'

and

' You Can Count on Me: When Kindness Becomes a Classroom'.

That week I realised- I found my writing style.

Found My Voice

As my internship draws to a close, I have come to realise that this was never just about something to add to my CV or writing articles- it was about making an impact. Each child's story I have come across has truly inspired me and made me realise what a sign of true courage looks like.

If someone had told me earlier that I would be interning as a content writer for an organisation, I would have laughed it off.

Yet,here I am.

Through this internship, I found a place where a once underconfident school girl, too scared to submit an article for the school magazine-grew into someone who could write about an organisation making an impact.

Somewhere between those self-doubts, I found my voice.

With each article, I grew.

Final Wording

Pehchaan The Street School is more than just a school- It is a beacon of hope for underprivileged children.It gives them a chance to rewrite their stories.

For decades,this non-profit organisation has been providing free learning to underprivileged children. They go beyond notebooks and focus on the holistic development of the children to empower them and achieve independence.

Volunteers play a crucial role in this journey- as the saying goes 'It takes a village to raise a child'- and Volunteers of Pehchaan The Street School are the hearts of that village-helping children to dream again. Children at Pehchaan The Street School spend their day with kind and empathetic volunteers, learning new things, and fighting real-life challenges. Many of these children come from a home where sometimes they don't even know if they will even have food or not let alone go to school.

Pehchaan The Street School is a school without walls and offers a space for open conversation,most of the children here handle their household and studies and yet they show up.

Recent Highlights

.Appreciation doesn't always need words, sometimes it's wax , fragrance, and a whole lot of warmth.Loads of love to @annscandlecove for sending gorgeous bubble-shaped and rose-shaped candles packed with hope and warmth for Pehchaan The Street School volunteers.

.National Service Scheme Miranda House in collaboration with Pehchaan The Street School had organised a webinar on SURVIVORS' VOICE A TRIUMPH OVER CHILD LABOR with Akash Tandon founder of Pehchaan The Street School on 11th June 2025.

.Every bite counts when you are chasing your dream that's why @natchsnacks sent a healthy crunchy summer snack for Pehchaan The Street School Children's.

.Pehchaan The Street School's Noida centre got the coolest upgrade this summer.Colorbot collaborated with them and sent Fans ,and not to forget change feels better with the breeze.

.Chaitanya Dental and Skin Clinic in Delhi organised a free dental camp sponsored by Satyanarayan Trust in collaboration with Pehchaan The Street School at Mukherji Nagar centre of Pehchaan The Street School,even in the extreme 45-degree Celsius heat.

Link-https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK_fzNfi-aV/?igsh=c3dhN3VtaWhwOTli

Challenges

Despite being a well-organised organisation they face real challenges like-

Lack of Funding- This is the most important need for an NGO to work successfully.

Lack Of Resources- Due to a lack of funding NGOs are unable to fulfil many requirements many times.

Need for more volunteers- Pehchaan The Street School is a volunteer-driven organisation and dedicated volunteers are one of the major needs.

Inadequate infrastructure - It affects the delivery of education and limits access for children.

Ways You Can Support Pehchaan The Street School

• Volunteer -on the ground or online and contribute your time as per your availability.

• Internship -on the ground or online, one can choose from multiple positions as per interest. All interns get a certificate after completion of the internship.

• 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.

Once in life, we all should be a part of such a great cause.

This is Anjali Gupta signing off🌻

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

Twitter