Curiosity over competition..

Apnishala's fundraising campaign for children to access social emotional learning

Every time exam results were announced, it would send a shudder down my spine. I can’t remember a time when I was be excited about my scores. The environment was full of competition.

Now when I think of it, school was designed to not make friends. I wonder how I might have turned out if I was taught how to collaborate to get things done together. Instead, I remember practicing the same set of questions for months because five out of ten questions would be repeated. What if my natural curiosity was nurtured? I often reflect on these questions. I wonder if I had these social and emotional skills, adult life would have been very different for me.

Children living in Mumbai and in fact, Asia’s largest dumping ground have a difficult life. Adversity and trauma are lived experiences for these children. I was privileged enough to go to an urban school, have the emotional security of a home and parents and the love of so many around me. These children get none of it, and live in dangerous environments.

Imagine, if you had an adult, who asked you not to worry about competition. If they asked you not to worry about your exam scores. If they asked you to go out freely and ask as many questions as you wanted. Life would have been very different.

Apnishala Foundation has been working, for close to a decade, with children, who live in Mumbai’s largest dumping ground and study in the government schools nearby. During both waves of the pandemic, Apnishala was one of the few non-profits, providing safe spaces to these children to share their feelings and deal with the struggles of being cooped up in dense and difficult surroundings.

In municipal schools, Apnishala works with the children to talk to them about their well-being, curiosity, collaboration, growth-mindset and problem solving among a host of other real world skills. Two waves of Covid hasn’t dented the morale of Team Apnishala.

Support Apnishala, if you had an adult who nurtured you. Or if you missed one. Because Apnishala is playing that role, every year, for thousands of children, who don’t have that support.

Apnishala is running a crowdfunding campaign and they have raised 10 lakhs (USD 13,000) of their 60 lakh (USD 80,000) target. If you donate before March 30, they will receive a 25% matching donation i.e. for every 100 rupee donated, they will get an additional 25 rupees. This money will help Apnishala reach close to ~1700 children this year.

All donations are exempt under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. Only domestic/Indian donations can be made on the platform.