My name is Yonatan. I am an Israeli-Portuguese artist and a traveling filmmaker. During my recent journey in Rajasthan, India, I encountered an extraordinary woman named Anney, who has transformed her small backyard into a vibrant school for children from the lowest castes. These children have no other access to education. This GoFundMe campaign aims to support Anney’s initiative, ensuring its sustainability and growth.

The Situation:

Anney is only 21 years old, yet she is the driving force behind a self-made school that offers free education to over 40 children living in extreme poverty. A big part of these children have lost one or both parents. They all live in makeshift tents, having bare access to water or electricity. Despite facing severe economic hardship herself, Anney has chosen to dedicate her life to educating the next generation in the community next-door. Her vision is clear: provide these children with tools to break the cycle of poverty through education.

Why We Need Your Help:

The school is at a critical point. With no external funding, Anney is unable to provide the most basic resources: furniture, school materials, clean clothes, or food. To continue running and expand the project, we need your support.

The community Anney serves belongs to one of the lowest castes in the town of Pushkar. While the rest of the town enjoys basic infrastructure, these families live in fragile, makeshift tents with no access to running water. They face deep-rooted discrimination and are excluded from most employment opportunities, largely due to a lack of basic literacy and the persistent social stigma attached to their caste.

As a traveling filmmaker, I had the privilege to meet and document Anney's work. I spent several hours observing a class at the school and witnessing the beautiful children in their challenging home conditions. One poignant moment was when a father invited me into their tent, and within seconds, I felt my skin itching, likely due to bugs or flies of some sort.

It was a truly heart-wrenching reminder of the challenging living conditions the community members face daily.

Anney also shared with me the stories of two children who lost both parents and are now being raised by the community. Since the government doesn't support places like these, the community relies on its limited resources to support one another.

This cycle has persisted for generations. However, individuals like Anney have the potential to change the reality for many people and ignite inspiration in places of despair. Therefore, I've decided to contribute to and try sustaining this project using my resources and skills, such as my camera, laptop, and knowledge about the GoFundMe community.

Our Plan:

-- Furniture, Books and Teachers --

First and foremost,

we aim to ensure the school's continued presence for at least the next few years and enhance the quality of education provided. This includes purchasing necessary furniture, books, and creating a better, sustainable learning environment by hiring more teachers.

(Estimated cost: $5000-8000 USD)

-- College Fund Foundation --

The second stage involves establishing a foundation to fund college studies for all the children.

College tuition in their area (Ajmer) is approximately $500 USD per year.

We'll implement a system to ensure that any student wishing to pursue higher education or a profession has the resources to do so. With Anney's assistance, they can balance work and study life, ultimately securing better-paying jobs upon graduation, significantly improving their quality of life.

**that's the reason why the goal amount is so high, 1500 per child.

***Whatever amount we'll collect will be shared by the families. Each family would get a just amount of money for education (depending on the number of children and their ages), ensuring each family has a better opportunity to get out of poverty. The money will go exclusively for educational purposes, and that will be assured through a system of education-sponsorship requests, with all the needed documents.

-- Immediate Community Support --

A portion of the donations (2-5%, depends on the money collected in the first month) will be allocated to immediate community support, such as purchasing slippers for the children, clothing, hygiene products, and basic dry food, to alleviate their immediate needs.

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Additionally, I will regularly update donors through a mailing list on the community's progress and the children's achievements.

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Launching this GoFundMe campaign feels like stepping into the unknown, but my drive to assist and make a real impact for these families who entered my heart is genuine.

Anney does what I believe in; Giving people the necessary base, but at the same time - leaving the responsibility in their hands.

I'm not here to impose Western values or change cultural norms; my aim is simply to support the remarkable work already in progress.

Anney's story is a testament to the incredible difference one person can make in the lives of their community,

so let's come together and shine a light on this incredible journey.

Thank you,

Yoni, Anney, and the community.