Paathshala Trust NGO - facilities upgrade

A conversation with a fellow traveller at a hostel one evening during my travels in India led me to coming into contact with an amazing man who has done and continues to do wonderful things for the children of his country. Om hosts guests through Airbnb as a secondary income in his home. I stayed with Om as a paying customer but was welcomed and treated like family. I was eager to do what I could during my stay at the NGO he runs, which is completely run by Om, his partner Mona and a few volunteers. Om runs the NGO whilst also working his paid day job, assisting and representing children in legal matters.

Paathshala Trust - The NGO he runs is a safe space, and arts & educational hub for the local children who live in the nearby slums. These kids are poor and thus more likely to be encouraged or pushed without free will into early entrance of the workforce to support their families. The kind of work they will take on is usually unskilled and dead-end jobs with no room to grow. The pandemic affected these kids much greater than the privileged children they call schoolmates. Some of them lost family members and most fell behind in their studies as school was reduced to homeschooling on a computer that none of these kids had. Paathshala aims to provide a fun environment where the kids can receive tutoring in areas of study they may be struggling with. It is clear from my time with the kids that they love coming to the school. The major drawcard it seemed was the dance and song performances the kids regularly relished in. I think there are some definte future stars in this bunch. The only condition is that they must attend their formal schooling if they wish to keep attending Paathshala. Education is the best way out of poverty for these kids and Om knows first hand about this...

Omprakash, a humble man always willing to give to others. As a child growing up in rural Rajasthan, Om was forced to help his family who were indebted to the local landlord by working on a farm at the age of 5. He was regularly beaten for making mistakes and only received 2 meals a day. At the age of 8 he was rescued by a charity who was visiting the area. Being motivated by his own story, Om began to empower children by creating awareness of children's rights in his community. At the age of 14 he won the Children's peace prize.

It was a few days into my stay when Om threw me a curve ball and asked if I could stay longer and build a kitchen in the school that would provide home-cooked meals for the kids ( from what he told me some of them sometimes go without food). With a short amount of time left until my flight home and a few more stops planned I considered the offer. I would have had to change my flight to stay for an extra week and no longer as I refused to miss a mate's upcoming wedding. We would have to borrow tools, I would have to investigate the building materials and methods used in India. It seemed a little overwhelming for me and I wasn't willing to commit. I felt guilty for my decision but knew I was justified in my response. I pledged to raise money to then pass on to Om to pay a local builder to build the kitchen. The office is also in DESPERATE need of a new desk, with the drawers disintegrating in your hand when you pull them out. The computers are outdated and need to be upgraded. That is where your money will be going, straight into upgrading the facilities that support these bright kids. Any donation is greatly appreciated.