“All the world’s a stage,” said Shakespeare, “but sometimes the stage may not be close by.” I say. 

Md. Junaid. MA Ideal kid. 6th grader. The one on the left. Most caring person I know. Every new kid who comes to class is welcomed by him because he says, “Bhaiya, everybody should feel good. If I can help them feel good, I should help them feel good.” He is one of the most curious and interested kids in my class. Always willing to respond to anything I ask and help others respond too. Being hesitant to even raise his hand, he is unbounded in speaking his mind now. His newfound love for Drama has had an immeasurable effect on him.

Dramebaaz is an initiative started by Soumya Kavi and Prasanth Nori. Operating in 5 cities, they teach and bring theatre alive for over 1100 children from low income communities and give them space to depict their creativity, boost their confidence, collaboration, problem solving, and self esteem.

Ajitha Duvvuri and I are Fellows with Teach For India, an NGO that works towards giving all children an excellent education. We teach in MA Ideal High School, a low income private school located in Old City, Hyderabad, which sees kids coming from low income households and regular communal violence, gender inequality, and making ends barely meet.

Signing up our kids for Dramebaaz and putting them on stage was one of the best things we could have done. Turns out what they needed was a space to speak their minds, unrestricted. The kids thought up, scripted, and enacted their own play, ‘Naina ki Kahani’, superbly facilitated by Ajitha. They won the ‘Best Play’, 'Best Script', and 'Best Director' award at the Dramebaaz Final Showcase for depicting their thoughts on educating the girl child.

Now, they have an opportunity to linger in more people’s minds at the TEDxUlsoor event in Bangalore. The organisers have been kind enough to host our kids there, giving them a glimpse of the not-so-different world outside.

We need your financial help to take our 12 kids to Bangalore from Hyderabad, to create an unforgettable experience for them and the audience at TEDx.

We are hoping to raise Rs. 55,000 for the following:

We’ve all had our chance to learn, get educated, speak up, and have a voice. Contribute and help us give this chance to those children who really need it. :)

Please help out in any way you can. Spread the word! Spread the gratitude! Spread the love! Thank you.