Dear all!

I am Aiman Shamsi, a 2016 Teach For India fellow. I am a didi of 38 third graders in Chetan Duttaji Gaikwad EMS, Pune. These are kids with immense talent and potential but not enough resources to nurture it. These are bright little minds that deserve just as many opportunities as any other kid, and that’s why we are here, to help as much as we can. To not let poverty dictate their destiny.

I have made this fundraising page to ask for your help in giving them a safe and engaging learning environment. I would request you to take out a little time to go through our campaign and donate whatever you can. Any little contribution will be huge help.

First and foremost, the classroom needs a good whiteboard so that each student can understand what is being taught and not lose focus. The blackboard that is being used in class right now is very hazy and kids 2-3 rows back cannot read what’s written.

Also, the kids in my classroom are at different reading levels and most of them way below the reading level that they should be at. Apart from a teacher lead learning, what I aim to do is set up a class library that caters to the various reading levels in the classroom so that the kids can read books and improve their reading skills in their spare time. This will help them build interest and take ownership of their own growth, leading to a much faster growth in their reading abilities.

In the little time that I have been with them, I have noticed that these kids have a great interest in Art, and that is something that should really be pushed forward, so what I wish to do for them is give them art supplies to make learning more creative for them.

Another thing that I want to bring for this classroom is speakers, and a projector, so that we can make learning more interactive and engaging for them. Kids learn much faster when they can visualise, or relate to things, and videos are a huge help for that. Showing them videos on a laptop does not help much because not everyone can see it together, and that is why a projector will be a much better option for this purpose.  

Your contribution will be more help for this classroom, for these kids than you can imagine.

With immense gratitude,

Aiman Shamsi.