Hello Everyone,

I, Sanket Shirsat (Ph.D. Student, Social Work, Delhi) along with all the other AAI Foundation members, namely, Dr. Dhammadip Gaikwad (Ph.D. In Economics), Jayashri Shirsat (Social Worker), Deepali Wighe (Ph.D. Student, Sociology, Frankfurt), Shabnam Shaikh (Ph.D. Student, Development Studies, Delhi), Sandesh Gangurde (Social Worker), and Rakesh Pawar (Social Worker) are here to raise funds to build a Community Library and Learning Center in Ghanshet Village of Peth Taluka in Nashik District of Maharashtra.

Ghanshet is a small village located in Peth taluka of Nashik district of Maharashtra State. It is located 37 KM towards west from District headquarters and 15 KM from Peth and 168 KM from State capital Mumbai. Marathi is the Local Language. The total population of Ghanshet village is around 2000 with 800 households. It is located on the remote side of the district where anyone can hardly reach it. Most of the people from this village are involved in agriculture and daily wage labourers. So its very difficult and challenging for them to send their children in a good school or college at Taluka or at the district level. The village has a single Zilha Parishad Marathi School till 8th std. Houses are very small in this village and a number of people reside together and share the same room leaving an uncomfortable and poor learning environment. In these difficult times of pandemic, the children do not even have a place to sit peacefully and study because of lack of space for study and internet connectivity.

On 23 February, a team of AAI Foundation visited the village for a clothes distribution drive then they had a dialogue with the students. One of our team members said that we came here for the clothes distribution drive and the students replied back that ‘we need books to study rather than clothes’. They were constantly in touch with us and always shared their difficulties while accessing education in their village because of the lack of infrastructure, books, and guidance.  From this one can imagine their aspiration towards study and their interest to take higher education. From that day onwards we decided to work towards the problem of education for these students.
Considering these issues, the following programs have been implemented to date in the village:
1. Career guidance for higher education, 30 March 2021
2. Tree plantation drive, 5 June 2021
3. Session on importance of environment on World Environment Day, 5 June 2021
4. Books distribution, 22 June 2021

AAI Foundation recently organized an awareness program about scholarships for higher studies in India and abroad and it is heartening to see how this awareness program provided hope and support to students. However, they have an unsuitable learning environment and the lack of infrastructure is the hurdle as well. From our continuous interaction with the students of this village, it has been brought to notice that there is an urgent need for a Community Library for the students. In this village, around 30 to 40 students are willing to take higher studies in the Central Universities and Institutes like IIT’s, NIT’s, TISS, DU, JNU, JMI, HCU, etc. and few among them are preparing for the different competitive exams.

We thought of supporting students with a community library and started having discussions with the Sarpanch and other Grampanchayat members along with villagers. Considering the urgent need for a community library and the continuous follow-up by the AAI Foundation, the Sarpanch, and Grampanchayat members have passed a resolution and allotted an empty land to build a library on 22 June 2021. The foundation stone of the library was laid on 11th July 2021 at Ghanshet village near Grampanchayat. The community library is to be constructed with the aim to provide all kinds of support by all the volunteers and founding members of the AAI foundation on one to one basis. 

Now the biggest challenge in front of the AAI foundation and village members is to collect funds to build the community library. Considering all the other options, we come to the conclusion that Crowdfunding is the best way for collecting funds through online mode. Whatever we contribute will start alleviating illiteracy and will promote learning in the communities where people cannot fulfil the dream of being educated. AAIFoundation is committed to raising the level of education and literacy in rural India and helping disadvantaged communities to realize their full potential.

Please come forward to support my cause. Any contribution will be of immense help. Do contribute and share this campaign link with your friends and family.