In early February, Thinlay met with the girls in Kalimpong. These first meetings, which took place twice a week and Saturday mornings, intended to allow the girls to connect with Thinlay as a mentor and become comfortable with the program. Thinlay will work with the girls Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
Two Tutors are Hired
With the generous donations provided to Young Girls India during the two fundraisers held in November of 2019, the program was able to hire two individuals to aid the young girls in their education. Thinlay, from Kalimping, female, will tutor the students in literature. In India, students are taught grammar and sentence repetition. Their education does not extend to reading long, complex texts. Therefore, Thinlay’s goal is to work with the girls and assist them in reading lengthy books to aid in both reading comprehension and grammar.
Thinlay will also act as a mentor to the young girls. Thinlay understands first-hand the obstacles that the program’s participants are experiencing based on their gender and status. Her goal is to teach the young girls to be confident, strong women. Through the use of literature that promotes independent, educated, and determined women, Thinlay teaches the girls important life lessons. Thinlay will be a strong role model and a reliable support system for the female students.
The second tutor, Anil, from Kalimpong, male, will assist the girls with math.
Vice President Rajiv Lochan Visits America
In November of 2019, Vice President Rajiv Lochan visited Sarah Murphy Travis in the United States. Two fundraising events were held in November during Rajiv’s visit to raise money for the program. The first fundraiser took place on November 17, 2019 and the second fundraiser was held on November 21, 2019.
Between the two fundraisers that were held, Young Girls India raised $10,900. The money raised is intended to pay for tuition costs, tutors, mentors, laptops, and wireless internet connection. Young Girls India continues to accept donations for the continued support of our students.
First Visit in India
In October of 2019, President of Young Girls India, Sarah Murphy Travis, traveled to Kalimpong, India to meet with the young girls who were the preliminary choices to be a part of the program. Sarah visited the schools of which the applicants attend, spoke with teachers and principals, and was introduced to the families of the students.
This visit to Kalimpong was essential in understanding the lives that the students live. In order to create a program that aided the young girls in continuing their education despite their low socioeconomic status within India, insight into the livelihood and the possible obstacles that would arise in the future was necessary for success in the Young Girls India program.
The travel to India intended to ensure the families that the board of Young Girls India has their best interest at heart and is a legitimate program to increase the educational opportunities available to young girls in India, and to familiarize the students with the key players behind the organization.