After discussing the perils of alcoholism and smoking, Matendla students went home and talked with their parents– 40 percent who subsequently changed their habits.
That’s just one example of how RDF’s emphasis on social awareness is improving lives of the children and their communities. RDF believes that education isn’t limited to the classroom walls. Instead, it arms children with knowledge and a mission to better their world.
At Kalleda, students debate issues at school-wide assemblies, picking topics relevant to their lives like dowry, child marriages and pollution. Students also attended local sarpanch (village elders) level meetings to discuss better roads and clean water.
Kalleda school holds muchata — an open house where students debate issues like inter-faith marriage and why the lambadi tradition is important. After learning about the harmful effects of tobacco, students enlisted their fathers to stop using beedis and pan.
Such real-life campaigns highlight RDF’s values: education and engagement leading to empowerment.
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