Programme 02 — Government & rural schools

A government school changes fastest when someone brings the ordinary things.

Note pads before the exams, a bench that does not tip, a computer that switches on, a cricket set — bought after asking the head teacher what is actually missing.

Programme 02Hyderabad and aroundEvery month, not once
Volunteer handing a sack of rice to school children in uniform

Most children in Telangana study in a government or aided school. It is also where the smallest shortage does the most damage: no note pads the week before the SSC exams, forty children to eleven desks, a computer room locked because the wiring was never finished.

We work school by school with the head teacher and the parents' committee — a short list of things that can be bought, delivered and repaired within a month, and somebody at the school who will keep them working.

How it is run

Every school is adopted for at least one academic year, not a single afternoon. The list is agreed in writing with the head teacher, bought locally where possible, photographed on delivery, and checked again after a year — what broke, we repair or replace.

What it includes

The short list, agreed with the school, the home or the household.

01Exam kitsNote pads, pens, geometry boxes and sweets handed out before the tenth-class exams — the smallest thing we do, and the one students remember.
02Desks, benches and chairsFurniture built locally to the school's own measurements, for classrooms with more children than seats.
03Books and readingTelugu and English reading material chosen with the teachers, a shelf, and a lending register.
04ComputersComputers and power backup — with training for the two teachers who will actually run the room.
05SportKits for cricket, kabaddi, volleyball and kho-kho, and support for the school's sports day.
Children at a government school gathering round a volunteer
A distribution at a government school.
Two men at a school function under a printed banner
A school function where kits were handed over.

How you can help

Three ways that actually move this programme forward.

01

Adopt one school for a year

Exam kits, furniture, a few computers and a sports kit, with photographs and a simple account of what was bought.

02

Give books, not money

Telugu and English reading material for classes I to X. We will send the list the teachers asked for.

03

Teach an hour a week

Reading, spoken English, mathematics or science — in person, or online for a school in another district.

Write to kalamfoundationts@gmail.com or sign up as a volunteer. We answer within three working days.

Other programmes

The rest of the work.

01 — Old age homes

03 — Sports & tournaments

04 — Ration & relief

05 — Children & orphanages

06 — Festivals & health camps