Opening our hearts ... to open their minds!

Love, Education & Aspiration to change Destinies

Always wanted to be a LEADer?

Then join us in one of the most fulfilling and exciting journeys in LEADing the lesser privileged children towards a brighter future

What is LEAD all about?

Love, Education and Aspiration to change Destinies - that is what LEAD stands for! LEAD is also an attempt to create leaders; individuals who step up and take the responsibility to initiate change, voluntarily. LEAD Foundation is a completely volunteer driven NGO (Registered Public Charitable Trust) wherein a group of like-minded people viz. young working professionals, house-wives, students and senior citizens have united by the desire to educate and thereby, change destinies of the lesser fortunate ones.

Armed with this desire, LEAD started off. The first class of LEAD was in the biggest hut in the community. The first class- art and craft session! This inspired his friends and they, in turn, passed the word around. Soon 28 children were admitted to a nearby municipal school. However this sense of achievement was short lived as a few days later, the school called to tell us about a drop in attendance amongst those children. That is when we realized our job was far from done. We started weekend classes for the children to infuse them with an enthusiasm for schooling and discovered that weekends were not enough to change their lives. Since we couldn't leave our regular jobs, we turned to colleges to seek the help of student volunteers. Overcoming various issues like finding places to teach, getting funds and other resources, finding dedicated volunteers, regular field visits to meet the parents, planning/implementing/re-working on various teaching methodologies, today LEAD has more than 60 children enrolled and, most importantly, retained in the schools. Also, a strong team has shaped up & we have, now, rented a premise for conducting our sessions. We never imagined that a desire to help a few children would become a tiny yet immensely satisfying movement for change. Each day with LEAD is a struggle with fresh challenges but we are not daunted, because each day, one of our children gives us a reason to smile!

How LEAD Began

July 2008, Airoli Rupesh was on his way to work when he saw some kids; children of local rag-pickers and daily-wage laborers, near the Sector 19 bus-stop at Airoli. On a whim, he started talking to the kids. Random conversation about their schooling and life developed into a determined pursuit and soon he was speaking to kids and their parents about schooling in general. That is when he came upon Ashok, aged 25, preparing for his Class X English paper. A school dropout Ashok had decided to complete his education. This was probably the spark that lit the flame which would become LEAD. If a road-digger could choose to go back to books, so could others.

Why you too can make a difference?

This brochure is not just meant to tell you about the journey of LEAD; it is to spread the message that each one of us any common man - can make a difference. When we started out, we were just individuals who taught some kids in our area, there was no professional social worker, no NGO & not even a thought about funds. We just focused on educating our kids and everything else followed. Similarly, each one of us can make a difference if we put our minds and more importantly our hearts into it. So take the plunge & start doing something; because just intentions don't matter!

Various Projects of LEAD

Education
We primarily work with the children living in the shanties/ street shelters of Airoli and Ghansoli, in Navi-Mumbai, Maharashtra, who hail from the families of construction workers and other daily wagers. We first admit these children into the nearby municipal schools and then strive to provide a cheerful environment for their holistic development so as to prevent their early drop out due to their problems at home. Our sessions comprise of various activities like: Supplementing the kids' school lessons, with main focus on Mathematics, Science, English, Marathi, General Knowledge and Computers Value education through charts, moral stories, motivational movies & drama Indoor games, Out-of-the-wall activities in the garden, sports and Prayer, Yoga before the sessions Workshops like Clay Modeling, Fabric Painting, Paper-Bag making, Collage, Rakhi-making, Origami, Drawing/Painting etc Educational/Fun trips like Nehru Science Center, Planetarium, Nature park, Circus, Mall, Post-office, Fire Brigade, Railway station, etc Celebration of all major Festivals, 15th Aug, 26th Jan and even their birthdays. Our volunteers further seize this opportunity and involve even their own kids during these celebrations, thus sowing the seeds of humanity, equality and compassion in their own kids' minds at the right time. Also this serves to weed away any kind of fear/inhibition/guilt breeding in the minds of our kids from humbler backgrounds towards the children from upper strata helping them truly 'connect'

Health and Nutrition

Along with regularly inculcating the importance of hygiene and nutritious meals, we conduct health/dental/eye check-ups for these kids, through Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation dispensary / hospital visits and medical camps, and even get them and their younger siblings vaccinated. We also give them calcium/vitamin tonic and hot cooked breakfast/snacks daily during the sessions besides providing nutritional powder packets and tins to their families. It's been over 3 years now and we are proud to say that we have been able to make a significant impact in the lives of over 60-70 children and even, to an appreciable extent, in the thinking and behavioral patterns of the major stakeholders - their parents.

Women Empowerment
Here, we try to impart vocational skills like candle making, tailoring, embroidery etc to the mothers of these children and even other local household maids, thus attempting to provide them some additional income. We try to market these products by putting up stalls in various companies, schools and colleges.

Other projects
Sponsoring Educational expenses of needy and deserving students Rehabilitation of extremely poor/ street children into shelter homes Encouraging kids in some of the shelter homes Special inclusive programs in association with reputed schools aimed to sensitize the privileged children about the other world and inculcate, in their young minds, some of the most important humanitarian traits like gratitude, compassion, empathy, equality and acceptance

Rural Projects
In March 2011, LEAD ventured upon one of the most exciting and challenging projects in one of the tribal villages near Badlapur Lavhali - a small habitat that falls under Ambernath taluka, Thane district. We started off taking sessions on English, Mathematics and Computer Skills for the students of class-8, 9 and 10 of this village on every weekend. Due to our regular and deeper involvement with this adolescent group we got exposed to the quality of education received by the children in a rural primary school. We are now dreaming and gearing up for elevating the learning levels of the younger children with the help of these elder students of this village. This will in turn build the personality and raise the self-esteem of this adolescent group thus propagating the next set of change-makers within the community.

Our other activities till now: Distribution of Nutrition powder to the adolescent girls as well as Anganwadi children (1-6yrs) Distributing educational toys/games and computer for the primary school Aptitude testing and career counseling for the students of class 9 and 10 to Juhu Beach and ISKCON Trip Session on Menstrual Health and Hygiene for adolescent girls by Gynecologist We have also started the powerful life-skills based 'Leaders of Tomorrow' project in the secondary school of another tribal village Boradpada for the 9th and 10th standard students coming from various surrounding villages. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. It indeed, is the only thing that ever has!" - Margaret Mead

How LEAD works?

LEAD is a volunteer driven NGO. Our volunteers are the force behind our incredible journey. They see firsthand the realities of the underprivileged, our effort/ challenges and hence the potential to make a difference. Our volunteers realize that LEAD does not have any separate fund raising team or program or sources and hence they too start working, voluntarily, for the same. Thus most of our funds actually come from some of our volunteers and then their friends, families and well wishers. As we are moving ahead in our journey to make a difference, we are growing. Today we operate at three centers two in Navi Mumbai while one in a rural setting & we have various projects. This change has been a learning experience and we realize we cannot just rely on personal donations but need to have consistent flow of funds to sustain these programs. We are sure there are many who care and our work will inspire them to contribute for this cause. All details relating to donations are mentioned on our website: www.lead-foundation.org

What makes LEAD different?

LEAD also stands for leadership. We tell our volunteers what to do and not really about how to do; and they surprise us with their results. We may assign them a task in the beginning but after a short while they realize for themselves the various ground realities and the challenges at hand and develop their own ways of working. Volunteering with LEAD involves a lot of multitasking but it also gives us the opportunity to work with the diverse team, freedom to use our skills, execute our ideas and stretch our capacities in a manner of our liking. And hence, we succeed in transforming our volunteers into leaders.

Volunteer Speak...
Snehal, 20, Bio-technology Student says As a teaching volunteer, instead of teaching I am myself learning so many things from kids. I hope this beautiful journey with LEAD would continue for long time. Thank You So Much LEAD for all these wonderful moments! Jyoti Madam, 49, House-wife says
Being part of LEAD is amazing. These kids have become my family. I enjoy teaching them. I want every single child to get proper equal education and be successful in the future.

Avishkar, 25, Telecommunications Engineer says

LEAD gave new dimensions to my life, my thinking towards society, people has completely changed. LEAD has helped me to grow as an individual; it feels satisfying to work for my country and its people.

Sunita, 25, Software Professional says Spending weekends into the tribal village, getting to know these people, understanding their problems made me realize how much lucky we are to get all the facilities and resources easily. I have learnt to realize the value of all things we have around. I am growing to a better person with our kids. Ashish Pawaskar, 38, Internet and Media Consultant says, LEAD's volunteer driven model has made me a more take-charge person than before. The kids are so sweet and eager to learn anything that you throw at them, this has made me evaluate the impact of my actions and words and have become a more careful and loving person in my thoughts, actions and words. The LEAD model has become my inspiration for my NGO Adarshmay. Vinita Shah, 37, with backgrounds in Education and Puppet making, says, Sitting under the shade of a lush green tree, having an impromptu story telling session (with kids in LEAD) is one of the finest memories I cherish. It has been a wonderful come back to teaching by being with LEAD. It is wonderful a feeling to see the million dollar smiles and gleaming eyes looting the little pleasures of learning with fun! Swagata Yadavar, 22, Content writer says, "I always had the urge to do something for the society but lacked the courage to go ahead and do it. But when I came here, I felt like I belonged. I feel I am fortunate to be associated with LEAD because it gives me a perspective on things, surprises me with what all I can do and empowers me to make a change.

Women Speak...
Here is what the community women have to say about us; these women attended tailoring, cooking, sewing classes conducted by LEAD and WISE (Women's Institute for Social Education) for a period of a year.
Shobha

Shobha Rosary said, Thanks to Rupesh sir, we could come out of our homes.
Here we did not just learn stitching but we could see the world outside our homes. Our lives were always about doing something for others- our kids, our husband and our house but here we did something for ourselves.

Kamal

Kamal Sonawane said, After coming to the class, I realized that I could
stand on my own feet. I have learned so many things from the class. I have also given a speech in the class by myself!

Vimal Chavan said, I come from a very poor family and spent my childhood
collecting garbage. Never did I think I would be able to see and do these things. I want to thank LEAD for this.

Anita Shinde said, I have learnt so many things in the class. I am not
educated but learning all these skills makes me feel like I have learnt something.
Vimal

Rajesh

Anita

Children Speak...
Children, the main beneficiaries of our activities, our reason, our cause, tell us what they feel about LEAD. Rajesh, 8, says, I used to sort junk before, but Rupesh sir brought me here in LEAD. Now I only study and I want to grow up to become someone great. Before coming to LEAD I did not know how to talk well or study but the teachers here taught me that. I study, play, paint, make new things here. All the teachers are great here. Simran, studying in class-6, says, I felt very good after coming to LEAD. Before coming here, I always had a desire to study and after coming here, my desire was fulfilled. Earlier I used to behave badly but teachers in LEAD taught me how to behave well and now I am better behaved. In LEAD, we go to picnics and we get to learn a lot, wherever we go. Tulsiram studying in class-4 says, I like coming to LEAD, I was silent before but teachers say now I have started talking a lot. Teachers here love us and do not hit us. I also take the help of the teachers here for school homework. I also like the food we get here and also like the games we play here. Anjali, studying in class-5, says "Teachers, here, are like our friends and we share our problems with them. They understand us and help us. Sanjana, studying in Class 6, I don't feel good on the days I don't come to LEAD.
Simran

Tulsiram

Anjali

Sanjana

"It is absolutely necessary for the mental health & development of the children that they should not have mere schools for their lessons but a whole world whose guiding spirit is personal love."

So, how can you become a LEADer now?

Volunteer your time and hobby/professional skills for our urban and/or rural students. Donate in Cash or Kind. Sponsor one of our programs like education, nutrition/ snacks, picnics, workshops etc. Spread awareness about our work in your circle of influence, by word of mouth, putting up posters in colleges/schools/ offices/societies/ high foot-fall areas, through internet, sharing information about our work in meetings/gatherings. Connect us with other skilled/resource persons/like-minded people/groups. Start teaching an underprivileged child in your area. We will guide you with everything. Share the journey of LEAD with others; this might inspire them to initiate something similar. "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop" - Mother Teresa

You are invited in our journey...

Contact us at:

LEAD Foundation
14, Garden View Society, Plot-66, Near Jain Temple, Behind NHP/VPM School, Sector 19, Airoli, Navi Mumbai 400 708 Email us at: info@lead-foundation.org Like us at : www.facebook.com/LEAD.Foundation Visit us at : www.lead-foundation.org Our Blog : http://blog.lead-foundation.org