I didn’t realise we had arrived at the school as the car pulled up outside a small shack in the middle of a dusty community. I was with I-India for an NGO photography shoot, a small grassroots organisation based in the desert city of Jaipur, India.
As I’ll explain in another blog post, a series of coincidences had lead me to contact I-India and offer my services as a volunteer photographer. Due to changing financial times, the not for profit organisation has seen a decline in donations from its international funders over the past couple of years which means they will probably have to cut up to 30% of their projects in the next year.
On the ground, this means that hundreds of vulnerable children will go hungry. I met some of these children. They are as innocent and loveable as any children I’ve met, but the fact that they were born into poverty in India means that their fate is very different from that of children where I’m from, Australia.
I-India has saved them from child labour, child marriages, homelessness, begging on the streets and more.
The organisation’s dedicated staff runs a range of truly heart warming projects, which I will explore in future posts about NGO photography. The first project I visited was the school pictured here – a small building full of energy, enthusiasm and heart.
At the school I-India provides medical care for the children and the community. Without this help, infections, pain and injuries would most likely go untreated as the families cannot afford health care.
The maths lesson turned into a singing class which turned into a show and tell of dance moves, skits and song. It was a lively classroom which was so much fun to be part of. Check out some of the moves below.
At lunch time the children waited patiently while the teachers served each student in their metal thali plates. For many of the children this would be the only meal they would receive that day and it was a great incentive for them to attend school. Prayers of gratitude were offered before eating.
After eating the children washed their plates outside at the well.
If you would like to know more about I-India visit Their Website
If you’d like to see more of my NGO photographs, please visit My Website
