More Forward Momentum and a Win-Win

This is our friendly, upper management person with the government (seated). She is in charge of personnel and cirriculum for the entire district. Our little area, called a mandal, is hardly on the map but she has taken a shine to our efforts. There is a neighboring school which is also laboring to build private-public partnerships to create a model upper primary school. That school's non-profit partner, Mr. Kumar (not pictured), and Kalpana (right) usually team up to attract her attention.

Last Wednesday, we have met with this lovely lady, her boss, her colleague in charge of facilities, and ....

YES, we saw my favorite file clerk!


Srinivas! He was still there! I didn't see any papers stacked up, so he must be working hard. You go, Srinivas!

The result of all these meeting was a promise to change the headmistress of our school, funding for about half the new school building, and a possible addition of 40 square yards to the existing plot.

I was whoo-hooing in the car on the way home, ask Ismail. He was laughing so hard.

Once again, this is thanks to my very well-connected friends who arranged the meetings. And they are so busy they haven't even seen the school! What great friends to keep up the good energy for these kids!

As for those promises, it isn't over until it is over, and I will keep the pressure on.

However, the change in headmistress was concluded TODAY!

Please meet Usharani, a very experienced teacher with a heart of gold and a head for management.

I've known her for over a year and really appreciate her style. Her first words to me were "I am glad to teach the children, not just at one school or the other, but to be a teacher." I wanted to cry...it was like crossing a long desert and finally finding the oasis.

Thanks goes to our friendly neighboring school who graciously allowed us to swap our old headmistress for Usharani. That teacher will be a lot happier in a large, modern school with lots of supervision. A win-win.