There have been some outstanding in-kind donations at the school. Here are pictures from the latest in the long, long line of in-kind donations. This is Linda and Christine, two wonderful members of the Twin-Cities Ex-patriots Association (the "twin cities" are Secunderabad and Hyderabad).
Linda and Christine are putting new dresses and pants/shirts onto our little preschoolers. HOW PRECIOUS!
So many donations have come in that Usha Madam, the teachers and I met yesterday to (along with our usual to-do items) put down some guidelines for giving.
Here is the back-story on what I call the "Goodies Phenomenon." The phenomenon shows how counterintuitive the minds are in the slum -- compared to what one would think -- when donations are handed out:
Our slum community is quite hilarious about donations. Most of the parents are illiterate. That explains why they do not complain or ask for more books or school supplies, which are regularly handed out without incident. No, no fussing about the school supplies. They raise a big ruckus when other donations are handed out. It doesn't matter what kind - special fruits at lunch once in a while, biscuits to celebrate Teacher's Day, second-hand clothes during Diwali - we always end up with a line of mommies at the school. They fuss in shrill voices about how their kid didn't get the same as another. Some parents show up a full week later to demand a goodie for their little one. Some parents have taken their children OUT of the school for a few days because they feel that there was favoritism at work.
This "Goodies Phenomenon" is not good for our community relations. The vision for the school is to make an open, child-centered school for 400 slum children. Our strategy for the school hinges around treating the parents as VIPs. They must feel free to interact with the headmistress and the teachers, particularly how their child is learning. (We just started a regular discussion on how to measure learning, more on that later.) If the parents are fighting with the teachers over goodies, they won't focus on the actual reason for the school - education.
So, the delivery of goods is just as important as making sure every child gets an equal share. To address this tricky "Goodies Phenomenon," here are the new guidelines:
Management Guidelines for Donors
1) Please give all donations (cash or in-kind) to a member of the school committee (Usha Madam, Leigh Anne, or Kalpana). They will register your gift with a receipt. Please take the receipt and note that an office copy of the receipt will stay behind with the school for accounting purposes.
2) Please allow the school committee to organize the delivery of the donations. If it is possible for the donor to directly give the goods to the students or teacher, it will be arranged. If it is not possible, please allow Usha Madam to set a date and time for the donation.
3) However, special functions, like birthdays or Children's Day, are open for all to donate directly to the children provided there is equal gifts for all the children present (like candy or biscuits). Please let Usha Madam or the other school committee members know a bit ahead of time (one week or so) to help them plan for the event.
4) Please work with Usha Madam coordinate special class visitors or volunteer time. This will require working as a team with the teacher. Usha Madam will help set up roles in this team (who does what).
Our Strategy
Our strategy right now is to stockpile all donations and organize a donation-a-thon the first week of the new school term (January). That way, the teachers will have a bag ready for each child - even if they are absent that day.
We are currently holding over 100 kilos of bookbags, clothes, household goods, pens/pencils, and other goodies in my office. I can't wait until January! It will be like Christmas!
Linda and Christine are putting new dresses and pants/shirts onto our little preschoolers. HOW PRECIOUS!
So many donations have come in that Usha Madam, the teachers and I met yesterday to (along with our usual to-do items) put down some guidelines for giving.
Here is the back-story on what I call the "Goodies Phenomenon." The phenomenon shows how counterintuitive the minds are in the slum -- compared to what one would think -- when donations are handed out:
Our slum community is quite hilarious about donations. Most of the parents are illiterate. That explains why they do not complain or ask for more books or school supplies, which are regularly handed out without incident. No, no fussing about the school supplies. They raise a big ruckus when other donations are handed out. It doesn't matter what kind - special fruits at lunch once in a while, biscuits to celebrate Teacher's Day, second-hand clothes during Diwali - we always end up with a line of mommies at the school. They fuss in shrill voices about how their kid didn't get the same as another. Some parents show up a full week later to demand a goodie for their little one. Some parents have taken their children OUT of the school for a few days because they feel that there was favoritism at work.
This "Goodies Phenomenon" is not good for our community relations. The vision for the school is to make an open, child-centered school for 400 slum children. Our strategy for the school hinges around treating the parents as VIPs. They must feel free to interact with the headmistress and the teachers, particularly how their child is learning. (We just started a regular discussion on how to measure learning, more on that later.) If the parents are fighting with the teachers over goodies, they won't focus on the actual reason for the school - education.
So, the delivery of goods is just as important as making sure every child gets an equal share. To address this tricky "Goodies Phenomenon," here are the new guidelines:
Management Guidelines for Donors
1) Please give all donations (cash or in-kind) to a member of the school committee (Usha Madam, Leigh Anne, or Kalpana). They will register your gift with a receipt. Please take the receipt and note that an office copy of the receipt will stay behind with the school for accounting purposes.
2) Please allow the school committee to organize the delivery of the donations. If it is possible for the donor to directly give the goods to the students or teacher, it will be arranged. If it is not possible, please allow Usha Madam to set a date and time for the donation.
3) However, special functions, like birthdays or Children's Day, are open for all to donate directly to the children provided there is equal gifts for all the children present (like candy or biscuits). Please let Usha Madam or the other school committee members know a bit ahead of time (one week or so) to help them plan for the event.
4) Please work with Usha Madam coordinate special class visitors or volunteer time. This will require working as a team with the teacher. Usha Madam will help set up roles in this team (who does what).
Our Strategy
Our strategy right now is to stockpile all donations and organize a donation-a-thon the first week of the new school term (January). That way, the teachers will have a bag ready for each child - even if they are absent that day.
We are currently holding over 100 kilos of bookbags, clothes, household goods, pens/pencils, and other goodies in my office. I can't wait until January! It will be like Christmas!
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