Shopping for new fashions and Designs? Keep an eye out for Kusum’s latest designs!

With a father who sold produce in the village and a mother who stayed home with the kids, Kusum didn’t have much glamour in her life. In fact, when she looked around at the other families in her village, she was pretty depressed: fathers working long hours for little pay, mothers taking care of the family, both powerless to change the course of their lives.

However, in 2000, Kusum and her family found a glimmer of hope – Pardada Pardadi Girls Vocational School. There, as she learned English, math and science, she also learned self-confidence, empowerment and the value of social and financial independence.

While at school, Kusum began to sketch, and the school manager quickly noticed her talent, encouraging her to take a fashion design course. Just like that, Kusum’s interest was sparked, and she had a new dream to follow.

Kusum is now living a transformed life in a city almost 400 km away from her village. After completing her 12th standards, Kusum was accepted into a fashion design course at the Rai Foundation near Jaipur, with all expenses sponsored by PPES. There, her life has completely changed from what it was. Instead of spending her days in the field, Kusum now is learning the glamorous and exciting work of fashion design.

In just three years, when her courses are complete, Kusum hopes to continue her professional development by working in a renowned fashion house in Delhi. She also can’t wait for the chance to give back to PPES by contributing to the marketing department as a designer.

Kusum’s experience has been a wonderful one, and now her dream (well, one of many!) is that even more girls from her village will follow her lead to become socially and financially independent women.

*Pictured: Kusum outside of Rai University.

For the very first time, PPES celebrated International Women’s Day on March 7th with speeches, dancing, and a presentation by gynecologist Dr. Alka Dhall from Delhi.

All women and girls gathered in the main hall, and the program began with a welcome speech from PPES volunteer Judy Hunger, who reminded the audience of their right to equality not only in their village, but also in the greater world outside.

Class IX then presented the lives of two women who exemplify the values promoted by PPES – Hillary Rodham Clinton, the U.S. Secretary of State, and Smtr. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, the President of India.

After these introductions and presentations, Class VII and Class VIII students sang two American songs taught to them by volunteers Lindsay Johnson and Emma O’Hagan. Under the coordination of music teacher Angeli Sharma, the girls then performed a traditional dance and song in honor of the upcoming Holi holiday.

Then it was time for the main presentation by Dr. Alka Dhall, who addressed the health issues surrounding menstruation. Dr. Dhall first explained the biology of menstruation with diagrams. She then gave all women the opportunity to ask any questions. With humor but clear instruction, PPES CEO Renuka followed by explaining how to use sanitary napkins (created by Rags to Pads – see the next section) as well as how to dispose of the used product.

During all of the presentations, the men had been busy making a meal for the celebration, which included over 1,500 puri! The ladies helped out, and everyone enjoyed the meal. From start to finish, it was a wonderful day of celebrating women.

*Pictured (Above): Teacher Lindsay Johnson with her students, performing some American music.
*Pictured (Below): Students performing in anticipation of Holi.

Rags to Pads, our project to provide hygienic sanitary napkins to women, has made strides forward this year. On February 7th, Mr. and MRs. Balvinder Singh Kalsi (Mr. Kalsi is the President of Dupont South Asia), cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Rags to Pads project (named Ladli, which means “Beloved”). Through the generous contributions of Dupont and its employees, PPES set up a small manufacturing site to create low-cost sanitary pads for the women of PPES and the local villages. PPES graduates Soni, Pravesh and Jagnesh will manufacture and sell the sanitary pads.

Mr. Anand of Jayaashree Industries (Coimbatore) installed the machinery in which wood pulp is packed into fabric pads, creating a sanitary napkin. The sanitary napkins are then packaged into a monthly supply and sold for Rs. 25 ($0.50). Each packet will also contain instructions for use as well as proper disposal. The wood pulp and the wrapper are biodegradable to maintain an environmentally friendly endeavor.

For more information regarding Rags to Pads, please visit www.ragstopads.com or check out our video.

*Pictured (Above): Mr. and Mrs. Balvinder Singh Kalsi at the unveiling of the Rags to Pads project.
*Pictured (Below): The Rags to Pads team with the new manufacturing equipment.

Not only can you help a great cause, but you can purchase some beautiful home goods at a fantastic rate! Through April 30, PPES will be selling its home goods (including bed spreads, pillow covers, table cloths and other great gifts) at DLF Saket for 50% off. Stop by, check out the new mall and while your ate it, check out the latest trends of PPES. These products make great gifts (for others OR yourself) and come with the satisfaction of heping out a great organization.

*Not in Delhi? No time to shop? Check out our online store at www.fromvillagetoworld.com

Over the past nine years, Pardada Pardadi has grown significantly. The school has grown from 45 to 996 students. Numerous health projects, such as the Toilet Project and Rags to Pads have been implemented. Most importantly, Pardada Pardadi is starting to make a real difference in the lives of the girls in these villages. And none of this would have been possible without the help of one of our earliest partners — Connect for Change.

Connect for Change is an organization that links donors with charities. It develops partnerships between organizations and grassroots charities that would not otherwise find each other. Connect for Change also provides advice to charities on how to build their capacity and manage their funds effectively.

Ms. Bina Rani, the founder of Connect for Change, worked with PPES to grow and develop the organization. Through her guidance and support, PPES has been able to grow and develop new relationships, such as its partnership with the Pakhar Foundation.

PPES thanks Ms. Bina Rani and her organization, Connect for Change, for all of the support and aid it has provided over the years. Without its help, PPES would not have been able to help as many families or develop into the organization it is today.

It has been an exciting eight weeks for PPES with non-stop visitors in the village.

Four reporters from the Times of India returned to Anupshahar to write the article “Big Step for Little Women,” published on 9 March in their education supplement. Their article outlined the growing pains and successes of the school as it looks forward to its tenth year of operation.

Rohit Gandhi, whose work has been published by CNN, the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Company, returned after several years. A longtime friend of Pardada Pardadi, Gandhi is the creator of the video featured on the school’s website. He and his family enjoyed a weekend exploring the village, visiting students at home, and compiling new footage for future articles.

Linda Blake, part of Voice of America (VOA) and free-lance contributor to the Wall Street Journal, visited Anupshahar for the first time. She filmed two girls and their families, documenting their early morning chores. Later in the day, Linda interviewed one of the girls to learn how being a student at PPGVS has changed her life.

Ellen Schwartz, a friend from the American Embassy, visited Anupshahar with her family, bringing along Canadian fund raising consultant Tony Meyers. Embassy Consul General Peter Kestner brought even more Americans to Pardada Pardadi with two groups of visitors. Ken Ehrenreich, aware that the girls love to play softball, provided a new supply of softballs for PPGVS student teams.

Esteban Koosau from Orient Global, a Singapore-based private investment institution and contributor to education development, visited Anupshahar to assess the needs of the school. Esteban observed the Women’s Day program, toured the school, and visited a composting toilet (a part of our Toilet Project), which continues to aid family health and sanitation for our students.

And finally, Ritu Saini, a designer with Desmania in Delhi, spent a week at the school, organizing the vocational students in the initial stages of a new project: machine embroidery of upscale women’s clothing components. These components were featured at Delhi’s Fashion Week, which took place March 17th to 22nd. Her employer and mentor Sandhya Raman, founder of Desmania, also visited the school for a day to observe the students’ work.

*Pictured: Just a few of our visitors over the past few months.

Each year, to thank them for all their hard work, PPES sends its teachers on a weekend retreat to relax and bond with their colleagues. This year’s trip was to Nainital, a beautiful lakeside resort town nestled in the Himalayas. While there, the teachers hiked the trials, picniked in the natural beauty, and explored the town.

All in all, it was a great weekend to take a break, enjoy the mountain air and catch up with colleagues!

*Pictured: Just a few of our teachers and volunteers enjoying Nainital.

The past two months have brought both sad departures from and new faces to the Pardada Pardadi Staff.

Jenny Steeves, who has been the Communications Manager since August 2008, left PPES to continue her adventures in Singapore. While at PPES, Jenny significantly increased awareness of PPES through her communications, the Rags-to-Pads program, and the Toilet Project.

Poonam Sharma, in charge of Fundraising since August 2008, is also moving on. During her tenure here, Poonam was deeply involved in several initiatives of PPES while still accomplishing a significant amount of fundraising for the organization.

Both Jenny and Poonam will be missed by the team at PPES and are wished much success in the future.

PPES has also added several new members to the team!

• Preeti Dhaka joined PPES as its Program Assistant after her recent graduation from Indira Ghandi National Open University.
• Sapna Malik joined PPES as its Program Associate. Prior to working at PPES, Sapna worked as a legal associate with a law firm.
• Sally Gioia joined PPES as its Senior Project Manager. Prior to working at PPES, Sally worked as a financial consultant in Chicago.

*Pictured: Preeti Dhaka, looking forward to her bright future with PPES

Smiti and Nishant Chandra started a wonderful trend – donations in lieu of gifts. To celebrate their wedding, this couple requested that guests make donations to Pardada Pardadi instead of providing them gifts. This resulted in a donation of over Rs.One Lakh!

The couple was married on 21 February, 2009, and Pardada Pardadi wishes them nothing but the greatest happiness in their life together.

PPES would like to thank its donors for their continued generosity. These donations make it possible for PPES to continue to educate and better the lives of the girls of PPGVS.

During February and March, PPES received donations from the following organizations/people:

• Mr. Badhri Agarwal, Badhri Foundation — Rs.17.2 Lakh
• Pakkhar Foundation — Rs. 12.2 Lakh
• US Office for Housing Colony — Rs. 11.3 Lakh
• Hari Chand, Sewa Society — Rs. 3 Lakh
• Xerox India Ltd. — Rs. 225 Lakh
• Chandra Wedding — Rs. 1 Lakh
• Shankar and Jyoti Krishnan — Rs. 34,000
• Dr. Deepak Gupta — Rs. 31,000
• Mona Maliah — Rs. 21,000
• Mcks Food For Hungry Foundation — Rs. 21,000
• Mrs. Rekha and Mr. Krishan Kumar Mehra — Rs. 20,000
• Inner Wheel Club Meerut — Rs. 3,100
• N.S Mathur — Rs. 2,501

Pardada Pardadi also received Rs. 27,558 in donations from our PayPal website. Again, thank you for your support. Any amount is appreciated and makes a difference in the lives of these girls.