“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ? Nelson Mandela.
What is ‘Education’?
This might sound like a very easy question and everyone is well versed with how the Oxford Dictionary defines the term – “The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university”.
But in reality, the word has a much deeper sense associated with it – ‘Education’ is not just about what Oxford Dictionary tells us. It is the means of understanding life, and knowing what we want. It is the tool to polish our thoughts and turning them into actions. It is an art of choosing between right and wrong, good and evil, truth and lies. Great people like Rabindranath Tagore never went to school, but he was one of the most learned men that the world has ever seen.
Generally, when we talk about education, what we majorly mean is schooling and knowing the basics of reading and writing. The parameter of literacy is judged by an individual’s capacity or write his/her name in any language, preferably in the mother tongue.
What statistics have to say?
According to the UNESCO data, more than 17% of the total world population is still illiterate, of which 2/3rd are women. Undoubtedly, this makes gender equality more difficult to be attained.
In most of the developing countries, the situation is worse compared to the First World Countries. An estimated number of 122 million youths and nearly 67.4 million children are currently uneducated and dwell in some of the most poverty-stricken lands of the World.
While Europe and America are at a much better position, countries in Africa and Asia are the most affected. Several government and non-government organizations have taken up the issue of education, and thousands of youth who believe in the proverb – ‘Each One Teach One’ – have stepped forward to make a difference.
How can you contribute for eradication of illiteracy?
It is always easy to talk about a problem from outside, but if you are really concerned about this grave matter then try to be a part of the solution, and contribute in whichever manner you can.
While many people initially chose to donate money for the cause, it was later seen that half of that amount wasn’t properly utilized. Therefore, it is more advisable to give time to the kids and get involved with them so that there’s some real difference.
One of the best ways that most of the millennials are opting is to volunteer for the cause of education. Thousands of University students, gap year travellers and even professionals are traveling abroad to spend time with underprivileged kids, and spreading love and knowledge among them.
Volunteer Abroad With Kids
Being a volunteer myself, I’ve stayed in a tribal village in Rajasthan, India, where I taught kids in a government school. In spite of a huge enrollment in the school, only a handful of students turned up, and my main aim was to get all the kids to the school. It was a challenging task, but not an impossible one – and in nearly 5 months time, I was able to get them all to the school. The moment of satisfaction was when they said they love to come to school because of me.
Once you’ll take up the cause of spreading the light of education, you’ll see that people will eventually come under the rays.
Volunteer Abroad With Kids
In countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, India and Vietnam, most kids dwelling in the slums never get the opportunity to visit a school. Even if they do, those schools suffer from a lot of inadequacies like lack of staff, poor method of teaching etc. The infrastructural facilities aren’t proper, and many kids stop going as they don’t find the process of learning interesting.
What is necessary in this case to focus more on activity based learning – where kids can be involved in the process of teaching, so that it’s more of a communicative procedure than a boring class.
You don’t need to be a teacher to teach these kids – all you need is patience and perseverance to deal with them and make them learn something that would help them in later years of their life. If you are good at singing, dancing, painting or origami, you can teach that as well. You could even show them children sing-alongs to uplift their mood? – Every step counts!
If you are thinking of how to be a part of the change, then take the first step of volunteering. Travel to a new country, and spend some time with the kids who need you. From my personal experience of volunteering in a tribal school of India, I can assure that it’ll be one of the most satisfying chapters of your life.
And not only will you make a difference to someone else’s life, but you’ll also inspire other people to think about the cause and doing something for it.
If we want to have a better tomorrow, then we have to spread the light of education – as that is key to make this world a better place to live.
Here are a few organizations which have specially curated volunteering programs for people who really care for the cause: PeaceCorps, Volunteering Solutions, and GoAbroad.
~ By guest blogger Riyanka Roy in India. Riyanka is a self proclaimed die-hard traveler and has explored India through its length and breadth – from Himachal in the North to Kanyakumari in the South, and from Kutch in the West to Gangtok in the East. She currently lives in Gurgaon, Haryana. She loves to binge on local food from the places where she travels to. She has previously written for Tripoto, Youth Ki Awaaz, Your Story and Huffington Post. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
