Annual report Little Stars School 2010 –2011 page 1

Annual report 2010 — 2011

“The year 2010 – 2011 was a very flourishing and re-

warding year. The most important reward, of course, was that in June all 25 students of the second group of class 10 passed their government exams. We were very proud of this result. At the photo you see already the third cluster at their

farewell party. All of them want to go to class 11, what

we strongly encourage. We will financially and mentally support these fine thriving youngsters. The demand for education at Little Stars is still increas-ing. It is so difficult to say no to the desperate mothers.

Now we educate more than 600 students. When the

expansion is ready, the school will grow to 650 students and extend by grade 11 and 12.

Little Stars School is unique in Varanasi: a complete fee free quality education for poor families! The constantly growing amount of Little Stars is also a bit scary, be-cause the school is totally depending on private dona-

tions. We thank God and our many friends all over the

world for the generosity.”

Asha Pandey, founder and director of LSS

www.littlestarsschool.org revamped

Recently Pierre and Lex revamped the Little Stars’ website, which had been maintained with care for

many years by Teri Akin. The new website relates LSS in its community, has more background information, and invites the visi-tor to get involved in very different ways. It has links to Little Stars pages on Facebook, Twitter and

YouTube. We hope to increase our site traffic to

help get the word out to new donors and volun-teers! Please take a minute to check it out and forward it along to at least one friend. The site was also financially made possible by Amritaz, Web Solutions, India. We welcome your suggestions.

“Some men see things as they are and ask why; I dream of things that never were and say why not .”

Rober t Kenne d y

Annual Report Little Stars School 2010-2011 page 2

Quality of Education

The most vital issue in any school is the quality of the education, and Little Stars School is no excep-tion. Our exam results are OK, in fact better than

many government schools, but we know we can

improve. Teachers and staff are now functioning as a team, working hard on the curriculum, looking for better textbooks, and improving teaching by regular teachers’ training. We were able to raise the teachers’ salaries

slightly. However, a school for the poor however, is also a poor school. Our kind of students, from

very poor and illiterate parents, without any finan-cial possibility for extra tuition, can only improve in small classes with individual attention. To help our students overcome extra challenges we employ 32

full and part time teachers. We want to pay our best teachers a decent salary of at least 3500 ru-pees to improve retention and help them improve

their skills.

We are lucky to have the permanent, voluntary help of a retired principal, Malti Singh. Our first fulltime and committed Indian volunteer Mrs. Singh, brings years of experience and a passion for edu-

cating children. She feels at home in our school, gives suggestions and has helped to make many im-

provements. We especially are applying for donations for the teachers’ salaries.

“A school is as good as the teachers are.”

The Expansion

In May 2010, as the astrologers de-cided, the building of the expansion

of Little Stars School started. The basement and ground floor are al-most fully constructed, which is a

very quick building speed for India. We were very happy that Baba Hari Ram ji blessed the beginning of the

project with his presence.

The foundation of the new building is very strong, and we are trying to

build up to the second floor. Then

we will have 12 classrooms, a multi-purpose basement, and a small play-ground. We are constructing the building in a very flexible manner; -

there are no supporting walls -

which will allow us changing the shape and size of classrooms as nec-

essary. We will start without plastering and doors and windows. Slowly, slowly we will finish the building and per-

haps in the near future we even hope to build the third floor.

Above: Priya’s workshop about class management. Below: Silvia,

from Holland, in action with English in (pre-)nursery classes.

Annual report Little Stars School 2010 –2011 page 3

The Hostel Girls

There are 22 girls in the hostel. Most of them have no mother. Their fathers have irregular jobs, are

living on the street and are often addicted to alcohol.

Some are orphans and have been adopted by Asha. Two girls entered this year. Shobnah (16) came via Childline, an Indian organization who takes care for abandoned children. She has considerable learning ar-rears. Mukta (3) came by the locale police. Her alco-

holic father was not longer able to look after her, al-

though he tried his best. The mother has died. Mukta came in tears, but now she is full of joy and does not want to go back. Her father calls her sometimes.

Komal

This year Mahima (17) went out of the hostel because her father had arranged her marriage. Komal (12) re-cently left the hostel definitively, after already having been on a leave for 6 months. Komal had been in the hostel from the beginning in 2004, but her alcoholic fa-

ther does not allow her to stay because she can take care of her four smaller sisters and can bring in some money with cleaning jobs and by begging. We several

times visited her and spoke to her father, mother and

grandmother. But the father persisted and there was no chance to get her back. Consolata, her dedicated foster-

mother onwards 2007 from Italy, was shocked.

Komal, in the red dress, with her sisters.

The hostel is situated on the second floor of Little Stars School. There are a nice renovated dormitory, a recently enlarged kitchen, a new bathroom with 4 showers, two

toilets and 4 wash basins and a water cooler.

During school time there are 3 classrooms on that floor. When the expansion is ready this floor will only serve as the living room of the hostel girls and will be nice deco-

rated and appropriate furnished.

The girls at the marriage of Asha’s cousin

Annual Report Little Stars School 2010-2011 page 4

The governmental rules and regulations about a hostel

are very strict; there are regularly visits by an inspec-tor. The hostel is almost totally depended on dona-tions. Fortunately our nice and spontaneous girls do have some motherly appeal on our (female) visitors so

that 12 girls are sponsored. Of course every girl is treated equally.

The girls enjoy the regular visits of volunteers from over the globe. That’s why most of them, speak already so astonishing good English. To be mentioned

is Brita (65) from Denmark. For three months every year she gives every day stitching classes and brings fresh fruit. Marijke, from Holland, a pedagogue, lived

close to the girls for two months and advised about the rules and regulations in the hostel. She also wrote a report about each girl. This valuable information helps the staff to allow each girl to develop as a prom-

ising individual amidst and in relation with the others. Robin and Claire, great youngsters from the U.K.

spend several months with the girls and helped them with their homework, or reading a book from the small hostel library, or went to the park.

The girls attend class in our own LSS. They enjoy extra tuition, dance and music classes, sewing and

computer classes. Most of the girls are doing very well at school. Every Saturday eve they visit Baba Hari Ram ji’s Bal Ashram, where they meet boys of their own age, discus, read or watch a spiritual movie and take pleasure in a combined meal. The orphans every year

go with Asha and her daughter Rishibha on a small

holiday trip. This year all the girls went out for a big summer holiday in the village in which Asha has been born in the Pandey’s family house. Now only an uncle and his sons’ family are living there and they are still cultivating wheat, rise and some vegetables.

The Hostel Girls School Festivities

During the school year, India’s many festivals are also celebrated in our school: Teachers’ Day, Children’s’

Day, Gandiji Day, Independence Day, Saraswati Puja (goddess of education and arts), Durga Puja, Dewali and of course Holi, is but a selection. This year we placed special emphasis on Chil-

dren’s Day, which was celebrated over the course of

two days. One day there was a big sports day, where, in front of the school our boys and girls competed with each other in activities such as, running, hopping, musi-cal chairs, and a contest of eating hanging jalebi with both hands behind your back. Fun and excitement

were all over the place. Even some older male people

from Holland were racing as if the devil was chasing them. During the second day there were exhibitions of plays written and acted in by the students, shows and dance performances. Additionally, each class sold a fantastic food or gathered some money by inviting peo-ple for a win-or-lose game.

These kinds of days provide students not only with excitement and the motivation to come to school, they also provide them with confidence, self-esteem and the ability to make and live their own dreams. These times are truly inspiring at LSS.

Dancing queen Joti & hostel girls

Annual report Little Stars School 2010 –2011 page 5

A Tribute to our Wonderful Sponsors

We are very grateful for last years’ donations

which helped us educate more children than

ever. The school and hostel are completely depend-

ent on donations. Budgeting is almost impossible, as

we do not know how many funds to expect. Still each

year we are blessed with enough funds to keep the

school and hostel up and running.

This year we received a big donation from Italy.

In 2008, after a impressive visit to Little Stars School,

Consolata Isola, from Torino, decided to raise money

for a piece of land next to the school to make a nice and

needed playground. Back in Italy she organized the Feste

“Bambini di Bagnola x Bambini di Benares”. She involved

elementary schools and the parents of the children. The

“Feste” was a big success. Unfortunately the owner

raised the demanded money and in the end he did not

want to sell it at all. The board of the Italian organization

decided to donate the money for the expansion. Conny (BSF Holland), Malti Singh, Asha receive parents

The individual sponsors all over the world form

the financial foundation of LSS. We separately raise

earmarked money for the school, hostel and the ex-

pansion, the new building on a nearby plot. The tax

year in India is from April thru March. For the first

year of its existents the Hostel got a contribution from

the Government.

A large part of the money from our individual

sponsors is collected by three foundations: the

Benares Schoolfund Foundation (BSF), the Benares

Buildingfund Foundation, both from the Netherlands

and The Gupta Foundation from Philadelphia, U.S.A.

Donations to those foundations are tax deductable.

The Foundations are very active and loyal.

Full of zip in collecting funds is the Archer family from

UK. Eleanor, the daughter, was twice in Varanasi and

incredibly involved with the hostel girls. Chicca

Fioretto, with whom Asha started the hostel, still col-

lects the contributions of some loyal Italian friends.

“Still each year we are blessed with enough funds to keep the school up and running.”

Annual Report Little Stars School 2010-2011 page 6

Financial Overview 2010 - 2011

Donations Spending

USD EURO INR INR EURO USD

School 37.151,00 26.484,00 16,83,201.00 17,96,960.00 28.309,00 39.670,00

Hostel 11.177,00 7.970,00 5,06,417.00 6,85,956.00 10.806,00 15.141,00

Building 66.485,00 47.401,00 30,12,467.00 29,89,056.00 47.069,00 65.976,00

Total 114.812,00 81.858,00 52,02,085.00 54,71,972.00 86.184,00 120.787,00

Due to the financial crises we lost a big loyal sup-

porter ($ 10,000) and others had to reduce their con-

tribution. So for the first time the school & hostel

spending is higher then the income. The money raised

for the building is earmarked. We are educating more

students then ever.

Our small savings could compensate the loss this year.

For the next year the Benares Schoolfund Foundation

is able to increase its donation. We are also happy to

have already received a Gibney Award, ($5000) from

the Opus College of Business at the University of St.

Thomas, Minneapolis, USA. We raised already ear-

marked money for renovations, computer lab, science

lab, a library and the small playground.

Considerations

We are confident about the future, but we need to

raise more funds or to reduce the number of stu-

dents. We need to enlarge our resources. We suc-

cessfully have started to involve local Indian people.

We will have to put not only more effort in raising the

quality of education and facilities, but also in the more

prosaic side of our vision: the money.

Benares Buildingfund Foundation

67%

Feste "Bambini di

Bagnola x Bambi di Benares"

28%

Individual donors (9)

5%

Building donorsBenares Schoolfund Foundation

36%

Government for Hostel

4%

Raised by Archer Family

3%

Gupta Foundation

15%

India Festival Organised by Saskia Vening

2%

Collected by Chicca

Fioretto

7%

Save a Family Plan

1%

Individual Donors

32%

School & Hostel donors

Annual report Little Stars School 2010 –2011 page 7

Spending

Building INR 29,89,056.00

Teachers & Staff

57%

Students' material

and

sponsorship

33%

Office4%

Festivities3%

General3%

School INR 17,96,960.00

Food61%

Clothing18%

Salaries14%

Activities4%

General3%

Hostel INR 6,85,956.00

The empowerment of the future

In the near future the government of Uttar Pradesh will not be able to fulfill the educational demands of the un-derprivileged students. Not only financial but also the educational setting - small classes - for our kind of stu-dents, with illiterate parents, no home work support, no extra tuition, will not be realized is the near future.

The legitimating of the existence of Little Stars School

has - unfortunately - not lost any of its necessity since 1996. In spite of the stories of booming business in In-dia, the poor are still being left out. The situation of poor families caused by unemployment, addiction to drugs or alcohol is still appalling.

Despite uncertainty about our financial future, we are going on with confidence, and the reality is the best prove: we started in 1996 with 7! students on a roof. The demand for schooling at Little Stars School is thanks to the incredible effort of the teachers,

and the determination and happiness of our students still growing.

We still want to add class 11 and 12 and grow

to 650 students in 2 buildings.

We still want to improve the facilities for the

hostel girls.

We still want to raise our teachers’ salaries.

We still want to improve the quality of the

education.

We still want to finish our expansion on a

nearby plot.

We still want our students’ growing confi-

dence and self-esteem from being proud of an

education and opportunities of their own

unique Little Stars School.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to all the Friends

of Little Stars School, which support so many youngsters.

I wish a first-class health for you and your love ones.

Thank you so much for making me capable to realize more

than I have ever dreamt of. Because you care. May God

bless you all. “

Asha

Annual Report Little Stars School 2010-2011 page 8

Our dream has to be dreamt: quality education for un-derprivileged children from pre-nursery thru grade 12

Little Stars School provides a fee free education for more than 620 children from underprivileged homes in Nagwa, Varanasi, India. It is the only school of its kind in

Varanasi from pre-nursery thru 10th grade. The school depends totally on private donations and sponsorships as it is not funded by the government or big agencies.

The demand for this kind of education is growing. We are currently working to expand the school on a plot very close to the present building especially for grade 6 to 12.

Name of Organization For official government of India purposes the school is

registered as Rishi Pragatisheel Shiksan Sansthan and the hostel as Shanti Niketan. LSS has a FCRA registration, which allows it to receive foreign donation. Contact

Asha Pandey, founder and director of LSS.

00 91 (0)542 2369800 00 91 (0)9889638156 littlestarsaghor@yahoo.com www.littlestarsschool.org

Mailing Address Little Stars School

Shiv Puri Colony N -1/59 A 23-22

Nagwa–Lanka, Varanasi Pin No – 221005, U.P. India

Some Numbers NGO Registration 614 FCRA Registration Yes Category 35 AC Yes Number of students 620 Girls 327 Boys 293 Number of teachers 33 Number of staff school 12 Grades levels Pre-Nursery—10th Monthly school costs INR 150,000; $ 3300 ; € 2680 Number of Hostel girls 22 Number of staff hostel 6 Monthly average hostel costs INR 75,000; $1670; € 1340 Yearly average volunteers 6

Volunteers are invited! Sharing skills, experience and loving kindness is the best way to help. To get an idea:

Teaching English or assisting teachers during classes.

Developing or helping teachers to use teach-ing aids.

Educational, creative and leisure activities with the hostel girls.

Giving support for use of ICT in classes.

Giving support in office administration.

Use your talents and creativity by setting up a project (e.g. dance, theatre, drawing, music).