Learn for Life Empowerment Projekt, Varanasi / Indien

Vielen herzlichen Dank an alle, die durch ihre Spenden unser Projekt tatkräftig unterstützt haben. Die Spendengelder werden verwendet für die Schulbildung, das Essen, die Kleidung, sowie die medizinische Versorgung für die KInder der Badi Asha School in Varanasi.  

 Thank you very much to all the donors for your current support. We are using your donations for giving out meals (to the students) as after Covid the school luckily is now back up running again. And we are currently working on new projects (within the bakery project). Further news will be posted very soon. 

The Learn For Life Empowerment Project (LFL) continues to work along three interconnected initiatives: 1. Early Childhood Development (ECD), primary and secondary schooling at Badi Asha School, fee and tuition scholarships until graduation 2. Vocational Training – on the job training of baking, tailoring, hospitality and tourism services in our commercial outlets 3. Practical life skills program – offering training to students and young community members (computer skills, basic tailoring). 
 1. ECD and Schooling at Badi Asha School Learn for Life offers schooling at three levels: Early Childhood Development (or pre-school), primary school for children between 6 and 14 years old, as well as secondary school for children between 14 and 16 years old. The school follows the official NCERT English medium curriculum, and all textbooks are in line with that standard. The teaching is informed by educational psychology research to ensure effective teaching. It is inspired by a number of different philosophies and pedagogic theories, notably the Montessori method, Krishnamurti’s teaching philosophy and the Waldorf/Steiner methodology. In the process of moving away from textbooks and towards learning-oriented lesson planning, teachers are encouraged to supplement the curriculum with creative activities and interactive lessons, as well as 
 the use of the smartboard. Alternative teaching methods (e.g. drama activities, hands-on games and activities, educational movies, discussions, etc.) address concepts from a variety of perspectives to be more inclusive of children with different learning needs. Students are given the chance to show their work, to feel proud of their accomplishments, or to gain confidence speaking in front of large groups. This fosters relationship building between students and teachers and creates a greater sense of unity and self-esteem. In 2022, the new building where we shifted the school has undergone some major renovation. Some major repairs included toilets, roof, water tank, doors and windows, electric system replacement, solar system installation, and painting. Still some more structural work is required which will hopefully be completed in 2023. In the school, a Gender Equality Program leaded by Asian Bridge Foundation was offered to our ex-students and school staff. In 2022, we completed the first phase of the program, called the ‘Behavior Change for Gender Equality’, with the goal of increasing the understanding of gender-based violence and its underpinning root-causes in Indian society. The primary discussion points allowed to gain an understanding of the issue and its complexities within the family dynamic. Students and teachers explored topics related to human rights, responsibilities and constitutional obligations, discussed equity and equality, and addressed gender-based roles and related issues such as privilege, restrictions, and violence. Provided funding, we hope to continue this program to dive deeper into issues related gender based discrimination, patriarchy, masculinity and sexuality. In 2022, two teachers left the school because they got married and two new teachers were hired as their replacements. One of them is an ex-student of our school who is now pursuing her studies in college while working at the school. In addition, we hired an experienced woman vocalist who is also part of the gender equality group. Thus, we restored the music classes and are now planning to start a band in the new session. As per our established routine, we have once again conducted our teachers' training program, aimed at equipping our new teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge, while also reinforcing the expertise of our existing faculty. In 2022, there was an increment in the number of street/slum kids involved in the school from 14 to 20. These families are attracted by the food and healthcare security LFL can guarantee to their children and to the families in general. Therefore, the consequence is that every year more kids, from the two slum areas in our neighborhood, attend school and receive an education which represents a hope for the upliftment of their families ‘condition. All grade 8 students got admitted in class 9 in other schools where they will continue their further studies with the support of LFL. Throughout the year, we have provided afternoon coaching sessions in all subjects for our alumni. 

2. Vocational Training for Young Adults Tailoring The Tailoring Project, which was established in Varanasi in 2016, has a primary focus on empowering women. The all-woman staff is trained to design and produce tailored goods, which are sold under the Learn for Life brand. All products are hand-made;the fabrics used are hand-printed and many are hand-woven. Only natural dyes are used according to traditional techniques. In India, professional tailoring is typically regarded as a male-dominated profession, making the acquisition of such skills by women a truly empowering feat. The syllabus includes an introductory part (embroidery, stitching and tapestry), followed by the main stitching course (sewing skills and pattern design making) to increase their prospects for future employment and income generation. Trainees gain proficiency in both machine and hand- stitching methods, enabling them to create original designs as well as replicate existing ones. The training also encompasses fundamental business skills and mathematical knowledge as a significant component. This includes learning how to measure and calculate the amount of cloth needed for a 
 piece of clothing, the costs of materials and learning to price their work. Weekly English and computer lessons complement the training. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of two shops have led to a decrease in business for LFL, forcing the organization to reduce the number of women involved in the project by 50%. However, the tailoring project’s atelier stitched all school uniforms for the students as well as the pillows for the school classrooms and all the garments (e.g. aprons for waiters) needed in the guest house and restaurant. The remaining work time was used to increase garment  stock which was given to a local artisan shop supporting the project by selling our products. Bakery Vocational Training The vocational training program follows the logic of the European dual training system, where apprentices are trained also within a company. The training  is threefold: 1. Bakery and kitchen training, 2. Computer classes, and 3. Basic math, English and business training. This skill set prepares youths to support themselves, whether employed or self-employed. Many of the people involved come from difficult backgrounds, often with very little education. Some are ex-students or family members of students from the Badi Asha School, others come from the street or from shelters. In 2022, our Baking Vocational Training has been recognized and supported by the German Embassy in India as well as by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce in India. Moreover, a cooperation was established between LFL and a government vocational training institute in Pforzheim and in Berlin (Germany).LFL is going register an Official Vocational Training Centre in Varanasi, in order to train professional bakers and in the future also chefs. It will consist of a 2 years course in professional baking. The students won’t be charged a fee, on the contrary, they will partly work either in the Delhi or Varanasi bakery and receive a monthly allowance of 9000 Rs. Varanasi The restaurant and guesthouse began to produce revenue for the project once again. During the first nine months of 2022, most of our clients were locals and Indian tourists, whereas in the last three months of the year, we started receiving more and more foreign tourists. It seems that international tourism is slowly recovering. Although we are hopeful, it should be noted that sales generated from the restaurant and guesthouse by the end of 2022 were only around 60% of pre-Covid sales. We completed some important renovation work on the property of our Restaurant and Guesthouse. Our rooms are now more comfortable after we upgraded them (including changing the air conditioning machines and renovating the entire electric system). We have carried out significant renovation work on our bakery building, too. Several former school classrooms have been transformed to house the bakery training centre and the original bakery has been upgraded. These modifications are necessary to meet the requirements of the German dual training system, which mandates trainees to work in a commercial bakery while attending classes at a baking institute. In 2022, vocational training in professional cooking thrived at the guesthouse and restaurant premises, with a rotation of different teachers. A new batch of former Badi Asha School ‘students has started working as trainees in the bakery, too. In addition, two mothers of our students have even joined our baking training program for the first time. Since the school opened post-COVID, the Bakery in Varanasi started again providing breakfast and lunch to all the students and the staff. Throughout 2022, the bakery in Varanasi kept up the production of food for Rama Krishna Mission’s distribution to malnourished women and children in Varanasi and surrounding areas , by sourcing products from small-scale farmers near Varanasi. We have also established a cheese production unit in the renovated old school building. Our locally produced cheese will be supplied to the patrons of our restaurant, a nearby hotel that already sources our
bakery products, and individual customers who can place their orders directly with us through our home delivery service. Delhi In 2022, our bakery in Delhi remained the primary source of income, largely due to our loyal customer base consisting of both local residents and expatriates. Our home-delivery service continues to be popular, and we also supply stock to various stores, which has further increased our sales. Rather than reopening the Delhi restaurant, we opted to establish a small café that features a bread and cheese counter. Throughout 2022, we had regular stalls a several weekend markets in Delhi (e.g. German Embassy, Italian Embassy, Sunder Nursery Market etc.). Moreover, the German and Italian Embassies sourced our catering services for several events for both the embassies as well as for EU Commission. We strengthened our collaboration with the Nuernberger Messe and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce by providing personnel and catering services for the German Pavilion at multiple trade fairs held in Noida and Delhi. The 2022 Christmas Markets, respectively at the Swiss and German Embassies, have been a great success: they both saw a high attendance, almost at pre-Covid level. Our Delhi Bakery underwent renovations over the summer of 2022, and we are currently searching for a larger, more centrally-located space to relocate the bakery and accomodate bakers and trainees. Additionally, we are delighted to announce that we have welcomed new trainees from Salaam Balaak Trust and Karam Marg shelter homes to participate in our vocational training program in Delhi
 3. Practical training for students and community members In addition to providing education to children, Learn for Life offers basic computer classes and vocational training to adults in the community. Our computer courses were previously geared towards women and aim to provide them with technological literacy and internet access, thereby expanding their income-generating opportunities. However, these classes were temporarily suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic and resumed in 2022; this time also to young men pushed into the work force before completing their studies. Recently, we were able to restart our computer classes with the help of Lapdoo who have helped us out tremendously in the last years and so far have donated over 60 tablets and laptops. The plan is to enhance this program further in 2023. 

Looking forward Despite the gradual recovery of international tourism, the financial impact of the pandemic on our organization continues to be a challenge. We remain dedicated to improving the cost-effectiveness of our activities and exploring ways to reduce costs without compromising the quality of service we provide to our beneficiaries, particularly the school students. We are determined to weather the storm and emerge stronger on the other side. For this reason, we are now in the process to reach out for funds and support. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support of our project, especially during these challenging times. Your support is more valuable than ever before and is greatly appreciated.   

 Thank you very much to all the donors for your current support. We are using your donations for giving out meals (to the students) as after Covid the school luckily is now back up running again. And we are currently working on new projects (within the bakery project). Further news will be posted soon.

Thank you very much to all the donors for your current support. We are using your donations for the corona relief food distribution for the kids and their families of the Badi Asha School. The current times in India are not easy, so every single donation is really appreciated.

It has been more than one year since the global pandemic began, and the Learn for Life Empowerment Project (LFL) India has never stopped its work to guarantee health and social protection for her workers and beneficiaries, as well
as to bring substantial help to the larger public -- as such a global emergency calls for.
In terms of relief work, food production and distribution from our bakeries is ongoing in both Delhi and
Varanasi, and LFL has actively reached out with concrete help and logistical support to as many people in need
as possible, as per previous reports.
In brief:
1. LFL has distributed medicines to 10,000 people in villages around Varanasi.
2. As part of the sustainable COVID-19 Relief Program, LFL kept sourcing food (mostly organic and natural
ingredients sourced from small farmers and women cooperatives with whom we have strengthened the
collaboration), medicine, hygienic products and cotton masks (which are produced in our Tailoring Project
atelier), and distributed the same to:
• 740 students of our Badi Asha School and their families in Varanasi collect their daily rations of food,
medicine and hygienic products from the premises of our school.
•550 malnourished women and children in urban and rural areas in Varanasi (additionally, we provide sanitary
pads and condoms in order to improve their reproductive health).
• 500 poor families: (approx. 2500 people) in rural areas surrounding Varanasi.
• 100 slum kids and their families in Varanasi.
• 55 street kids in Delhi living in a shelter home managed by a partner NGO.
The biggest challenge has been the fact that much of our management staff has been working remotely all
these months. We managed to put in place successful and innovative methods to work and organise the staff
from afar, and the proof of this is the uninterrupted activities that the various projects in India are carrying out
quite efficiently. Video meetings between staff in Europe and in India occur on a daily basis. The Manager of
each project is constantly in touch with his/her Project Coordinator in India. The Teacher Meeting is held
regularly once a week via Zoom as well. In fact, we find that the distance plus our contact adds confidence, as
the staff has to be independent, but still has immediate support from abroad if needed. A true empowerment.
Given the ever-increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases by the end of March, we introduced a new Safety Rules
Policy by starting regular tests of staff at all locations. LFL pays for the tests and if the result is positive,
employees are sent into a period of monitored isolation for which we provide also quarantine rooms at our
Varanasi and Delhi Guesthouses (in case it is not feasible to do in their own homes). In any event, the staff
keeps getting their salary even during an isolation period. Moreover, regular weekly video meetings about
hygiene and safety measures are held between the Project Managers and Coordinators. We believe this help
us work with a higher level of safety for everyone.
In Varanasi, the bakery vocational training and production is active as usual and recently we have started
purchasing raw materials for production from small-scale tribal farmers near Varanasi. Moreover, we
completed the training of two women who joined our administration team to help with office work. The
vocational training in professional cooking on the premises of our guesthouse and restaurant is going on very
well with the same 6 trainees who showed a great level of interest and participation; we are now ready to take
more trainees onboard. The cooking classes are managed by a female teacher three times a week and aims to
provide the participants with marketable professional skills, all while receiving a salary for their livelihood
during these hard times. The cooking classes’ syllabus includes: healthy and cost-effective Indian recipes made
with mostly organic ingredients, methods of conservation of ingredients and stock and the professional
hygienic standards of a restaurant kitchen. The final goal is to build a team of trained woman chefs who can
prepare ready-made meals to distribute to children and people in need on a daily basis in Varanasi, as well as
able to work in our or others' restaurants. The teacher takes weekly tests to assess skill improvements of the
trainees and updates us on their progress through weekly reports.
Concerning Badi Asha School, during February and March the Government allowed schools to open for a small
period of few weeks, so we restored classroom lessons for all the students from grade 1 to 7 by implementing
a turn-system in order to avoid too many students in the building at the same time. Unfortunately, given the
quickly rising level of infected people in India, by the end of March schools had been closed again and we
shifted back to online classes for grade 5, 6 and 7. Class 7 only started this year and it was managed
successfully although through online classes and we are planning to start class 8. In addition to the above, all
of the Coaching classes we undertake, have been successfully shifted online.
With LFL as a bridge, the German Embassy in India has granted funds for the Telemedicine Project designed by
the Ramakrishna Mission (with whom we have been collaborating and sponsoring for years). Indeed, the RKM
representative Swami Amit, a scientist and educator, is now training our Badi Asha School teachers on
effective and innovative methods to teach Math and Science online to our class 6 and 7 students. By using
different and new platforms and methods, the math and science teachers have weekly video meetings with
Swami Amit to implement and improve online classes. With the Telemedicine helping grow village online
classes even, the advantages for our endeavours in this project are many.
Also, we are in the process of renting a former hospital building near the school in order to have more space
which can be used for COVID-19 quarantine rooms, as well as bakery and tailoring workshop’ space. Moreover,
when schools will open again, we plan to make bigger classrooms in this building.
The women tailors from our Tailoring Project work as usual to produce garments, masks and other new
products for our distribution as well as for our Online Shop in Italy, as well as for distribution to our newer
Bosnian efforts. We are also trying new cloth products in the Online Shop, and seeing the results with new
promotions on Google and Facebook for the Italian Social Enterprise. We continue to try to secure the Fair-
Trade designation from Germany.
Also, the collaboration with Bindaas Collective goes on: apart from sourcing all fabric (natural, unbleached
cotton with natural dye) from them, they are implementing weekly video classes for our lady tailors on
tailoring techniques, quality check, design of our garments and how to set up a successful atelier. Now the
results of this collaboration begin to show: our women tailors are raising their skill level and our team has
become more professional and structured, supported also by the presence of external coordination that helps
in the organization of their work.
Our bakery in Delhi, which is currently our main source of income, is doing quite well with the home delivery
service; our bakery stall at the Sunder Nursery Market every Saturday and Sunday, organized by The Earth
Collective, is now well known and appreciated by the local clients.
In Delhi, in addition to the two boys from Rainbow Centre for Equity, the two boys from Salaam Balaak Trust
and one boy from Karam Marg‘s shelter home, an additional new boy from Karam Marg‘s shelter home has
just joined our Bakery vocational training and he is now receiving a salary, healthcare, food and lodging
through LFL. Moreover, we are very happy about the return of the girls and boys from shelter homes, who had
been part of our programmes but were not allowed to attend for some time due to Lockdown; for now, this
situation is alleviated, and this restriction no longer applies.
Both our bakeries started sourcing raw ingredients, mostly organic (like pulse, grains, fruits, and the like) from
small scale Tribal farmers as well as from Women Farmer Cooperatives, all of which are implementing
sustainable models for the benefit of the farmers' incomes, as well as on the preservation of the environment.
These goods are for production as well as distribution.
We are dedicating this time to structure our work. Due to the pandemic, we cannot work at full capacity, so we
want to efficiently use this period to organise and implement those changes which are required to be able to
restart at full potential when the time comes.