A visit to the Second Chance School

As I told you last time in my blog, there was just one more thing to do before the holiday season starts in New Delhi and before Govind is heading home for a wedding. A visit, to the Second Chance School, where I would be able to talk to some of the young men and see the facility where they live.

Ritinjali about Second Chance School, Mahipalpur, New Delhi



"The second Chance School established by Ritinjali is a residential program aimed at imparting literacy, social values and vocational skills, to those who had to forego the first chance. Along with vocational courses, we help impart key skills in language and communication, numeracy, life skills and IT, The main target groups who benefit from this program are semi-literate, illiterate youth, youth who have dropped out of the formal education system, youth who do not have any knowledge of English; which is required for office jobs, youth who are not equipped  with technical skill sets and entrepreneurial youth without means, expertise or direction".  

Well, I have to say, I was pretty curious and I was looking forward to go to the facility, not knowing at all what to expect. After some e-mail contact back and forth and of course the unavoidable Indian-way changes in plan constantly :-), we finally decided to visit the Second Chance School on Tuesday May 7. It was only then that I suddenly realized that it would be silly to go there alone. After all, this what not about an emplacement for me in the program, but for Govind. Seeing the place and having a chance to talk to the others might help him to make better choices. Also this visit would make it easier for him to explain to his parents what the program is all about and how it would help. I asked Line and Ashish if we could take Govind along, they were perfectly fine with the idea right away and all was fixed not much later. (Yeah, that is possible here too, at least, sometimes :-))

On a sunny (read hot!) Tuesday afternoon, I found myself in Mahipalpur, looking for the address Line gave me. And that is not at all easy in Delhi where the streets have no names like they do in the Netherlands or in Germany. It is just the area, a certain block (L, M, R etc) and a number, which is hardly ever to find next to the house door. And although there were numerous people everywhere, nobody was able to tell us exactly where to go. And so it all came down to a sort of sightseeing tour through Mahipalpur, some stops here and there to ask directions and a few phone calls to Ashish, before we finally found Govind somewhere on the sidewalk. He was patiently waiting for us, together with another young man, which turned out to be an ex-Second Chance School attendee. He of course led us without any hesitation to the right building.

Once there, Ashish told us, backed up by some of the Second Chance School attendees, something about the variety of backgrounds these young people come from. One of the participants for example (the youth who was with Govind on the street) was meant to take over his father's business. Because he really was not into his father's line of work, he refused. He took of to Delhi to make it on his own and ended up at INA Market for a short while. Now, after attending Second Chance School, he is working in the hotel business which he really enjoys. He is probably even moving abroad soon for a new job.

Another story is about two young guys from Afghanistan, who where forced to leave their home, their country, after their father had been shot to dead. They had to take care of their family (younger sisters, a mother and aunt). Now they are doing well and they are even teaching their own sisters. One of them recently bought his own motorbike which is a really big investment and thus achievement for these youngsters. 

Dinesh

And then there is the story of Dinesh.
For those who have seen the You Tube video, Dinesh is the second young man to speak about his ordeal. He once worked on the INA Market as a coolie, just like Govind. One day, he got the chance to get of the market and enroll in the program. After the basic program, they all start out with, he learned how to sew garments. With his good results in Second Chance School, he soon got a chance on an internship with a tailor. All went well for Dinesh and he can now proudly announce that soon he will be working for a fashion designer. Wow, from the INA Market to fashion design, a mighty big step to take. 

But Dinesh's story is certainly not the only success story Ritinjali has to tell and Ashish is mighty proud of that. And let's be honest, he has every right to be proud of Ritinjali and the work they are doing. I feel privileged that I soon will have a chance to be part of this great organisation and I will do whatever I can to help them out. 






The visit ended with a little tour to see the facility. Of course you will have to leave all Western standards behind you, to get a good impression of the place. Our expectations of housing and life style differ so much from theirs, I cannot even begin to tell. But I think they are really making the most of it considering the circumstances. Upstairs Ashish shows us two of the bedrooms. The first one has four a five beds in it, leaving hardly no room for walking, but it had a good vibe. It looked kinda cosy to me. One of the guys for example had been creating some lamp covers out of recycled materials, which gave the room a personal touch. Great initiative, great creativity. The second room, didn't even have beds in it, just blankets on the floor. Ashish told me, that unfortunately, the budget did not allow beds for everybody. But hey, this place sure beats living in the streets, so...

We went on to another room. The kitchen, or at least a room that should pass as a kitchen. I would probably not have recognized it immediately  but I blame that on my pretty much spoiled upbringing (as most of us had where I come from). There were some pots and pans and a sort of a cooking device on the floor. How they are able to fix meals for about 25 young, hungry men on that thing remains a mystery for me, but maybe I'll find out some day. Of course there is also a living room/social room, bathroom facilities and all that but let's just leave it at this. All in all a pretty nice place to stay and a big step forward for many of them. Needless to say, that the young men do all the work themselves. They keep the place clean, repair or fix stuff, they cook for each other and so on. Nothing seems to much for them. I could think of some people (especially teens, like them) that could learn a lot from these guys. 

Govind was very quiet and pretty shy during the whole visit. I was not able to tell whether he could see himself in this place or not and I got the feeling that Ashish was thinking the same. Govind only told us that all would depend on his parents. If they would give their permission and the money would not be a problem then he could go for it. I'm not sure if that was all there was to it, but I decided to let it rest for a while and give it some time.

In the car on our way back I did however wonder what it must be like for him. Somebody you hardly even know steps into your life and offers some help. Offers an opportunity you never saw coming. Would I not be asking myself: why does a stranger do that?, what is the catch?, what if I fail?, can I take their money?, do I need their help?, do I want to give up my familiar life for this? I can come up with a hundred questions I think I would have. Govind however asked nothing. As we dropped Govind of at INA Market I did however feel the need, to tell him that I do believe in him, in his potential and that I do believe that he can do this. There is only one thing that concerns me, does he believe in himself? I hope so. 

To be continued, probably after our holiday. But if something comes up in the meantime I will let you know...