Aratrika volunteers in Bengali school over summer

This summer Aratrika, year 11, travelled to Calcutta, where she volunteered at Barisha, a Bengali state school for three weeks. The school provides an education for underprivileged girls in Kolkata who cannot afford private schooling, in order to improve their future opportunities. Teaching English to the pupils Aratrika, felt the experience was highly enriching, both for her personally and for the girls she taught. She observed; “It was certainly a different side of India than I’ve ever witnessed before - there were girls my age married, living in orphanages, or in extreme poverty. These girls made me feel all the more passionate about teaching students English, as the importance of learning English in India has increased tenfold in the last few years.” Her experience was picked up by the state news and retelling her stories has inspired her to continue working with Barisha and improving opportunities for girls at the school!