Buddy Program
The Buddy Program is a way for kids across the world to interact and learn from each other. Kids chosen under the age of 18 will be paired with children in the Shwas program. Shwas is an organization located in Ahmedabad, India that provides a safe and healthy environment to children that come from disadvantaged families. With donations, they provide quality education for these kids by enrolling them into good schools, tutoring them, and giving them the a second home. Their goal is to give these children the opportunity to live a better life and become an integral part of their communities. I have had to opportunity to work with them for the past 2 years with To Green and Beyond and have been sponsoring 2 girls for their education. I got to meet them last summer on my trip to India and interacting with the kids was one of the best moments I've had during my work with To Green and Beyond.
The Buddy Program can be broken down into 3 parts:
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Fill in the application form (down below) with details about what your pastimes/hobbies are
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Get paired up with a child in Shwas that is similar in age & interests
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Talk and Skype with them at least once a month about your experiences, hobbies, etc
The Buddy Program can make a huge positive impact on those involved. The kids in Shwas sometimes have a difficult time catching up with other kids their age in school due to the lack of help at school so their levels of education are usually many years behind their peers. Having this program will hopefully be a way to encourage them as well as introduce you to people that aren't as privileged as we are. Some of the benefits can be:
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Support system for the kids in India that are having a hard time catching up in school
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Make a new friend and learn from each other
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Become a possible mentor (help them with English!) and help them in their studies
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Opportunity to motivate and inspire each other
Although the kids in Shwas only speak Gujarati and Hindi (they are supposed to learn English at school, but as a result of the terrible public school system, most are unable to read and write English), we will have a translator with the kids that will help you communicate effectively.
If you are interested in learning more about the program, send us an email @ togreenandbeyond@gmail.com
If you would like to sign up for the program, please fill out this form and we will get back to you ASAP:
