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APV Students |
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APV Students |
The APV School is comprised of 75 students from Kindergarden to 8th standard. The majority of the students come from farming villages, one to seven kilometers walking distance away from the school. Subsistence farming typically provides food for five months, leaving the family responsible in paying for their food supply during the rest of the year. This burden, coupled with decreasing crop yields and a perceived lack of diverse economical opportunities in the mountains, has pushed many of the breadwinning members of the families into the cities. While most are able to send small remittances back to their families in between farming seasons, they are only able to visit their families once or twice during the year due to their intense work schedule. Thus, the lack of a father figure is almost ubiquitous in the lives of all of our students. |
Another major problem facing our children is malnutrition. A major contributing factor to malnutrition is parent's lack of knowledge regarding the nutritional value of the available food or the nutritional needs of their children. Many others simply cannot afford to feed their children with the amount of nourishing foods necessary for healthy development. APV frequently provides food and clothing to children in need and nutritional information to their parents. APV also uses money acquired from consultantencies and teacher's trainings, in part, to help support livelihood initiatives taken by the families of our students. |
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But, despite these grim indicators, our children are by no means unhappy. Although many of our children may not have much materially, they do have fresh mineral water, clean Himalayan air, and a backyard of pristine wilderness at their disposal. They also are privy to a unique educational experience where they are free to be creative children and explore their unique talents and interests. |
APV children also have bright futures. The goal of APV holistic education is to fully develop the child's creative and rational faculties to lift them out of the negative realities of their lives and empower them to be agents of positive social change in whatever path they may chose to take. APV views their students as lamps that will ignite thousands of lamps--not just locally but globally. This idea, a dominant theme in most APV songs, is illustrated in the following song lyrics: |
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"Many have come before you and vanished, Some remained unignited and some burnt like dazzling flames, Some lived their lives like slaves burdened with greed, Some lived untainted and like the sun became the very source of light." |
APV, c/o SBMA, Anjanisain, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand 249121, India
apvschool@sancharnet.in
Ph. (91) 01376247648