My experience as a volunteer at National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights

Coming from an abusive home, I spent my childhood being bullied for being a dark skinned fat girl. I was constantly being told that I didn’t belong. Having to grow up feeling so ‘othered’ in my own community fostered anger in me. I saw power in turning victimhood into vindication, so I took it and ran with it. However, with time, I didn’t let that become the story of my life. I channeled that alienation as the motivation to fuel my success and uplift others like me. When I was a CS major, I’d take keen interest in other classes: economics, business, literature, law and policy. In this pursuit, I volunteered to run an after-school program at the Children’s Aid Cell at National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), an NGO in India that works towards eliminating discrimination based on race and caste. I taught primary and secondary school kids (from slums, primarily) the basic mathematics and computers. During this period, I was exposed to a whole new world, culture and perspectives.

A lot of these kids came from unstable homes. I knew how books gave me a much needed escape, a safer parallel universe. Hence, I got permission to start a LunchnLearn initiative as a part of the Economic Rights team and formed a small study group.

I hung up flyers everywhere. I promised every kid who joined would get free food and T-shirts. 52 kids showed up to the first gathering. It was a bit chaotic. By the time for the second narration, 22 came back.

All I did was create a safe space for them to learn, experiment, fail, and try again.

We finally caught a rhythm. I knew exactly what I wanted for my students. We were a diverse group of creative messy change-makers, noisemakers, go-getters. To help them learn communication and compassion, we volunteered for hosting camps for the disabled people, delivered essential supplies to rural families, and offered to take elderly to the hospital and arranged caretakers for them.

Most of the girls came from very poor families with fathers working as seasonal laborers and mothers as housemaids. They aspired to do a respectable job to earn some money to serve their families. I helped them​ unlearn ​the oppressive idea that girls are only meant to become housewives, a sad reality of Indian society. I tried to instill confidence and self-respect within them while teaching them skills like active communication, interviewing, grooming, sanitation and menstrual hygiene. 40% of the girls in the program got part-time jobs at the end of the program.

This experience set a tone for the rest of my life. It gave me a purpose. I pledged to include people who were left out, advocate for them, and bring to them the resources and privileges I have.