Welcome to Patangyu

A short story about us.

Patangyu is a small grassroots community-based initiative in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), India with the intention to foster transformation in the lives of children belonging to low-income communities through the three pillars of Learning, Love and Community. By investing deeply in the sustainable transformation of individual lives, we can affect meaningful and lasting change in their families, communities and the generations that follow. Patangyu is process-oriented and powered by the children; it is constantly evolving and adapting to the needs and changes in the lives of the children and their communities. Although there have been countless children who have passed through Patangyu over the years, there remains a core group that has grown up with the program.

The name Patangyu (which means butterfly) was given by the children as they felt it best represented what the program means to them. The initiative began in 2005 in response to a young girl living on the roadside with her family. Even though she was 14, she shared that she had never been to school and would soon be married. With a quiet urgency, she asked if I would come teach her and the neighboring children. This marked the beginning of the journey of Patangyu. Initially, a few volunteers and I started running classes for the children of the roadside community consisting of 18 households. The children all begged to help sustain their families. The intention was to give them a safe and loving space and proper nutrition while imparting basic education and nurturing values and positive habits.

Over time, due to urban planning, the families were absorbed into the neighboring low-income communities of Ganeshnagar and Shaktinagar, and soon the children of these localities also joined Patangyu. As the children evolved, so did Patangyu, which now works more intentionally on guiding children in cultivating their inner and collective strengths while assisting them in developing the tools and understanding needed to thrive in the world.

It has been a spirited and beautiful journey thus far, with countless stories that include the adventures of building our own school from waste and the slow but steady process of working with families to empower their daughters. Then there are the personal stories of each child, some who have overcome their odds and others who are continuing to stand up every time they fall. There have been instances of profound kindness and deep friendship and great strength. And of course from creating a community newsletter to being teacher for the day to growing in yoga and meditation, the kids are always raising the bar. Over the years, countless volunteers and guests have graced us with their presence and skills ranging from solar energy and juggling to architecture, photography, dance, speech writing and farming. The story has also included us moving spaces, time and again, until as recently as last year, when the communities were displaced as part of an urban planning rehabilitation program. However, despite the ongoing challenges, the children continue to energize Patangyu in new ways and their commitment to forging their path is inspiring.

Pillar No 1

Learning

We focus on cultivating knowledge, values and skills acquired through experience. Education is an important part of learning, but we see it as only one of countless other valuable means to garner knowledge and experience. Patangyu focuses on child-driven learning that is life-relevant and based on a solid foundation that includes the fundamental building blocks paired with inquisitiveness and the freedom to explore.

Pillar No 2

Love

In addition to encouraging love for self, one another, family, community and the world, nature, and the universal force, love also represents the set of core values we are committed to at Patangyu. When and where possible, we explore peace and non-violence, freedom and creativity, dignity and equity, self-respect and respect for others, kindness and compassion, diligence and perseverance in our activities, interactions and choices. We also promote service and helping others, self-knowledge and faith. It is through the process of cultivating these values that the children better understand who they are, what they want to offer the world and how they can lead a meaningful, healthy and joyful life.

Pillar No 3

Community

The third pillar of Patangyu is the spirit of community and family. We emphasize the potency and wisdom of interdependency, growing together, and learning from each other. We learn to foster respect despite differences, to communicate and listen without judgement, to develop acceptance, and to understand the power of friendship. As the children deepen in their own application of this spirit, they are encouraged to expand it into their own families, communities, schools and beyond. It is our small and humble contribution to a more peaceful and loving world.

"Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Context

To understand the purpose behind our range of activities, it is important to have an overview of the existing circumstances present in the children’s lives. Though each child has tremendous potential and a special few are extremely self-motivated, there are several barriers they must overcome to simply pursue their education, let alone works towards achieving their dreams.

Public School System

Government schools have a poor teacher to student ratio; do not enforce attendance; and do not update teachers nor incorporate new methodologies and technology. Only low-income families send their children to public school, where rote learning is encouraged and students maintain weak reading, writing and math skills, sometimes well into high school. Critical, creative thinking skills and application are not cultivated. Furthermore, the government offers free schooling and supplies until the 8th grade. After which, families struggle to cover school fees, uniforms and supplies, transportation and tutorial classes, and sometimes pull their children out.

Also, India’s school system, especially the 10th grade board exams, depends heavily on additional tutorial classes. Marginalized families cannot afford such services, therefore the children are at a constant disadvantage. As children lack the foundational education, study skills and resources to prepare and pass for the 10th grade state board exams. Consequently, they often fail and/or drop out.

Girls' Education

Girls are often discouraged from continuing their education after the 8th standard. Reasons include lack of financial resources or prioritized allocation towards boys’ education; cultural pressure to learn domestic skills required for marriage; perceived dangers and fears of daughter’s physical safety. Puberty, lack of confidence and cultural restrictions also lend to the challenge of keeping girls in school.

Lack of Role Models

Children from the fringes grow up surrounded by tobacco addiction, drugs and alcohol, gambling, violence and abuse, stealing, harsh language, negative peer pressure, and more. Many parents, though dedicated to their children’s education, never attended or graduated high-school and struggle to provide a conducive environment in their homes. Plus, as they work hard to support their families, they are not able to be involved in their children’s lives. The kids do not see many peers breaking out of the cycle of poverty and therefore are not exposed to new possibilities or different pathways to thrive in life. The lack of exposure and access to opportunities also impedes their self-confidence.

Stress and Poor Nutrition

Many families are in hand-to-mouth survival mode, and deal with constant uncertainty. There is sometimes pressure on children to earn and help supplement the household income, making it difficult to focus on school. Most families cannot afford the variety of vegetables, fruits, and legumes required for a healthy immune system. Sometimes due to a lack of awareness and infrastructure, poor hygiene leads to illness, which is further exacerbated due to the lack of access to quality healthcare. These combined elements of stress affect the healthy mental, physical and emotional development of the entire family.

Our Work

However, despite these challenges, most children in these communities are inherently resourceful, resilient, caring, street smart, steeped in culture and community, talented in various capacities, and extremely capable. They simply require the guidance, opportunities and positive kinship to unlock this potential and use it to thrive in life. This has been the inspiration behind Patangyu.

Working with Families to Empower their Girls

Education Support

Ensuring each child has a Strong Foundations Education (Reading, writing, math, basic general knowledge) through one on one support.
Supporting costs of high-school education expenses and additional tutorial classes.
Supporting costs of higher-education (college, vocational training, diploma courses).
Investing in Girls’ Education through continuous counselling of girls and their families
Annual goal setting activities to help children think about personal and educational goal and to decide on active steps to reach those goals
Continuous one on one counselling and mentorship of each child to help them grow according to their strengths and interests
Relationship Building with each family in efforts to open communication and provide a strong support system to each child
Imparting study habits and tools to the children to increase their learning capacity in any situation

Holistic Child-Led Learning

Hands on Learning: Every year, we choose a couple of community based-projects that require the children to work collaboratively and integrate learning in the process. In the past these processes have included: Building a School out of Waste, Mapping the Community, Organizing a “Use the Dustbin” campaign (prompting behavior change toward waste management), Creating a Community Newsletter, Writing and Illustrating Storybooks and more.
Skill Development and Workshops: With Volunteer support we run a variety of life-skill session such as first aid, cooking, sewing and mending, farming and composting, public speaking etc. Workshops have included photography, computer programming, Warli painting, understanding Solar Energy and installing a solar panel, upcycling waste, etc.
Joy of Reading: To nurture a love for reading and improve literacy, we hold a weekly library, during which children read various books categorized into seven levels based on proficiency. We check for comprehension through an oral book report and rating system. When they finish all the books on one level, they graduate to the next.
Power of Play: Board games, team games and intentional play are a potent means to learn teamwork, honesty, critical thinking, observation, communication and more. We used to have a weekly game day and now incorporate games followed by reflection sessions whenever possible.
English Phonics : To provide the basic tools of reading, writing and pronunciation when speaking, we have run several summer English Phonics workshops.
Teacher for the Day: Every year, the children become “Teachers for the Day” and lead an hour class on any topic of their choice. They have several weeks to prepare. They will either teacher practical applications of topics in their textbooks or something they enjoy such as how to build a small motor, make their favorite dish, play the dhol (percussion instrument), build a mud stove, etc.
Sunday Program – Recently the government launched a rehabilitation program in Ganeshnagar community, temporarily displacing the families to scattered locations city-wide. For the time-being, we stopped our daily afterschool classes in the community, and have replaced it with Sunday Patangyu Meet-Ups, where we gather every Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm in the Gandhi Ashram. The Sunday Program consists of prayer, yoga, meditation, a circle of sharing followed by the day’s activity. We end with half an hour of games, followed by a meal of vegetable kichadi and buttermilk. We also cover the cost of the children’s transportation (public) to and from home.
Field Trips: Exposure trips are a powerful way to learn and help kids grow in confidence and expand perspective. Every year we do a variety of visits from organic farms and the local space center to heritage sights, museums and even the movie theater.
Summer Internships Program– We collaborate with local companies and organizations to create 2-month internship opportunities for 11^th and 12^th graders so that they foster skills in time-management, communication, organization, etc. Patangyu and/or the partner provide the students with monthly stipends for this duration.
Enabling Individual Growth – Supporting each child’s personal strength(s) (ie. dance classes, coaching for chess, jewelry making or simply providing sneakers to someone who has started running)

Cultivating Values, Self-Awareness & Confidence

Prayer and Meditation
Yoga
Service-based activities and Acts of Kindness
Journaling and discussions
Mindfulness and Gratitude practices
Festival Celebrations
Circles of Sharing and deep listening
Actively working through differences and arguments
Exposure through interactions with volunteers and guests of all backgrounds and nationalities
Leadership roles and collective decision making
Relationship Building with Each Child’s Family
Accountability and Self-Reliance
Activities that encourage problem-solving, team work, resourcefulness
Investing in Girls’ Education through continuous counselling of girls and their families
Annual goal setting activities to help children think about personal and educational goal and to decide on active steps to reach those goals
Continuous one on one counselling and mentorship of each child to help them grow according to their strengths and interests
Relationship Building with each family in efforts to open communication and provide a strong support system to each child
Imparting study habits and tools to the children to increase their learning capacity in any situation

Building Relationships & Community

Sharing meals and Playing together
Collective decision making
Reflective Group Sharing and Deep Listening
Relationship Building with Each Child’s Family
Supporting families in times of need (small interested free-loans, food supplies, livelihood support)
Garnering Parent to Parent support – Involving parents in supporting other parents
Being present in each child’s life to prevent them from dropping out of school, turning to tobacco, drugs and/or gambling, engaging with harmful company
Positive Peer Support – peers checking in with each other to prevent high risk choices
Varying Leadership Roles – everyone has ownership in keeping the program running
Celebrating Birthdays and Personal Successes
Field Trips, Exposure Visits and Guest Teachers
Team building games and activities

Your Support Counts

A journey like this is impossible without the loving and generous support of countless people, whether through contributions, time, skills or blessings. Over the years, friends and family have sponsored the costs of education and higher-education fees; funded extracurricular classes for individual students; covered the cost field trips; offered small interest free loans and grants for housing and livelihood support of families; supported with purchasing books for the library, board games, art supplies, educational materials, clothing and undergarments and basic household items (water pots, bedsheets, etc). Donations help cover transportation to and from our classes and excursions, nutrition, healthcare and health-related emergencies. And when required, we have even been able to support food supplies and funeral costs for families in dire circumstances. People have also given their time to facilitate workshops, be a guest teacher or mentor the kids. Others still have worked with us to create life-changing internship opportunities, provide career counseling and even help employ our graduates.

Support Patangyu

Please connect with us at patangyukids@gmail.com if you would like to support us in anyway. Here are a few ways you can contribute: adopt a child’s school fees and related expenses; cover the cost of an excursion or learning activity at Patangyu; help feed the kids a nutritious wholesome meal every Sunday; support the journey of a child pursuing their interest; help buy school supplies and needed wares for the kids.

Meet the Patangyus

Ganesh

4th Grade

I enjoy sculpting animals out of clay.

Arjun

7th Grade

I wish to join the army and serve my country.

Usha

10th Grade

I like singing and I play the Dhol.

Aarti D

11th Grade

I love sketching and plan to be a fashion designer.

Sanjay

11th Grade

My dream is to build my own house back in my village.

Venish

6th Grade

I like cars and when I grow up I want to be my own boss.

Rinkal

7th Grade

I like learning new things and doing science experiments.

Minesh

1st Year College

I am studying to be a Chartered Accountant. I am on a chess team.

Jaimin

1st Year College

I would like to work as a public servant.

Aarti S

10th Grade

I love cooking and learning new recipes.

Kishore

8th Grade

I am learning karate. I want to serve in the army.

Kushbu

9th Grade

I love sketching and can spend hours doing it.

Ruchika

9th Grade

I am learning robotic dancing.

Rahul

8th Grade

I want to be a scientist when I grow up.

Kinjal

8th Grade

I like helping others and I enjoy reading.

Hina

10th Grade

I love painting and want to study the fine arts.

Jashoda

11th Grade

I want to do a Ph.D in Social Science. I enjoy jewelry making.

Haresh

12th Grade

I am planning to go to college to pursue engineering.

Laxmi

8th Grade

I love cake and want to own a cake shop.

Jaimin

9th Grade

I love to play carrom and am interested in photography.

Kamal

College Freshman

I want to be a train operator. I freelance as a mehendi artist.

Pooja

10th Grade

I am studying to retake the 10th grade board exams.

Kunjan

10th Grade

I enjoy helping others and I would like to be a teacher.

Ravi

Working

I have been promoted to a Production Assistant Manager in a LED lighting company.

Meet the Facilitators

Anjali Desai

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, I attended UT Austin and graduated with a dual degree in Journalism and Business Administration. Inspired to serve and explore my roots before joining the “real” world, I came to India in 2002 as a year-long Indicorps fellow, helping to run a rural design school for artisan women in Kutch. Though we eventually succeeded in helping the women set up a cooperative, the experience succeeded in shifting my view towards the world and my role in it. Deciding to stay in India a little longer, I moved to Ahmedabad city to continue working with an ecosystem of NGOs that follow Mahatma Gandhi’s principles. I was part of launching a Gift-Economy Cafe, worked for the upliftment of marginalized women through craft, and have most recently been helping lead the holistic education program at Manav Sadhna, which serves more than 2000 children. In between, I co-founded India Guide—we published guidebooks on responsible and meaningful travel throughout Gujarat.

Although I facilitate and anchor Patangyu, it has actually been an amazing teacher for me. It continues to teach me about humility and acceptance, the resiliency and inherent wisdom of children, the importance of community, the real definition of education and the serious power of love as a tool of transformation.

Rahul Rathod

I joined Patangyu in when I was 13 years old and I have grown up with it. Patangyu has been my biggest support-providing me love, good values, holistic education; it has been instrumental in transforming my life. I struggled with school and as a result failed my 10th exams. I was ready to quit and work a daily wage labor job. Anjalididi motivated me daily to keep trying and provided the extra tutorial support I needed. I failed two subjects the second time, but now felt confident to try a third time. After passing, I discovered a joy for learning and finished 12th grade. Once again through Patangyu’s mentorship and support, I did a diploma course in Graphic Designing and Animation. Today, not only am I the lead designer at my company, but I have purchased a home and can give my family a better life. Inspired by Patangyu, I am a mentor and facilitator in the program and hope to give the children a little of what I have received.

A Visual Glimpse

Photo Gallery

Contact Us

Namaste.

If you want to learn more, get involved or contribute, please feel free to reach out at patangyukids@gmail.com

Wishing you love and light!