Lindsay Johnson volunteered with PPES since January 2009. In the one year, not only did she teach English to the girls but became such an integral part of the school and the girls’ lives that the girls just don’t want her to leave..

But as the saying goes: ‘All good things come to an end’. Not only is this end most productive as the girls have become such amazing English speakers and learners but Lindsay now calls PPES her second home.One can't miss to read her experiences in her own words:



"For the past year I’ve been teaching English and working in the library at Pardada Pardadi School. My girls and I have learned a lot this year. This is a school that teaches not only academics and vocational skills, but also life lessons. The students learn confidence and independence. I have seen the huge difference this school makes in the lives of its girls. The girls at PPES are self-assured, happy and proud of themselves. They are shy, but they are not afraid. I think that is more important than anything else they learn. The knowledge that they can play a part in their own futures, that they don’t have to always depend on others, that they can change their world for the better. They are eager to learn about the world around them and to find their place in it. These girls have amazed me with their enthusiasm and determination. So many of them have difficult home lives and little support from their families but they still come to school each day bright and ready to learn.



I am especially proud of one of my English classes that advanced more than any other. The five girls in this class are all exceptionally smart and dedicated to learning. They formed a team and helped each other out. The girls come from different villages and different family backgrounds: one girl rides her bicycle alone 16 kilometers to and from school every day, another comes from a polygamous family, one has an older sister who was nearly sold to a money-lender to repay a debt, one has a father who is the only resident of his village to attend college and the last has a father who is an abusive alcoholic. These kinds of stories are not unusual for our students. But seeing these girls at school, watching them laugh with their friends, study for a test or play cricket, you would never know any of those things. These five girls have nearly perfect attendance and make every effort not to miss class. They have progressed more than any other class and it’s all because of their own effort and dedication.



This year I’ve seen the great changes that can come about because one person cared enough to change the world. The school that Sam started nine years ago with only 45 girls has grown to house almost 900 students in three buildings. It has affected the town of Anupshahr and changed the lives of the girls for the better. My time as part of this community has been difficult and rewarding and I wouldn’t change it for anything."

Amidst the ever increasing hoopla of interdependence between world economies, ours is a slightly different story where the West met East at Pardada Pardadi!

Wendi is one of our volunteers from Iowa, USA who joined Pardada Pardadi in 2006 and worked extensively at the Anupshahr village for six months. Since then, Wendi has remained associated with PPES with literally everything.

It seems that she has committed her life to the cause she so passionately advocates. She closely observes every new initiative of PPES. She is currently the force for extending international volunteer support for Pardada Pardadi. She not only gets volunteers to work with the girls at the school but also offers support system to them as they commit themselves for a year or so.

Wendi got married to a German Alex in Hamburg, Germany. She is currently based in Munich, Germany now and pursuing her PhD in Pedagogy. However, she is technically with Pardada Pardadi almost every day through emails and Skype.


Arti is a young and vivacious girl from a small village in Anupshahr. She joined Pardada Pardadi in 2000 as one of the first among 45 other girls of the first ever class of the school. She passed her 10th grade in 2009. In 9 years, she has literally grown with the school and vice-versa.


In 2006, she was chosen for a trip to the US because of her excellent attendance and academic record. She was also made the leader of the vocation she trained in since class 6th.

After 10th Class, Arti decided to work with PPES in its ‘Rags to Pads’ manufacturing unit to support her home and family. She is the first woman financial supporter of her family. Her mother sells milk given by their 2 buffaloes to a local dairy. She also did a course in computers and is still pursuing higher studies.

Soon, talks started in the family on getting Arti married. Arti was however determined to marry only a boy who supported her decision of working after marriage and studying further.She found this boy in Sunil who is originally from Anupshahr and works between Delhi and the village. Arti is now happily married to him and has also rejoined work at school after marriage.

Wendi and Arti have known each other because of their common link-PPES. The big fan that Wendi is of an Indian wedding, she always dreamt of having one. The Indian wedding trousseau, the procession, Mehendi…. All fascinated her.

So November 22nd 2009 was decided and the venue was the school. The USP of the day was that both Wendi and Arti decided to get married on the same day and the same venue…


Guess what! Also the same time (the only thing different was that they were getting married to different boys)


So, the guests who blessed the couples were seen excitingly juggling between the two weddings, dancing and singing for both. The grooms took parallel chariot rides and Alex (Wendi’s groom) settling in to an Indian wedding was shying like an Indian bride (a role reversal for a refreshing change).

The day is one of PPES’ most memorable ones.

What a truly innovative meeting of the West and the East it was!!!!

PPES’ library has an all new face!

The Library Now!!

It can easily be awarded as one of the most famous sites with its students. Students throng at the library whenever they get a chance other than their designated library hrs (One class per week).

The library is a store house of about 735 English and 235 Hindi books, with a few that are bilingual. They stand neatly stacked in purple, yellow, green and blue book shelves. The books are on different genres from story books on favorite cartoon characters to encyclopedias. We’ll soon have books in Urdu as well for students who learn Urdu language at school. Students identify with it as a personal space that they get to explore each moment they spend there. They discover and read books on their own or choose one for our librarian to read aloud.

It is very rewarding to see the students rushing to the shelves to choose books they want. They are eager to read and read more!

However, the library wasn’t the same a few months ago. It has recently been expanded and renovated. Earlier it used to be a tiny room with just 30 books on one book shelf. Now, it is a large spacious hall. There is also a computer to keep track of catalogue and check out books taken by students to home. The library just got a conference table that is used for reading the newspapers and magazines. It has a colorful cabinet of board games that girls love to play during breaks.
The Library then!

Jacobi Wade, the volunteer from Florida, USA has been the face behind the new library. She joined PPES in 2008 and took up the task of organizing the then small library.. Since then we have been receiving several donations of books, DVDs and games which made our library grow bigger.

The Volunteer Jacobi!

Another volunteer Lindsay from Tennessee, USA has been associated with PPES since January 2009. Her ideas contributed amazingly to making the library a colorful and vibrant space with the students. She also teaches English to the girls. Every day, girls in groups of 8-10 surround her in the library and start their lessons.

When you go there, you’ll realize just how much energy is dispersed around the hall. You’ll see girls who are quietly reading a magazine (Yes! there are so many magazines on famous women too) or revising for a test. Little ones form a small group and play scrabbles, Pictionary and other board games. If you are someone who is strolling around the library, this group will always invite you to join them. That’s just how amazingly gregarious they are.

Our Girls enjoy reading so much. Isn't it!

The library also houses sessions of storytelling with the little ones. They listen to stories of the ‘Lion King’, ‘Nemo’ and other characters and then come up with names for their pets. On one of the storytelling sessions, they wanted to give their fish (from one of the stories) the name of their English teacher. Upon asking, they said that the teacher is one of their favorites and not the other way around. The library is a cauldron of activities that allow children to live their childhood like a child.

Soni, a PPES graduate is the in charge of the library. Not only does she takes care of the books and feeds data on the computer but also guides little girls as to which book to read and take home.

We are now studying a yearly budget to make the library grow bigger next year: more shelves for more books and a cozy reading area with cushions.

The PPES library is a little world of colors and adventure to our girls……….

Come share a lesson with them some day!