The Yadala Seshagiri Memorial School is a new program that REAL has started supporting in 2019. It is a non-government school located in Vallur village in the Kadapa district, which is about 425 km south of Hyderabad. Satyanarayana Rao uncle decided to found the Yadala Seshagiri school so that the kids in rural villages in the Kadapa districts only have to travel 1 to 4 km every day to get to school. Since the Yadala Seshagiri school is a lot closer to the students than previous schools, they are more motivated to go to school and receive an education.

There is a total number of 2,884,524 people in the Kadapa district, and about half of the population lives in rural areas. The average literacy rate in the district is 67.88%, but a lot of the kids in rural areas had to travel very far to go to the nearest school.

The Yadala Seshagiri school is made up of students in preschool all the way up to 7th graders, has 155 students that come from 15 villages, and 15 staff members. About 95 of the students come from other villages and the rest come from Vallur. As part of the curriculum, the school also focuses on making sure their students get physical exercise. The students do various different stretches, and they also take time to meditate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Yadala Seshagiri Memorial School closed in the last week of March and is trying to open back up this month. Unfortunately, the school does not have the supplies to conduct remote learning, so the students haven’t been able to continue with their learning curriculum. The school is waiting for more information from the government regarding the pandemic, but until then they are looking for sanitizing equipment to take precautions against the coronavirus. REAL plans to support the Yadala Seshagiri Memorial School in meeting their needs!

–Adithi Mahankali

Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES) is an organization that is committed to helping girls in rural India. The organization has created a school called the Pardada Pardadi Girls Vocational School which is a registered school in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Specifically, it’s located in the village of Anupshahar in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, one of the least-educated and least-literate sections of India. It is also one of India’s poorest and highest crime rate areas. PPES was founded in 2000 by Virender Singh and began with the aim of women empowerment. It now strives to improve the living standards of these girls through the use of academics, vocations, and health education. Starting with only 45 girls, it’s now a growing institution with 1100 girls, first generations from their communities.

The Pardada Pardadi Girls Vocational School (PPGVS) was established to achieve social and economic empowerment and independence in their students. PPES provides the girls with free education from grade school to high school. In addition, they provide uniforms, 3 meals a day, and bicycles for girls. The girls get paid ten rupees a day and in total they will earn 30000 rupees (approximately $670), vocational skills, and a second-degree education. In addition, PPES guarantees jobs for girls after they graduate. PPGVS has two components: academics and vocational work. PPES has a program titled “Rags to Pads,” which provides the girls with sanitary pads and hygiene products.

Each year, REAL has been donating more money in the form of grants each year. To date, REAL has donated over $25000.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PPES started having online classes over WhatsApp and Zoom for their students. Some of the girls didn’t have access to electronic devices as their parents took their cell phones to work, so PPES had to take some classes offline. The teachers personally delivered notes and homework for the students to complete and continue learning!

– Archana Venigalla

The Phalgar Discover Program is located 2.5 hours north of Bombay in the Palghar District in Maharashtra. The 6 schools REAL supports serve the migrant Adivasi tribe, which makes up 95% of the local population, only 37% of which is literate. In order to support the Palghar Discover program, REAL has partnered with Dr. M.L. Dhawale’s trust fund (MLDT). To break the cycle of poverty in the area, REAL has provided annual grants of $12,600 over the past six years, totalling over $60,000.

In the rural Palghar district, it is often the teacher’s responsibility to motivate students to show up and succeed at school. The teacher training that REAL supports allows educators to learn effective lesson planning and activity-based teaching styles through workshops and classes. The Discover Program also runs and supports science and math olympiads which gets students excited about learning and competing with their peers. 10 laptops collected and donated by REAL donors kick-started our computer literacy program, in which students are taught to use basic software and are equipped with the skills to help them compete in an increasingly digital world. 

Our Discover Program also empowers students through educational enrichment. Because schools are overflowing with students, this unique style of education allows groups of students from different local schools to learn together, and return to their local communities to share their knowledge. Additionally, the Discover Program’s mobile library allows every student equal access to quality education, no matter their location. 

In light of our current global situation, none of the Discover Program schools are fully open and functional, and villages aren’t allowing entry to outsides. The plan as of early September is to train 10 volunteers, college students who are local residents of the villages, virtually while awaiting government approval to enter school rooms. Educational enrichment may come in handy when things begin to open up, as fewer students need to be together to learn, and those who are together can go back and teach the rest of their classmates in the safety of their village’s social circles.

REAL: Youth To Youth

Presents

Chess Tournament to raise funds for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon

REAL: Youth To Youth is seeking your help to give back to the community during these difficult times. Please consider joining this tournament to help out a local non-profit dedicated to creating a hunger-free Oregon while having fun playing chess from home.

All players, regardless of skill level (and location!), are welcome to play.

Date: Sunday, May 3rd, 2020

Format

• 4 round Swiss in two sections Open and U1200. (Players may be collapsed into one section if there are not enough players). 
• The highest of either NWSRS or USCF ratings will be used to divide players into sections.
• This tournament will not be NWSRS or USCF rated as it is conducted online (Though it will be rated on chess.com).

Registration 

• Registration closes on Friday, May 1st, 11:59 pm PST. Please follow the steps below.

1. Create a free chess.com account (if you do not have one already).
2. Fill out this google form and complete payment. (see instructions below)
3. You will receive an email that will contain the link and instructions to join the tournament no later than Saturday, May 2nd, at 1 pm. 

Rounds: Round 1 @ 1 pm, other rounds ASAP (after all games for the round are finished).

Time Control: Game in 25 with a 5-second increment.

Note:

• Please follow good sportsmanship. Use the chat feature in a friendly and positive way.

Entry Fee:  $10 suggested. We encourage you to donate as much as you are able to.

Please select the amount you would like to donate using the secure Pay Pal link below. All proceeds will be donated to support Partners for a hunger-free Oregon.

Donate now through our secure PayPal link!

Questions? E-Mail us at Chess@REALyouth.org

REAL Youth to Youth is a youth led volunteer organization dedicated to providing a well rounded education, confidence  and career opportunities to students in rural India. Many children in India that live in rural areas don’t have access to learning resources and newer technologies. By equipping students with the tools to gain basic reading, writing, technological and mathematical skill, they can overcome the poverty and lack of resources that keep them from taking hold of their futures.

About 40% of the world’s illiterate population lives in India.  For many families, finding wage earning jobs for children takes priority over education. Lack of required resources such as computers, teachers  and funding are some of the many factors leading to India’s high illiteracy rates.

Our team consists mainly of high schoolers from the Portland area, as well as their adult mentors. Members help set up fundraising activities, promote  awareness and gather donations from local organizations. The idea of Oregon’s youth supporting youth across the seas is fundamental to REAL’s mission: To support the education and literacy of underprivileged youth in rural India and to support STEM education efforts in Oregon.

One program that REAL supports is the Phalgar Discovery Program. The program is located just north of Mumbai, and serves the migrant Adivasi Tribe, members of the Thane district of Maharashtra. The program reaches out to over 1,000 students ranging from eighth to tenth grade, by providing children with a Mobile Science program. This program allows children to access special resources such as books and laptops to enrich learning.

REAL’s overall goal is to empower children of all ages from underprivileged families, encouraging them to seek an education, and providing them with the tools to do so. To learn more about and support our mission, please drop by our booth at India Day in Pioneer Square!

Our first REAL chess quads held on March 3, 2018 was a huge success! With 26 participants and 6 sections, we had a great turnout.  All proceeds will be used to further REAL’s mission in supporting the education and literacy of underprivilegd youth in rural India. 

Additionally, this tournament was officially NWRS rated and results can be seen here.

We look forward to conducting more tournaments and will be expanding to a larger full day tournament in the near future!