Thanks to 26 year old Italian ATMA volunteer, Alessia Tranchese, Childreach – a Mumbai NGO which works with students affected by learning disabilities – has a much clearer picture of the status of children with learning difficulties in Mumbai.
Alessia was able to put her research skills to use in interviewing school principals throughout the area of Mumbai around Childreach, to determine which schools would be available to work with ATMA and Childreach to improve the way they deal with learning disabilities.
From Alessia’s perspective, one of the most important benefits gained from her time as a volunteer in India was being able to see and analyse the education system from inside – “touching with my hands, seeing with my eyes what we often read in statistics or hear about from other people”.
Given that Alessia’s role involved interviewing school principals, often unwilling to talk to her, to determine what, if any infrastructure they had to enable participation by students with disabilities and what opportunities there might be for these schools to work cooperatively with Childreach, she encountered many barriers and hurdles during her time in Mumbai.
Despite the daily challenges and frequent setbacks, she managed to complete her research and provide value to Childreach and is adamant she would do it again if the opportunity arose.
And she says since her return to Europe, her experience in India has a positive flow on to her work in Austria as a translator and a teacher of Italian to secondary students. “Every time I feel frustrated for any reason I think about the hard time teachers have in India and I feel lucky”.
Alessia made lasting friendships in India – another benefit of volunteering – and describes ATMA as well organised, professional, efficient and ready to face any unforeseen event.
Her advice to future volunteers? “Be open to good and bad things. Never give up. ATMA will become your family and there will be people ready to help all around you. It is a unique experience. Live it without prejudice or expectations – just accept whatever comes. It will always be more than what you might imagine”.
Outcomes by Alessia
