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Our Journey

The Beginning of a Movement

The journey of VolunTeaching began in April 2008 — not through a formal plan, but through a simple visit to a village.

A young educator from Ahmedabad visited her ancestral village, Paldi Kankaj, in Dascroi taluka of Ahmedabad district — the village where her great-grandparents had once lived.

During that visit, she met her driver, who introduced her to his four-year-old niece. The child did not like going to school.

The driver requested the educator to say a few words to the little girl, hoping she might feel encouraged to attend school.

But that small request opened a much larger question.

Why was a child unwilling to go to school?
What was missing in the learning environment?
And what could one do beyond simply advising others?

Determined to understand the situation first-hand, she visited the village school. What she saw deeply disturbed her.

She realised that the answer could not come from distant advice, criticism, or complaint. The only way to understand and improve the system was to get involved.

So, instead of only speaking about change, she began teaching.

On 5th April 2008, the concept of VolunTeaching was born.

From One Child to a Village-Level Effort

Like every grassroots effort, VolunTeaching had its own share of difficulties and encouragement.

Some people questioned the effort.
Some doubted its purpose.
And some unexpected helping hands appeared just when they were needed.

The journey was bumpy, but deeply meaningful. It became a learning experience not only about education, but also about child psychology, community behaviour, rural values, and self-realisation.

Slowly, more people started joining.

Every Sunday, Didis and Bhaiyas began travelling from Ahmedabad to Paldi Kankaj. They came with affection, time, and bags full of toys, games, stationery, and learning material.

But this was not charity.

It was empowerment through education.

When the Village Became the Classroom

As the effort became stronger, the village Sarpanch requested the VolunTeachers to extend the work beyond one community and engage with the entire village.

This became an important turning point.

What began with one child and one community slowly expanded into a wider village-level learning effort.

Around the same time, some of the finest educationists came to know about this initiative. They offered their time and guidance to help the VolunTeachers understand education more deeply — not merely as teaching, but as a process of character building, exposure, creativity, and self-sustainable rural empowerment.

Enriched by this guidance, the VolunTeachers expanded their efforts further.

The sessions began taking place three times a week:

  • Wednesday: VolunTeaching in the government school, with due permission and discussion with school teachers
  • Saturday: Creativity-based sessions and activities
  • Sunday: Language and arithmetic skill enhancement within the rural community

Sometimes the sessions happened in schools.
Sometimes beneath a tree.
Sometimes in a temple.
Sometimes outside someone’s house.

Wherever children gathered, learning began.

Share Your Knowledge. Become a VolunTeacher.

As the work grew, a larger campaign was launched in Ahmedabad to reach more people who could contribute.

The message was simple:

Share Your Knowledge. Become a VolunTeacher.

This was different from conventional appeals.

VolunTeaching did not begin by asking people to donate money. It invited people to share something more personal — their time, knowledge, presence, and willingness to engage.

A neutral platform called All India Rural Empowerment Program — AIREP was formed to popularise the concept of VolunTeaching and give the movement a structured identity.

The Evolution of a Pedagogy

Over time, VolunTeaching found its way into the hearts of children and their families as an education-enrichment effort.

Between 2009 and 2012, the first stage of the VolunTeaching pedagogy began to develop: आत्मशिक्षा.

The larger pedagogy evolved across three stages:

  • आत्मशिक्षा
  • आत्मशोध
  • आत्मविशेष

These stages reflected that VolunTeaching was not just about teaching children for a few hours. It was also about nurturing confidence, curiosity, self-awareness, exposure, and a deeper connection between VolunTeachers and the rural community.

A Journey That Continues

What began with one child, one village, and one educator’s decision to get involved has grown into a movement of VolunTeachers, children, families, mentors, and well-wishers.

The beginning was simple.

Someone saw a problem, chose to understand it first-hand, and decided to participate instead of only advise.

That spirit continues to guide VolunTeaching even today.

The document below presents the wider story of AIREP and Avsath — including the evolution of VolunTeaching, its pedagogy, milestones, initiatives, collaborations, and continuing vision.

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