Bengaluru: Government schools in rural areas are old and dilapidated, endangering the lives of children. The sorry state of government school structures caught the attention of OSAAT, which has been working to rectify and revive these centres of learning to help rural children. OSAAT or One School At A Time is a non-profit organisation dedicated to rebuilding the infrastructure of rural schools in the country. The organisation was founded by a group of eight IT professionals of Indian origin in the San Francisco Bay Area.
It dawned on these techies that there is enough corporate social responsibility funds flowing to government schools in urban Bengaluru but not enough for rural schools. The very reason that many NGOs shifted focus from urban to rural schools was that urban schools were already getting enough help. OSAAT, however, works on both urban and rural schools.
Vadiraja Bhatt, founder and trustee of OSAAT, told Deccan Chronicle, "We all were IT professional and also had a team to work for some fundraising for the charity. But we were not satisfied as there was no help being extended to our motherland. That was when we decided to enter into the school sector after interacting with some school principals. Pouring funds to improve infrastructure will not help in the overall development of schools. It only gives instant gratification to the donor. This is exactly not what the schools require. Our mission is to help rebuild the infrastructure of rural, underprivileged schools to make them run in a safe and strong environment. We aim to do it by choosing one school at a time."
A bright classroom after the OSAAT project.
In its bid to help rebuild the infrastructure, OSAAT works with one school at a time and gives it a new life. The organisation aims to meet the needs of the selected school in such a way that the children, school and the local community benefit in both tangible and intangible terms.
The members raise funds by holding music and dance events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since 2003, OSAAT has raised half-a-million dollars (about Rs 3.3 crore) from US donors. The US chapter of OSAAT is based in San Jose, while the India chapter is in Bengaluru.
"The shade of a tree may very well serve as a classroom in many areas, where kids sit on the floor exposed to the elements. Basic facilities such as drinking water and restrooms either don't exist or even if they do, they are in sub-standard condition in terms of quality and hygiene. Many families that struggle for day-to-day survival think that there is no use in sending their children to school looking at the condition of the school building. Children are vulnerable to be pulled out of schools and the vicious cycle of child labour begins. So many times we visit schools with good intention. But sometimes, the system is so hierarchical that head teachers refuse permission and direct us to talk to the department officials. Still we have managed to get 25 schools done in the country and 18 in Karnataka." Mr Bhatt said.
"The aim is to achieve optimal results with minimal administrative costs by setting scalable, measurable and achievable goals for our projects. OSAAT also receives foreign currency donations," he said.
