Kimberly Townsend

My time volunteering with Pardada Pardadi was brief but incredibly meaningful. Working through iVolunteer, I was assigned to the Delhi office to assist with PPES advertising and fundraising efforts. During my two-week assignment, I traveled to Anupshahr to visit the school. The experience was very special. I visited the kindergarten, 1st-5th, and 6th-12th schools and sat in on several of the wide variety of classes offered to the girls, including Hindi, history, math, computer lab, art, chemistry, and English. I also got to see the vocational training and Rags-to-Pads centers — it was so encouraging to see the women working so confidently in their tasks, and the embroidery and block printing rooms were very impressive. After visiting the school, I was taken to a nearby village that had received community toilets and solar lanterns, two other initiatives of Pardada Pardadi. Out of everything, my favorite part of the trip was getting to simply talk to the girls and see the smiles on their faces.This organization is truly changing lives as well as entire communities. I’m very honored to have played a role in this organization, however small, and I hope I am able to come back and volunteer with Pardada Pardadi again.