The fact that children work at a loom is especially frequent in the region around the city of Agra in the North of India. Since 2005 Label STEP has installed evening schools in different villages with a partner organisation, so that the children yet again have an educational opportunity in the evening. Now the successful running of a school ought to be maintained with the help of Label STEP for another year.

The country coordinator of Label STEP in India became attentive during the verification work on site to the precarious situation in the villages around Agra. A lot of children here had to weave carpets all day to thus contribute to the minimal income of their families. Neither time nor money remained for school. In talks with the children it turned out that a majority of them would be motivated very much to learn. As a result, in summer 2004, together with the Catholic diocese of Agra Label STEP founded two evening schools for children. Since then, the classes, which about 150 children have attended, take place for two hours every evening.

Successful pupils

There is calculating and writing, but also crafting, dancing and singing. Apart from that, the acquisition of practical everyday knowledge is on the curriculum. The results of the lessons are astonishing: up to now all pupils have passed the transfer to the state school, partly even among the best ones of the year. On account of the success story of the first two school programmes these were extended in 2007 by another year and two further ones were brought to life in Asha Deep and Asha Kiran. The schools in Asha Deep and Asha Kiran are also those which will continue their program until the end of March 2009 and have requested Label STEP's support for this purpose.

Benefit for the entire family

Not only the children, who have taken part, have profited from the school lessons in the evening. Also their mothers had the opportunity to take part in the lessons in the afternoon which they made use of actively. By the success at school and the practical education of the older children, many parents recognised the use of the school for their families, enrolled the younger children at state schools and made it possible for them to go to school instead of work.  

Moreover, the evening lessons were of benefit to community formation in the villages as more and more adults have united in self-help teams, which authorized them to apply for state micro-credits and thus have a better income.