WARM is a project we have been supporting for a couple of years.  (http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=271).  When we started it, we had many serious discussions about working with a 'professional NGO' - where the level of commitment is not clear, and at times they seem to be doing it for the money.  However, the need was dire, there was no school in the village, so we decided to fund one non-formal education center (out of 5 requested) in the village of Naradapattu.  Ram subsequently visited, and confirmed that there was a dire need for this center.  The project progressed sort of satisfactorily, with the commitment level of the NGO periodically causing concern, but with the children appearing to benefit.  Ram also really liked the teacher who came there.  At our suggestion, they appointed an extra teacher to better handle varied age groups.  The funding has been $1000 per year, mostly for the teachers' salaries, and educational materials.  Mullai and Samundi, the two teachers attended the Asha learning network organized teacher's training conference in Chennai last year.

    On one of his recent visits, Ram (for those who don't know him, Ram was an Asha-MIT/Boston volunteer who moved back to Bangalore last year) had a long discussion with the panchayat leaders and the two teachers about the importance of getting a school running at Naradapattu, and that they should ask the collector for it.  Very surprisingly, in October, we heard that a government school was beginning with immediate effect.  We are still not very clear on what exactly happened.  We believe the villagers did go and ask the collector atleast once, but nothing in India happens so easily.  It seems to be a bit of a coincidence also. Anyway, there is a government school there now.  In WARM's words "this is due to a strong struggle from the village self-help groups and village people ..... the whole credit goes to Mr. Ram Krishnamurthy and Asha-MIT".

   It ought to be a time of great rejoicing.  It is.  We actually have a government school in the area!  However, we all know of problems with government schools.  For instance, the Naradapattu school is staffed by moving two teachrs from the nearby village Ravandavadi's govt. school (so that school with 500 teachers which had 5 teachers now has only 3 teachers).  What we would ideally like to see is WARM continue to work with the government school, to ensure that it functions well, and maybe see how Samundi and Mullai can be incorporated (do they lose their jobs now?), and make use of their training.  WARM, however, is not keen on doing that, and has instead asked for funding for other initiatives - a residential school for orphan girls, another non-formal educational center in another village, or a computer education center for high school pass girls.