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BookVine.

Volunteering with Being Social

Teaching English and literacy to children in rural India (2020-2022)

Being Social

A non-profit organization working in rural slum areas of Bangalore, India, providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children.

The Work

During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2022), Shravan volunteered with Being Social, teaching foundational skills to children in rural slums of Bangalore, India. Many of these children had minimal educational background and limited access to schooling.

The volunteer work focused on:

  • Reading & Writing: Teaching children how to spell, understand different pronunciations, and recognize common objects
  • Mathematics: Advanced addition/subtraction and basic multiplication/division
  • Literature Access: Distributing educational and fiction books, facilitating many children's first reading experiences

Impact

40+

Children helped develop necessary skills to succeed in higher levels of education, setting themselves up for a successful career.

This experience demonstrated how education can be a pathway out of poverty, and directly inspired the mission behind BookVine.

Photo Gallery

Being Social team photo with volunteers wearing masks
Teaching in makeshift classroom with blue tarp roof
One-on-one instruction outdoors
Children receiving educational materials
Educational materials demonstration with transport chart
Poster presentation about professions
Group learning near blue tarp structure
Teaching children about jobs and positions
Teaching sessions with educational posters
Teaching how to read and write numbers and letters

Connection to BookVine

This volunteering experience inspired Shravan's vision to establish BookVine as a nonprofit to donate books to underprivileged children in India. The goal is to extend the reach of literacy and education to children who might not otherwise have access to books.