What We Do and Why.
A Brief History
The Pestalozzi Approach
Activities
Scholars and Alumni
Examples
Our main work involves providing opportunity to children to get a basic education so that they can go on to make a contribution to their communities as they grow up. The children we select are in countries where the alternative to school is often working, sometimes in foul conditions, to help their families survive.
Working together is one thing, but sometimes
poverty forces inordinate responsibility on the shoulders of children.
A Brief History
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) was a Swiss humanitarian and educational reformer who devoted his life to helping children orphaned by the Napoleonic Wars. Following the Second World War another Swiss educator, Walter Corti, set up a centre for war orphans in Switzerland, and named it the 'Pestalozzi Children's Village'. This along with a second Village subsequently established in Sedlescombe in England, was soon opened to underprivileged children from developing countries.
The number of children who can be accommodated at the Villages - which continue today - is necessarily limited, and the Pestalozzi Overseas Children's Trust (POCT) was founded in the UK in 1995 to bring opportunity and encouragement to deprived children in countries across Africa and Asia. POCT later established the Pestalozzi U.S. Children's Charity Inc. in New York. (Please see Organisation for details.)
Learning high yield organic argriculture at Budhanilkantha School, Nepal.
The Pestalozzi Approach
While there is clearly an important role for emergency aid programmes, experience tells us that these frequently make little long-term difference in developing countries. PestalozziWorld tries to tackle key problems at source by sponsoring the secondary education of particularly talented, but underprivileged, children.
The Pestalozzi approach to education aims to develop children into well balanced and responsible adults by fostering their "Head, Heart and Hands" - that is, academic knowledge, moral and social awareness, and vocational skills. In keeping with this, schools chosen for the programme have a track record not only of academic excellence, but also of demonstrating social commitment, and providing practical and vocational skills training.
Critical to the Pestalozzi approach is that 'graduates' are encouraged and expected to set up foundations in their own countries to help educate new generations of disadvantaged children who find themselves in the same situation they once faced themselves. This is what we call the Circle of Success. When these foundations have been successfully established, the Trust can move on to help children in other countries.
It is difficult to escape the vicious circle of poverty, which reduces opportunity, causing worse poverty, resulting in even fewer opportunities. We offer an education to children with good potential in these communities so that they may transform that vicious circle into one of success.
Activities
Education, education, education - head, heart and hands!
PestalozziWorld sponsors the secondary education of bright but needy children in Asian and African schools either directly or through foundations. Johann Pestalozzi's philosophy of developing the whole person is applied by developing the head - academic ability, the heart - moral and social awareness, and the hands - vocational skills. The academic, social and vocational areas are given equal importance.
Where possible boarding accommodation is provided. This enables those in the remote areas to benefit from continuing their education. Importantly schools are selected which provide practical and vocational skills training. Where appropriate PestalozziWorld helps the schools (where scholars are educated) to set up and run Vocational Skills Training Centres. These also benefit the local community.
Girls, girls, boys!
Scholars are selected in the ratio of 2 girls to every 1 boy in an attempt to redress the lack of educational opportunities for female children coupled with the custom of educating boys rather than girls. With the same aim in mind, we build accommodation with special emphasis on girls' hostels at the schools attended by PestalozziWorld scholars.
Scholars, and Then What?
Approximately 200 students have already completed their Pestalozzi sponsored in-country education and over 300 are currently being sponsored. We also support the Pestalozzi Alumni in setting up and running Pestalozzi Foundations in their own countries and help to organize alumni Reunions.
Pestalozzi Overseas works with the Pestalozzi International Village Trust (PIVT) (formerly the Pestalozzi Children's Village Trust) and with other charities to assist the young graduates to acquire new skills and find employment.
PestalozziWorld also facilitates the Pestalozzi international network by producing magazines and newsletters for the Pestalozzi scholars and alumni. This facilitates the exchange of letters between scholars of different nationalities and encourages links between current scholars and the alumni.
POCT scholars in far west Nepal
Examples
In addition to the following brief examples covering Indians, Malawians, Nepalese, Tibetans and Zambians, the Trust also supports children in Thailand through the national foundations.
India
Gurukul School, Lonavla - 19 students are based here, while 18 Indian scholars are based at the Pestalozzi Asian Village.
Tibetans in exile in India: Dharamsala - 19 Tibetan students are sponsored at the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) in North India and 8 scholars at the Pestalozzi Asian Village.
There is a POCT-funded hostel for 25 students at TCV
Malawi
20 Students are being sponsored to attend the Kavuzi Community School near Mzuzu.
Nepal
Budhanilkantha School, Kathmandu - 34 POCT students are being trained here in carpentry, sewing and computer skills. They learn mushroom-growing and other agricultural skills at the Pestalozzi mini-farm, as well as the business side of producing and selling goods. Many of the female scholars live in the 124-bed Girls' Hostel part-funded by Pestalozzi Overseas.
Shri Sita Ram Higher Secondary School, Uchchakot - 34 POCT students are based here, where a Vocational Skills Training Programme teaches basic agriculture, sewing and weaving. A further 3 students, who recently completed their POCT-funded secondary education in the school, are going on to receive vocational training in the area under POCT sponsorship. There are 16 Nepalese students at the Pestalozzi Asian Village.
Zambia
Kasisi Basic School - 77 girls study here, and live at the Children's Centre which was built by POCT in 1998. At the Centre, the girls are taught to grow their own vegetables, to sew, and to crochet.
Kasisi Girls' Secondary School, Lusaka - 10 girls attend this institution
with POCT support, and another 18 are attending local secondary schools.