There is a very young population in need of education. In 2011, a census revealed that there were 264 million people between 15 and 34 years old (productive age) in India, whereas 67.6% belong to the rural sector and the rest to the urban.

However, since 2010 the level of education has plateaued, which implies a huge problem because individuals are entering directly into the work force. This creates a time bomb for India because it dooms it to become a specialized manufacturing country. The solution relies on educating this young generation.

Auroville Institute of Applied Technology (AIAT) is a private organization that seeks to contribute into poverty eradication through vocational education and self-empowerment of students. They primarily focus on attracting students from rural areas. These students tend to share similar backgrounds such as disadvantaged family (below the poverty line), academically weak, socially challenging background (caste system) and lack of motivation/enthusiasm.

The Institute has to deal with the families and government (needs to adapt to constant regulations) and institutions to demonstrate the importance of vocational training. AIAT trains their students through Project Oriented Learning in order to increase their abilities in problem solving, seeks to motivate them, invites them to engage with their culture and make them aware of the social issues such as health, environment and society.

The anticipated outcome? Qualified workers and responsible citizens. The results are indeed very positive; 80 percent of those who completed the program get a job and another percent choose further education.

However, it is not easy. AIAT is in need of strategies for extra fund raising in order to manage to train more students. Those below the poverty line live with less than a dollar per day (68.08 Rupees). The Institute fees are 20,000 rupees per year. If this is broken down, an individual below the poverty line lives with 24,849.2 rupees per year. It is evident that it is impossible for the students to enroll by their own means. AIAT is not willing to give up, however they are constantly at the end of a cliff because they do not receive any financial support from the government and they depend on donations. The institution has a capacity of 400 students, yet there are only 100 enrolled currently.

Marcos Lopez Manrique

After an 8 hour flight from Paris, we landed in Mumbai and we were all rushing to make our next flight to Chennai. We arrived in Chennai at 4:30 am and all got onto two buses. Our first stop was to enjoy an authentic Indian breakfast. Though the taste was unfamiliar to most of us, we thoroughly enjoyed every bite. Certain students found the dish too spicy, while others were prepared to eat spicier dishes! We returned to the buses and traveled another couple of hours to a beach. There, we saw horses, sacred statues, and a beautiful ancient temple. Many of us climbed up some rocks for an even better view. There were men cutting fresh coconuts nearby with machetes, and each of us were eager to stick a straw in a coconut! Then, we walked up to a gorgeous relief sculpture which lead to a lighthouse, more ancient statues, and temples behind it. Where we are, in Tamil Nadu, is actually one of the most ancient regions in India. When we finally arrived in Auroville (the township we will be working within the next four weeks) we ate at Tanto’s, an Italian restaurant wherin we all enjoyed pizzas to share. At this point, it was only 3 pm, but everyone was exhausted and falling asleep. We eventually made it to the Mitra Guest house where we are staying. We were assigned roommates, received our room keys, and had free time until 5:30pm. While most students decided to nap, I decided to venture out with three other students to discover the area. We forgot that the roads were reversed à la UK style, and wandered straight into oncoming traffic–which was both scary and funny. We got to the Vistor’s Center (built out of sustainable brick materials) and were pleased to find delicious iced coffees and good wifi connection, for the Mitra’s wifi is not very strong. Finally, we all gathered for dinner next door at the Town Hall around 7pm. Needless to say, the day was filled with plenty of food and travel–and even I could not wait to get to bed by then.

Horse on the beach

Arrival in Chennai

We all called it an early night, and many of us woke up for a 7am yoga session with our instructor-to-be Natascha. It was amazing and much needed!

-Serene Obagi