This story is part of the [L]earn Initiative – a growing platform for education, dignity, and local income. It began in Bihar, but the ripple effect may reach far beyond.
Priyanka was one of the most remarkable children we met during our journey – right at the place where our school stands today. What began with quiet hesitation has since become a strong voice that now inspires many other girls. In this conversation, she shares how she found her path, why education matters so deeply to her, and what dreams she holds for the future.
Priyanka was one of the most remarkable children we met during our journey – right at the place where our school stands today. What began with quiet hesitation has since become a strong voice that now inspires many other girls. In this conversation, she shares how she found her path, why education matters so deeply to her, and what dreams she holds for the future.
Culture clash
India, the land of contrasts, doesn't just meet travelers - it permeates them. Where other distant countries appear foreign, colorful or exotic, here you encounter a multitude of realities that are not only perceived differently, but also function fundamentally differently. The culture clash does not begin with cows in the street or the sounds of temples in traffic chaos. It begins when you realize that values, rules, things you take for granted and social relationships operate in a completely different matrix. In India, closeness is lived differently, time is perceived differently, hierarchy is thought of differently. The hospitality is overwhelming, but at the same time, glances, physical contact and questions are often irritatingly direct or strangely distant. In the midst of colorful rituals and spiritual depth, there is also an everyday contradiction: ancient wisdom meets deeply rooted social exclusion. This becomes particularly clear when you take a look at the lowest castes - people who have no access to education, healthcare or even basic dignity. Their exclusion is not loud, but silent, structural, persistent and too often unquestioned. Even within a single village, multiple parallel worlds often exist: Some live with Wi-Fi and air conditioning, while others go without electricity, running water, or basic rights. The most marginalized tribal and caste communities are often left with nothing at all.
Touch points
This deeper culture clash is a mirror that raises questions - about justice, privilege, belonging. And about how much we really understand when we think we have seen and experienced so much. In April 2023, I travelled to several established schools as well as established village schools for marginalized children of those marginaized communities for the association India Child Care e.V. Along the route were smaller and larger schools and facilities run by our local partner. I was taken from station to station by the respective local contacts. This allowed for deep insights and deep connections with people who have never seen a foreigner (in the villages).
Deep insights
In one of the communities that did not yet have the opportunity to offer their children regular classes at that time, I spoke to the then 11-year-old Priyanka and met her siblings and father. One of the things that struck me, and not only me, was the way she met me: full of openness, interest, joy and hospitality. Everyone there was friendly and interested, but it seemed as if she in particular was not so inhibited, anxious and reserved in her overall manner due to the burden that everyone there has to carry. Her pleasantly approachable and almost carefree manner was clearly visible and noticeable. Especially when she politely but firmly took my arm and brought me to her father to introduce us, which is something very unusual in India under these circumstances. Together with the team from Prabhat, a center for education and action, we initiated the first joint school at the end of 2023, where Priyanka and other children from the village and the surrounding area now receive age-appropriate lessons that enable them to attend secondary school and study. Something that was never possible for these children. Priyanka has spent her entire life so far in the place they call their village, which is also a collection of a few shelters next to a highway. She has been attending Prabhat's supplementary education programs from there for about four years. This is also because there are major problems with the lessons at the local stately school.
This is exactly where our individual internship and filed study trips come in. Students or interested individuals who work on site accompany children like Priyanka in their everyday lives, experience the reality of their families, and see how education opens up new paths. This connection is more than just observation—it also changes those who come.
The interview
About two years after the personal meeting, we suggested interviewing Priyanka in a video conference. Everyone immediately agreed and Joyson, one of the employees, who had already explained a lot about the context at the time, brought the technology to the village, translated and explained the background. With the consent of all those involved, we are publishing abridged parts of the interview, which was far more impressive for all those present than previously assumed.
Welcome
Hello, everyone. We are conducting this interview because we wanted to see you again. But also to listen, learn, and share the story of your village and yourself, to raise awareness of the issue and reach people who would like to support us in making concrete improvements to the situation.
1. question
Tell us a bit about yourself – your name, your age, your family, your school..
Priyanka
My name is Priyanka, and I am 13 years old. I have two brothers, one sister, and we live with our parents. My school is about 3 km from our village. I want to be a doctor because health and healthcare issues are such a big topic for our community. I love dancing and singing, especially the local dances and songs, which have great cultural significance here. I also really enjoy painting and cooking..
Remark from Joyson
The children have recently been able to perform on stage there. This also gives them a platform in a figurative sense. As members of a marginalized minority, nothing like this has ever been possible for them before. It is the first time they have had such a platform to become publicly visible and express themselves. In addition, girls of this age have already learned to cook here. Priyanka can already cook for 10-15 people. We also welcomed her parents and saw one of the wonderful handmade sculptures (up to 3 meters tall) that her father, a sculptor, makes and paints himself. This is another source of her artistic abilities.
2. question
What is important to you right now?
Priyanka
The most important thing for me is to get a very good education so that I can become a doctor. I also want to earn my own income so that I can support my family and the community as a whole in their progress. And I would very much like to see more of India and the world.
Remark from Joyson
When we asked her which place in India would be her top choice, she immediately mentioned India Gate in Delhi. Joyson explained to us that what is unfortunately true for many people in similar situations—and sometimes remains true for their entire lives—is also true for Priyanka: Priyanka has never traveled more than 50 km outside her village community of outcasts and casteless people in Bihar, already the poorest state in India.
3. question
How were the visit and our meeting perceived by your village?
Priyanka
The whole village was shocked, in a positive sense. After learning that someone had come from so far away to meet them and seeing that this person spent a long time talking to Priyanka and her father, the topic of education took on a new importance and significance that it had not had before. They knew about its importance, but the visit made them realize that education could actually make a real difference for them too. Next time, everyone wants to be there and meet us. Knowing about the last visit was already an inspiration, but a personal meeting will give them another huge boost.
Remark from Joyson
The hardship here in this area is still so great that some girls simply cannot survive. They are sometimes still seen as a burden because there is little or no dowry. Since the visit, girls are seen as an opportunity and they themselves realize that they can be and become anything – that was not the case before. After the other girls, whether older or younger than Priyanka, also realized the importance of education, they too began to learn. Although Priyanka had already been learning at Prabhat before, the encounter in April 2023 contributed so much to their motivation that now everyone else at the school wants to learn at Prabhat and be part of it on the next visit. This is also because the government school only provides one meal a day – but no lessons. This one visit had a huge ripple effect. On the day of the interview, when the Prabhat team arrived, Priyanka taught younger children in her free time while the teacher gave other lessons in the next room.
4. question
What do you want to achieve in the short term?
Priyanka
First, I want to do very well in the upcoming important exam. It is a landmark exam that all ninth-grade students in India must take. It is important to me to share the recognition I will receive for this with my parents. And to continue on the path that will enable me to study later and become a doctor. And find a way to get books for all the students here. Because we need them urgently to be able to continue learning after completing ninth grade.
5. question
What do you think we should improve?
Priyanka
The place where we learn is open. There is a small room inside where cooking is also done and a small area. It would be great to have an area where we children could really learn and study.
6. question
What could be an advantage of your difficult history and initial situation?
Priyanka
What I can already convey to people is: Let the situation be as it is. No matter how bad and sad it is. If a girl like me can learn and study, we should not focus on the problem or the circumstances, but always keep our eyes on the goal, pursue it, and achieve it.
7. question
What do you think of the agricultural project in which we bring beekeeping training and beehives to schools and work with you to produce organic honey that you can also sell?
Priyanka
I think this would be a good opportunity for the whole area here, because labor migration is very high here and the project can immediately lead to employment and income without people having to leave their homes and depend on others who often just exploit them. It can also improve the health of children and the community, both physically and mentally, through activity.
Remark from Sumanth
The [L]earn initiative from India Child Care e.V. and bee active from Kolkata gives children, young people and students the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of beekeeping in cooperation with their schools. Information is conveyed in an entertaining and age-appropriate way, live. Educational institutions, students and their families can all be supported in setting up sustainable school projects involving beehives and organic honey, as well as exploring future prospects and earning opportunities. This support is particularly aimed at institutions with which we are establishing new schools and projects to help improve the living conditions of children and communities.
8. question
How do you see and view your relationship and connection to the person Prabhat?
Priyanka
First and foremost, they are family to us. When they come to visit us, it feels like we are with our own family. Without them, we would be lost on our journey, but they not only help us find and follow our path, they make it possible for us to have a path in the first place.
Remark from Joyson
The lives of children from marginalized communities differ fundamentally from the lives of other children. Even from the lives of other children who are also not doing well. The children here suffer from degrading and dehumanizing conditions. They cannot run with others. Where others are cared for, they do not receive a glass of water. No one visits them, and they cannot go to other houses. It has been this way for many generations. What all this does to a child and later to adults is unimaginable.
Sumanth
I think people will learn a lot from you and the people around you. They just don't know it yet. I can well imagine that, in a way, you are pioneers and will be role models across many boundaries. Geographical as well as social, societal, and possibly religious boundaries. Some people can't see that, don't want to, and perhaps never will. But for many, there will come a time when they will understand, thanks to you, what was wrong here for people like you – and still is. India is a wonderful country, but it also has these terrible sides to it. But you can change that. And you are already doing so.
Naming
The name Prabhat comes from Sanskrit and means “dawn” or “daybreak”. It is made up of the words “Prabha” (light) and “At” (to arise), meaning “the arising of light”. In the context of Prabhat, the facility in Sakri, it is a social action center committed to the education and social empowerment of marginalized communities, especially the Musahar, a disadvantaged caste. The name “Prabhat” reflects the vision of enabling a “new beginning” and “awakening” for these people through education and community work. The first name of our 13-year-old interview partner, Priyanka, means “kind, friendly, happy” or “the pretty one”. It is derived from the Sanskrit word “Priyankara”. Generally, the name is also associated with “beloved” or “amiable”. In addition to Priyanka herself, Joyson and myself, another person from Thailand took part in the interview. She also has the term Phonprabha in her name, which could be translated as: “She who brings light as a blessing”. Among other things, she supports us as one of two intercultural experts for Southeast Asia and India with her knowledge about the origin and development of ancient scripts and cultures, which she has acquired as a specialized archaeologist. Their exchange was very interesting and may be a future topic in itself. It is remarkable that a kind, friendly girl, even in name, who supposedly has no opportunities, is already such an inspiration to many through people who create hope and prospects for the future and whom she herself calls family.
Connected dots
Priyanka's story is representative of something bigger: a change that begins quietly - in a remote village, through a girl who asks questions, thinks ahead and believes in possibilities where hardly anyone saw any before. It is children like her who show that change does not always have to come from above. They inspire not only their families, but also teachers, social workers and even those who have so far remained outside such realities. What becomes visible here is more than individual resilience. It is a potential turning point that can spread from village to village. Step by step, the view of education, origin and social affiliation is changing. If this view expands, something can emerge that reaches beyond individual villages: a new self-image that no longer stops at castes, classes or borders, but connects people who believe in the power of dignity, community and the future. What is possible today is nothing less than the beginning of a sustainable transformation - carried by children, supported by people everywhere. Because education does not end in the classroom. It begins where community and the future are created: At meeting points that enable new connections. Change is possible there. It starts small - in a gesture, in a look, in a conversation. And sometimes it only takes one girl on the front line who is brave enough to dream - for an entire country to begin to see itself in a new light.
To ensure that this change does not remain isolated, reliability is needed: people who make a financial or partnership commitment, thereby enabling new schools, training places, or even our [L]earn initiative with organic beekeeping. Every form of support—whether donations, sponsorship, or long-term partnerships—is immediately visible and effective here.
Creating change
Anyone who would like to support the project—whether through an internship trip, a donation, or sponsorship—can contact us directly. Every contribution has a double impact: for the children and for the future of the entire village community
India, the land of contrasts, doesn't just meet travelers - it permeates them. Where other distant countries appear foreign, colorful or exotic, here you encounter a multitude of realities that are not only perceived differently, but also function fundamentally differently. The culture clash does not begin with cows in the street or the sounds of temples in traffic chaos. It begins when you realize that values, rules, things you take for granted and social relationships operate in a completely different matrix. In India, closeness is lived differently, time is perceived differently, hierarchy is thought of differently. The hospitality is overwhelming, but at the same time, glances, physical contact and questions are often irritatingly direct or strangely distant. In the midst of colorful rituals and spiritual depth, there is also an everyday contradiction: ancient wisdom meets deeply rooted social exclusion. This becomes particularly clear when you take a look at the lowest castes - people who have no access to education, healthcare or even basic dignity. Their exclusion is not loud, but silent, structural, persistent and too often unquestioned. Even within a single village, multiple parallel worlds often exist: Some live with Wi-Fi and air conditioning, while others go without electricity, running water, or basic rights. The most marginalized tribal and caste communities are often left with nothing at all.
Touch points
This deeper culture clash is a mirror that raises questions - about justice, privilege, belonging. And about how much we really understand when we think we have seen and experienced so much. In April 2023, I travelled to several established schools as well as established village schools for marginalized children of those marginaized communities for the association India Child Care e.V. Along the route were smaller and larger schools and facilities run by our local partner. I was taken from station to station by the respective local contacts. This allowed for deep insights and deep connections with people who have never seen a foreigner (in the villages).
Deep insights
In one of the communities that did not yet have the opportunity to offer their children regular classes at that time, I spoke to the then 11-year-old Priyanka and met her siblings and father. One of the things that struck me, and not only me, was the way she met me: full of openness, interest, joy and hospitality. Everyone there was friendly and interested, but it seemed as if she in particular was not so inhibited, anxious and reserved in her overall manner due to the burden that everyone there has to carry. Her pleasantly approachable and almost carefree manner was clearly visible and noticeable. Especially when she politely but firmly took my arm and brought me to her father to introduce us, which is something very unusual in India under these circumstances. Together with the team from Prabhat, a center for education and action, we initiated the first joint school at the end of 2023, where Priyanka and other children from the village and the surrounding area now receive age-appropriate lessons that enable them to attend secondary school and study. Something that was never possible for these children. Priyanka has spent her entire life so far in the place they call their village, which is also a collection of a few shelters next to a highway. She has been attending Prabhat's supplementary education programs from there for about four years. This is also because there are major problems with the lessons at the local stately school.
This is exactly where our individual internship and filed study trips come in. Students or interested individuals who work on site accompany children like Priyanka in their everyday lives, experience the reality of their families, and see how education opens up new paths. This connection is more than just observation—it also changes those who come.
The interview
About two years after the personal meeting, we suggested interviewing Priyanka in a video conference. Everyone immediately agreed and Joyson, one of the employees, who had already explained a lot about the context at the time, brought the technology to the village, translated and explained the background. With the consent of all those involved, we are publishing abridged parts of the interview, which was far more impressive for all those present than previously assumed.
Welcome
Hello, everyone. We are conducting this interview because we wanted to see you again. But also to listen, learn, and share the story of your village and yourself, to raise awareness of the issue and reach people who would like to support us in making concrete improvements to the situation.
1. question
Tell us a bit about yourself – your name, your age, your family, your school..
Priyanka
My name is Priyanka, and I am 13 years old. I have two brothers, one sister, and we live with our parents. My school is about 3 km from our village. I want to be a doctor because health and healthcare issues are such a big topic for our community. I love dancing and singing, especially the local dances and songs, which have great cultural significance here. I also really enjoy painting and cooking..
Remark from Joyson
The children have recently been able to perform on stage there. This also gives them a platform in a figurative sense. As members of a marginalized minority, nothing like this has ever been possible for them before. It is the first time they have had such a platform to become publicly visible and express themselves. In addition, girls of this age have already learned to cook here. Priyanka can already cook for 10-15 people. We also welcomed her parents and saw one of the wonderful handmade sculptures (up to 3 meters tall) that her father, a sculptor, makes and paints himself. This is another source of her artistic abilities.
2. question
What is important to you right now?
Priyanka
The most important thing for me is to get a very good education so that I can become a doctor. I also want to earn my own income so that I can support my family and the community as a whole in their progress. And I would very much like to see more of India and the world.
Remark from Joyson
When we asked her which place in India would be her top choice, she immediately mentioned India Gate in Delhi. Joyson explained to us that what is unfortunately true for many people in similar situations—and sometimes remains true for their entire lives—is also true for Priyanka: Priyanka has never traveled more than 50 km outside her village community of outcasts and casteless people in Bihar, already the poorest state in India.
3. question
How were the visit and our meeting perceived by your village?
Priyanka
The whole village was shocked, in a positive sense. After learning that someone had come from so far away to meet them and seeing that this person spent a long time talking to Priyanka and her father, the topic of education took on a new importance and significance that it had not had before. They knew about its importance, but the visit made them realize that education could actually make a real difference for them too. Next time, everyone wants to be there and meet us. Knowing about the last visit was already an inspiration, but a personal meeting will give them another huge boost.
Remark from Joyson
The hardship here in this area is still so great that some girls simply cannot survive. They are sometimes still seen as a burden because there is little or no dowry. Since the visit, girls are seen as an opportunity and they themselves realize that they can be and become anything – that was not the case before. After the other girls, whether older or younger than Priyanka, also realized the importance of education, they too began to learn. Although Priyanka had already been learning at Prabhat before, the encounter in April 2023 contributed so much to their motivation that now everyone else at the school wants to learn at Prabhat and be part of it on the next visit. This is also because the government school only provides one meal a day – but no lessons. This one visit had a huge ripple effect. On the day of the interview, when the Prabhat team arrived, Priyanka taught younger children in her free time while the teacher gave other lessons in the next room.
4. question
What do you want to achieve in the short term?
Priyanka
First, I want to do very well in the upcoming important exam. It is a landmark exam that all ninth-grade students in India must take. It is important to me to share the recognition I will receive for this with my parents. And to continue on the path that will enable me to study later and become a doctor. And find a way to get books for all the students here. Because we need them urgently to be able to continue learning after completing ninth grade.
5. question
What do you think we should improve?
Priyanka
The place where we learn is open. There is a small room inside where cooking is also done and a small area. It would be great to have an area where we children could really learn and study.
6. question
What could be an advantage of your difficult history and initial situation?
Priyanka
What I can already convey to people is: Let the situation be as it is. No matter how bad and sad it is. If a girl like me can learn and study, we should not focus on the problem or the circumstances, but always keep our eyes on the goal, pursue it, and achieve it.
7. question
What do you think of the agricultural project in which we bring beekeeping training and beehives to schools and work with you to produce organic honey that you can also sell?
Priyanka
I think this would be a good opportunity for the whole area here, because labor migration is very high here and the project can immediately lead to employment and income without people having to leave their homes and depend on others who often just exploit them. It can also improve the health of children and the community, both physically and mentally, through activity.
Remark from Sumanth
The [L]earn initiative from India Child Care e.V. and bee active from Kolkata gives children, young people and students the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of beekeeping in cooperation with their schools. Information is conveyed in an entertaining and age-appropriate way, live. Educational institutions, students and their families can all be supported in setting up sustainable school projects involving beehives and organic honey, as well as exploring future prospects and earning opportunities. This support is particularly aimed at institutions with which we are establishing new schools and projects to help improve the living conditions of children and communities.
8. question
How do you see and view your relationship and connection to the person Prabhat?
Priyanka
First and foremost, they are family to us. When they come to visit us, it feels like we are with our own family. Without them, we would be lost on our journey, but they not only help us find and follow our path, they make it possible for us to have a path in the first place.
Remark from Joyson
The lives of children from marginalized communities differ fundamentally from the lives of other children. Even from the lives of other children who are also not doing well. The children here suffer from degrading and dehumanizing conditions. They cannot run with others. Where others are cared for, they do not receive a glass of water. No one visits them, and they cannot go to other houses. It has been this way for many generations. What all this does to a child and later to adults is unimaginable.
Sumanth
I think people will learn a lot from you and the people around you. They just don't know it yet. I can well imagine that, in a way, you are pioneers and will be role models across many boundaries. Geographical as well as social, societal, and possibly religious boundaries. Some people can't see that, don't want to, and perhaps never will. But for many, there will come a time when they will understand, thanks to you, what was wrong here for people like you – and still is. India is a wonderful country, but it also has these terrible sides to it. But you can change that. And you are already doing so.
Naming
The name Prabhat comes from Sanskrit and means “dawn” or “daybreak”. It is made up of the words “Prabha” (light) and “At” (to arise), meaning “the arising of light”. In the context of Prabhat, the facility in Sakri, it is a social action center committed to the education and social empowerment of marginalized communities, especially the Musahar, a disadvantaged caste. The name “Prabhat” reflects the vision of enabling a “new beginning” and “awakening” for these people through education and community work. The first name of our 13-year-old interview partner, Priyanka, means “kind, friendly, happy” or “the pretty one”. It is derived from the Sanskrit word “Priyankara”. Generally, the name is also associated with “beloved” or “amiable”. In addition to Priyanka herself, Joyson and myself, another person from Thailand took part in the interview. She also has the term Phonprabha in her name, which could be translated as: “She who brings light as a blessing”. Among other things, she supports us as one of two intercultural experts for Southeast Asia and India with her knowledge about the origin and development of ancient scripts and cultures, which she has acquired as a specialized archaeologist. Their exchange was very interesting and may be a future topic in itself. It is remarkable that a kind, friendly girl, even in name, who supposedly has no opportunities, is already such an inspiration to many through people who create hope and prospects for the future and whom she herself calls family.
Connected dots
Priyanka's story is representative of something bigger: a change that begins quietly - in a remote village, through a girl who asks questions, thinks ahead and believes in possibilities where hardly anyone saw any before. It is children like her who show that change does not always have to come from above. They inspire not only their families, but also teachers, social workers and even those who have so far remained outside such realities. What becomes visible here is more than individual resilience. It is a potential turning point that can spread from village to village. Step by step, the view of education, origin and social affiliation is changing. If this view expands, something can emerge that reaches beyond individual villages: a new self-image that no longer stops at castes, classes or borders, but connects people who believe in the power of dignity, community and the future. What is possible today is nothing less than the beginning of a sustainable transformation - carried by children, supported by people everywhere. Because education does not end in the classroom. It begins where community and the future are created: At meeting points that enable new connections. Change is possible there. It starts small - in a gesture, in a look, in a conversation. And sometimes it only takes one girl on the front line who is brave enough to dream - for an entire country to begin to see itself in a new light.
To ensure that this change does not remain isolated, reliability is needed: people who make a financial or partnership commitment, thereby enabling new schools, training places, or even our [L]earn initiative with organic beekeeping. Every form of support—whether donations, sponsorship, or long-term partnerships—is immediately visible and effective here.
Creating change
Anyone who would like to support the project—whether through an internship trip, a donation, or sponsorship—can contact us directly. Every contribution has a double impact: for the children and for the future of the entire village community
As an enabler, you build bridges and create turning points
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Drop us a line and let us know how you’d like to contribute — as a donor, partner, intern, or just someone who cares.
