THE HOPE PROJECT CHARITABLE TRUST
I heard about the Hope Project through the presentation made by Kamini Prakash at Zenith Camp, Switzerland and I made a donation for the new school building in the Basti. After the decease of Pir Vilayat, I missed him much more because of his presence in silence than his teachings and I wanted to see whether I could find a resonance at his dargah. So I asked Kamini by e-mail if I could come as a volunteer and do something at the Hope Project. It was the prompt answer and the proposal to speak about "geography & architecture" which gave me a push for a new understanding about "man made doings" that secure life: e.g. the materialisation of energy in the cosmos, the 4 alchemic elements, the evolution of the world, the fact that even animals need strategies to secure their survival (spider’s web, honey hive, bear hole, birds nest) and in the earliest human dwellings there are traces of infrastructure (waterhole, food container, tools for hunting, fences or walls to separate functions,...) all this before they could protect from rain, heat, cold, aggressors) and a lot of technologies to adapt to climates and topography, or the use of adequate materials (leave, clay, wood, stone, brick, etc ...).The preparation had been a matter of sourcing the pictures, and with the selection of slides I had to work out a visual presentation and even in this process I had support through enthusiastic mails from Pritha Ghosh giving me her full attention. Then I received practical help for arrival for my stay, such as a cab at airport and the studio up on the terrace of the building in the basti with a splendid view of the neighborhood, the lanes with open air market,... and a hearty midnight welcome at the entry of the new building by security staff and other volunteers...And next day I get information about all the activities of the Hope Project (school for girls, support teaching, nursery, night shelter for young boys, medical help and new ideas and problems... )To see the happy coming in and out of all the colorful people with animated talks and jokes, as well as in the staircase or the class rooms moved me a lot and gave a lively impression about the meaning: give a drive for better life! To see the joy of the Eid festival when I was there gave one more aspect of the Indian ability to arrange with given conditions: clean and bright clothes of most of the children, the shouts of joy on the merry-go-round, the big camel and others... And I had time to see Humayun’s Tomb, the Dargahs in the Basti, Qutub Minar , Bahai Tempel, as well as Museums, Old Delhi with Red Fort, Mosque,... and I had the best guides or kind companions ... and I had very personal impressions to about the enlarged and well maintained Dargah of Hazrat Inayat Khan and the all too simple installation for his son Pir Vilayat Khan. I felt pity for this cheerful, silent soul having such a humble place of memory...but for me his flourishing silence pull through these conditions and gave me peace and trust for my own old days...I will not forget to mention my lecture: I could develop my items before a mixed audience with the commitment of teacher Shabana. She did a lively translation in hindi with added questions and gave the presentation a much more stimulating accent I could never do my own. So many of the presents have been taken between 9 pm to 2 am and announced lot of questions they would discuss in proceeding meetings...And I in my - late sixties - was happy to share heart & soul with such nice and interested, young people...
Dieter / Mukti (Zürich)
To give HOPE is not an altruistic thing but a call to share body, heart & soul!
Text in German
Delhi: Erfahrungen eines Volonärs in der Bast (Hope Project)Das Hope Projekt war mir durch die Präsentation im Schweizer Sufi Camp durch deren Leiterin, Kamini Prakash, bereits bekannt und mit speziellen Spenden konnte ich den Schul-Bau in der Basti auch schon unterstützen.Nach dem Verschwinden von Pir Vilayat habe ich Ihn sehr vermisst; vor allem seine Präsenz in Stille, mehr wie seine teachings und ich wollte erfahren, ob ich eine Resonanz an seiner Dharga spühren könne. So habe ich ein E-Mail geschickt: ob ich mich als Volontär nützlich machen könne im Hope Project . Prompt, schon Stunden später traf die animierende Antwort ein, ob ich das Thema "Architectur & Geographie" als Vortrag behandeln würde...Das hat mir den richtigen Kick gegeben das Thema Architektur ganz neu anzugehen: als Infrastrukstruktur zur Gewähr-leistung des Lebens: so, einführend über die Materialistion von Energie im Kosmos (Gas, Staub, Meteore, Planeten,..), die 4 alchemischen Elemente (Mineralien, Wasser, Luft, Feuer), die Evolution der Erde (aus Mineralien,Wasser,Luft > Pflanzen > daraus Tiere > dann erst Menschen, ... Schon die Tiere benötigen Strategien und technischen Einsaty um Ihr Leben zu gewährleisten (z.B. Spinnen-Netz, Honigwaben, Vogelnest, Spechtloch, Bärenhöhle u.v.a.). Bei den frühesten menschlichen Ansiedlungen finden wir primär Infrastrukturen für die Sicherstellung von Wasser, Lebensmittel-Container,Wegbefes-tigungen, Einrichtungen für Jagd/Fischfang, Hecken, Matten-zäune, Trockenmauern zur Gliederung von Funktienen (Tiergatter, Gartenzaun, Abtrennung von Kochen, Waschen, Werkplatz, u.a.m.) erst dann die manchmal einfachsten Installationen fürSchutz vor Regen, Wind, Kälte (Höhle, Blätterdach, Hütten aus Matten, Texitlien, Lehm, Holz, Natursteinen, Ziegeln,...und dann all die genialen Anpassungen ans Gelände, sei es für die Agrikultur (Terrassierungen) oder die Ausrichtung der Wohnbauten auf Besonnung, Wind, Regen/ Schnee,...und so von der traditionellen Bauten als soziale Struktur (Beispiel Burkina Faso) zu aktuellen Entwicklung zu seelenlosen Wohnkon-tainern (Hongkong) mit über 2000 Einwohnern pro ha. Die Vorbereitung war Herausforderung mit dem Thema Bauen und Topografie, Klima neu um- zugehen; die Selektion des Bildmaterials war dann schon etwas didaktisches als Anregung und Visualisation meiner Gedanken für die Zuhörer. Schon in dieser Phase wurde ich durch Mails von Prita Gosh animiert, die sich leidenschaftlich interessiert zeigte.Dann erhielt ich auch ganz prak-tische Hilfe: Taxi am Flughafen, herzlicher Empfang um Mitternacht, ein Zimmer auf der Dach-terrasse mit Aussicht auf Sternen und die Nachbarschft der Basti...Am nächsten Morgen erhielt bei Rundgängen mündlichen und faktischen Einblick in all die bestehenden Tätigkeiten deren Ablauf und deren Auswirkungen (Tagesschule, Stützunterricht am Abend, Krippe, Kindergarten, med. Konsultations-Zentrum, Nachtquartier für Jugendliche,...) und weitere Aktionen (Frieden, Sauberkeit, Exkursionen,...) und offene Probleme. Dies zu erfahren inmitten der lebhaften,farben- reichen Menschen die in angeregten Gesprächen oder freudigem Geschrei Trepp auf und abzirkulierten berührten mich als Beispiel von: Verbesserungen des Lebens zu fördern! (nicht nur was aber auch wie!) Auch das daneben laufende "Diwali"-Lichterfest war Demonstration, wie fantasievoll, in sauberen farbigen Kleidern, mit Uebermut und Freude hier mit einfachsten Mitteln Kinder mit einfachsten Karussell oder Kamelreiten die Bastie-Kinder Fähigkeiten des Ausgleichs leben...Auch war Zeit für mich mit besten Informationen oder lieben Begleitern all‘das von Delhi wieder zusehen,wie die Dhargas der Bastie oder Humayuns Tomb, Qutub Minar, Bahai Tempel, Museen, Old Delhi mit Red Fort, grosser Moschee,...und ich hatte sehr bewegende, persönliche Erfahrung die erweiterte und gepflegte Dharga Hazrat Inayat Khans mit Qawali Sängern zu erleben sowie die allzu dürftige letzte Ruhestätte von seinem Sohn, Pir Vilayat. Es ist bitter da in den einfachsten Räumlichkeiten der Seele dieses friedlichen, strahlenden Wesens nachzu- spühren ...seine aufblühende, kraftvolle Stille ist mir hier wieder entgegen gekommen mit Sanftmut für meine alten Tage...Noch zu erwähnen sei die Durchführung meines Vortrages, den ich vor neugierigen und interess-ierten Zuhörern mit der anmierenden Unterstützung der Lehrerin, Shavana. Sie hat mit der Hindi-Uebersetzung gerade noch ein Frage-Anwort-Spiel eingebaut und so die Aufmerksamkeit wachge-halten und Fragen provoziert, die später diskutiert werden wollen. Und ich, als Rentner , war glücklich Facetten von meinem Selbst (body, heart & soul) mit anderen zu teilen und dies mit so liebenswürdigen, offenen jungen Menschen. Dieter / Mukti (Zürich)Hoffnung (HOPE) zu geben ist kein altruistisch Ding, vielmehr animierender Austausch von body, heart & soul.
BUZZ BEAUTIFUL
In the last two years there has been a lot of experimentation with the curriculum. It has changed in tandem with teacher’s capacities to innovate the content and methodology in response to the growing demands of the children. The excitement and inquiry comes full circle when the children’s curiosity and commitment to learn ensures that teachers walk into class with better research and prepared to admit to not knowing.Below is a testimonial written by the science teacher, Farozina as part of her self-appraisal in April:
“Even though I have a Bachelors degree in science, I had never taught all the classes this subject before. For the first time I was made in charge of science for the entire school – the science expert. This was a huge challenge for me. 
Because it wasn’t only restricted to reading, exercises and explanations but the whole methodology of teaching was now based on inquiry and developing the habit of participation among the students.I will never forget my first day: Pritha (the curriculum adviser) came to class and gave a demonstration class on the topic of gravity. She had a chart on which the boy Newton sat under a tree. Apples were falling around him. Not surprisingly the students started explaining the laws of gravity: the earth exerts a force of gravity and that’s why the apples are falling down. That was enough to start a volley of questions from Pritha: where does gravity come from? Why? Why does everything fall down? Why don’t birds and air planes fall? Etc. etc. etc. The most talkative girl in my class, Syeda, gathered her courage and started explaining. More questions followed. Finally, Syeda looked at me in despair. I was also wringing my hands and wondering how I will answer all these questions!
That night I could not sleep for worry. Will I ever be able to involve the students and make my class so lively? How will I be able to answer all their questions when the subject was fairly new for me as well? I would have to work doubly hard to achieve this.From that day onwards, I have not looked back. I started connecting their questions with related topics and making a chain.
Then I was sent to a workshop where I learnt how I can encourage students, get them to start thinking and ask questions. Now my role has changed. The “teacher” has made space for the “facilitator” in me. My attitude to teaching changed and I started enjoying myself in the classroom. The classes provided an environment where students were given the freedom to ask anything and I enjoyed being challenged to give answers.
I had to learn how to use the computer and develop teaching resources to use in class. I also had to work hard on increasing my levels of tolerance and patience. Even wrong answers do not irritate me any longer. When students deviate from my questions and start to ask their own questions based on their personal journey of inquiry, that’s when I enjoy myself the most. “Baji, do fat people have more cells? Do bony people have fewer cells?” I laugh and say, don’t ask me! Then they reply, “Baji – we are not talking about YOU. We are talking about REALLY FAT people!!!.” 
Like Farozina, Shabana – the social sciences teacher - too has experienced the power of inquiry:“In inquiry-based teaching, students participate with curiosity and ask many questions not only related to the academic topic but also about their own life and surroundings. So many times it happens that the discussion diverts, but in this way the learning becomes vast and interesting. And they feel so free that they bring such questions which are related to their personal lives and want to find solutions to them. Together we try and find solutions through discussion. … ”. Shabana TabassumBoth these testimonials demonstrate the changes in the teaching learning process that have taken place in the classroom.
Photographs: Simon Eickhoff Courtesy: The Hope Project Charitable Trust
Project by LearningInq (www.learninginq.com)
EXPERIENCES OF A CHEMICAL ENGINEER IN A SCIENCE CLASSROOM
The Hope Project hosted 25 volunteers last quarter from all over the world. Here is an excerpt from an email sent by a Nevile, UK about his experience at the Hope Project. Nevill worked closely with the science teacher Farozina to develop science experiments that illustrate chemical reactions. - including a small compost pit on the terrace and a little terrace garden.
I can truly say that the memory of the time spent at the Hope Project assisting Farozina with the science projects will live with me for a long time. The enthusiasm and joy expressed by the girls in Farozina's science classes was outstanding and I hope the projects we did together will progress in the future. It would be nice to think that we have created a "green oasis" on the roof terrace of your school that will be enjoyed by the staff, parents and children for some time to come.
Teaching science (especially in a foreign language) is never easy, but Ihope my efforts in assisting Farozina and providing her with additional resources will in some small way help to take your project forward. (I wish the Chemical Engineering Students that I lecture to at Loughborough University, here in the UK in my role as a Visiting Professor had half the enthusiasm that the girls in the science classes showed as we built the garden projects together!!).
I can truly say that the memory of the time spent at the Hope Project assisting Farozina with the science projects will live with me for a long time. The enthusiasm and joy expressed by the girls in Farozina's science classes was outstanding and I hope the projects we did together will progress in the future. It would be nice to think that we have created a "green oasis" on the roof terrace of your school that will be enjoyed by the staff, parents and children for some time to come.Teaching science (especially in a foreign language) is never easy, but Ihope my efforts in assisting Farozina and providing her with additional resources will in some small way help to take your project forward. (I wish the Chemical Engineering Students that I lecture to at Loughborough University, here in the UK in my role as a Visiting Professor had half the enthusiasm that the girls in the science classes showed as we built the garden projects together!!).
