In Mawphrew village, Ri Bhoi District, Meghalaya, a remarkable journey of community spirit and determination is unfolding. What began as a modest effort to support just four children struggling with their studies has now turned into a vibrant initiative benefitting twenty eager learners. At the heart of this story lies the Village Organisation (VO), whose members refused to stand by as pass percentages in their community remained low. Instead, they came together to create a solution that was simple, inclusive, and deeply rooted in collective responsibility—free tuition classes for children, right at the VO office.
The initiative was born out of a pressing concern. Parents and community leaders noticed that many children in the village were struggling academically. Pass percentages were low, and the gap in learning outcomes was widening. For families already facing socio-economic challenges, hiring private tutors was simply not an option.
Rather than accept this as inevitable, the Village Organisation took matters into their own hands. They reasoned: if children lacked support at home, then the community itself must become their extended classroom. With this conviction, they began organising free tuition sessions in the VO office—a space that had long served as a hub for meetings and decisions, now transformed into a centre for learning and hope.
The first day saw just four children timidly stepping into the VO office with their books. Volunteers, driven by a spirit of service, guided them through lessons in language, mathematics, and other subjects. Word of mouth spread quickly. Parents saw the difference these sessions made—their children returned home more confident, able to read aloud, solve problems, and even help their siblings with homework.
Within weeks, the number grew to twenty students. The VO office, once used only for administrative discussions, now buzzes with the sound of children reading, writing, and learning together. For many, this marks their first experience of structured academic support outside of school.
A Collective Effort
What makes this initiative extraordinary is not just the academic support it provides, but the collective ownership behind it. Parents take turns accompanying the children, ensuring discipline and safety. Volunteers from the community, some of whom are educated youth, step in as tutors. The VO manages logistics—arranging space, schedules, and basic resources like chalk, charts, and benches.
This is not charity. It is community-led development in action, where solutions emerge from within and everyone contributes what they can. As one VO member put it:
“We realised that if we wait for others to solve our problems, our children will be the ones to lose out. So we asked ourselves, why not start with what we have?”