Veena & Virendra Gupta

Meet Veena & Virendra Gupta, two grandparents who have set up an outdoor classroom on a sidewalk in New Delhi after hearing stories about children in impoverished communities struggling through shutdown. Schools in India have been closed since March due to the pandemic and although private students have transitioned to digital learning, many students at government-run schools don’t have access to the internet or the devices needed to access ongoing education.

Veena and Virendra wanted to make sure that kids from poor communities didn't get left behind when schools reopen. Rather than worrying, they decided to do something about it - they've been conducting free lessons in maths, science, English and physical education twice a day, three times a week. Dozens of children aged four to fourteen attend the classes (although it’s up for debate whether they come for the learning or the cookies Veena hands out after class).

As the classes keep growing, Veena’s on a mission to recruit more volunteers. “It is not about the money that people can contribute and give, it is about their time,” she says. “They should take out little bit of their time, an hour or so, if not every day, every alternate day, and come and help these children.”