Jagu and Mongli’s Journey of Possibility

4th December 2025

In India, the education system primarily teaches in Hindi and English. However, this marginalises minority language speakers, and children often drop out because they don’t understand the language of instruction.

Our partner, Asha Kiran Society, works with villages, including Tikrapada, to offer a life-changing curriculum that teaches children in their native language. As they progress, state and national languages are introduced.

Alongside the centres, we empower villages to mobilise so they can support the running of the centre.

In the rural Indian village of Tikrapada, husband and wife Jagu and Mongli step out of their home and make their way through the narrow, unpaved streets. Brightly coloured clothes flutter on washing lines strung between houses, and the couple pause to smile and put their hands together in greeting as neighbours head towards the fields.

Children join them along the way until they reach the Village Education Centre together. Inside, Jagu and Mongli head to their classrooms, while children settle on the floor, eyes bright and ready to learn.

When the couple first arrived in 2018, few children attended classes. Today, thanks to your support and their dedication, the centre hums with energy. Classrooms are full, children are eager to learn, and the community is brimming with hope for a brighter future.

“Sometimes the village feels frustrated with their progress, but I remind them that they’re already making a huge difference in their children’s lives.”

A Community Eager to Learn

When Tikrapada heard that a nearby village had a multilingual education centre, several villagers walked there to see it for themselves. Impressed by what they found, they asked the teachers, “Will you come to our village too?”

Their request reached our partner, who commissioned an assessment. The results were clear: the community was eager for change. Soon after, a new education centre was established in Tikrapada.

A Turbulent Start

In the beginning, the centre faced challenges. The village struggled to keep teachers for long, and with frequent turnover, classes became irregular. Parents began to lose faith, and attendance dropped. What had begun as a beacon of hope quickly dimmed.

A Fresh Energy with Jagu and Mongli

Determined to turn things around, our partner worked with the village to find a solution. That’s when Jagu and Mongli, a husband and wife teaching team from another community, volunteered to take on the challenge.

The villagers welcomed them warmly, offering the couple a small house as a sign of trust and support. Though it was a big step, Jagu and Mongli embraced the challenge, ready to rebuild the centre from the ground up.

Reviving the Centre

With patience and passion, they slowly revived the centre. Their lively teaching methods, filled with songs, stories, and hands-on learning, captured the children’s attention. Lessons became joyful, with pupils forming letters and numbers using pebbles. Bit by bit, more children returned.

One of them was Anvi. At first, she often slipped away from class to hide. Concerned, the teachers visited her parents and asked, “Can we find a way together to help Anvi feel comfortable coming to the centre?” The next day, her father walked her to class and stayed with her. He did this every day for a week, until she began arriving on her own, full of enthusiasm.

Facilitators of Change

Beyond the classroom, the village has been growing coffee and peppers to generate income for the centre. When the first crop failed due to water shortages, Jagu and Mongli encouraged the community to try again, this time using water from a nearby waterfall to irrigate the crops. The new crops flourished, and soon the profits will help sustain the centre for years to come.

Thanks to your support and the dedication of Jagu and Mongli, Tikrapada is no longer a place where education feels out of reach. It’s a village alive with learning, resilience and hope for a brighter future.