“MY JOURNEY TO A NEW WORLD”

In 2014 Path to Success supported the challenged, but very brave children of Amar Jyoti Charitable Trust in India by adopting their unique Basketball Team.

Amar Jyoti was founded in 1981, under a tree in a backyard with only 30 disabled and able students from underprivileged background. Today the school has more than 700 students from nursery age to year thirteen.  The vision and mission of the school is to provide equal opportunities and full participation to children with difficulties and to demonstrate to the society that the mentally and physically challenged should be ACCEPTED, EMPOWERED and INTEGRATED

One of Amar Jytoi’s recent approaches to promoting inclusion is its Integrated Basketball Team where 8 of the sixteen players have physical and/or mental disabilities. They practice alongside their able friends daily, and as a result, have higher aspirations and want to advance and improve. No other school has promoted this model of sports progression for the disabled, hence Amar Jyoti is working very hard to raise awareness of its approach.

Path to Success’s determination in supporting Amar Jyoti let to introduction of “My Journey to a New World”.  A unique idea that was initiated during early days of planning of the Annual Art Masters in St Moritz, Switzerland. The aim of this project was to raise awareness and funds for Amar Jyoti’s Integrated Basketball Team by introducing Amar Jyoti and a local school in St Moritz over an artistic platform allowing each student to explore ideas of each other’s domestic environment. With the children and teachers’ full support, enthusiasm, positive approach the results were truly inspiring. The children from both countries obviously enjoyed the opportunity to learn about a new world by drawing on their vast imaginations.  These amazing paintings of over 60 students from grade three to eight was displayed at Nira Alpina Hotel during the Art festival in August 2014.

These heartening works of art were then sold to support the school’s team and we were able to fund 8 new specialised basketball wheelchairs and thirty-six sets of sports clothing which were presented to the school children during Diwali festivities.