Access Impact: An Unimagined Dream Come True
Learner Perspective
“This visit to America has been quite a learning experience for me, something I had never dreamt of,” said 15-year-old Jayanta Majhi of his participation in the U.S. Cultural Immersion program. Jayanta and his family are members of the Dongria Kondh community, a primitive tribal group of Odisha, India. In 2006, poverty caused him to drop his studies in order to help his father with their only source of livelihood – collecting and selling forest produce and cultivation in small land-holding. A year later, the people of his village intervened to introduce Javanta’s family to KISS so he could receive a free holistic education.
KISS is a unique institution established in 1993 to empower underprivileged indigenous children from the hinterlands of India. KISS has become the only institution in the world providing free education from kindergarten to post-graduation with vocational and extracurricular training, free lodging and boarding, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and facilities for 22,500 indigenous students. The institution partners with several organizations including the Department of State, which made it possible for Jayanta to be selected for the cultural immersion exchange program. He is the first Dongria Kondh student to visit the United States from the entire state of Odisha.
During his trip to the U.S. Cultural Immersion Institute, Jayanta attended workshops on leadership and global issues. He also visited important U.S. landmarks including the Washington monument and the Statue of Liberty. Jayanta credits his success to KISS, and the Access program he recently enrolled in to improve his English language skills. He is also extremely grateful to the U.S. Government for the U.S. visit, “Not only did I get a chance to visit America but I have also made friends from all over the world,” adds a beaming Jayanta.