This Article is From Nov 06, 2010

Michelle Obama making a difference

Mumbai: From making America eat better to advocating social causes, US First Lady Michelle Obama is trying hard to make a difference. And perhaps that is why she's fitted in meeting a group of children from Mumbai's orphanages on her jam packed  itinerary.

For a year now, these children  are preparing to meet the US First Lady - they are learning to speak and write in English, so that they can share their experiences with Michelle Obama.

Their teachers , a bunch of volunteers from an NGO - Making a Difference -  are all college students. "Our kids who are first generation learners who have no support from any space of society and are not getting the education. They can't afford the education. But English is important to them because it can guarantee them employment," says Jithin Nedumala, the co-founder of the NGO.

Making a Difference is spread across ten cities in India, and has 800 volunteers who teach the Queen's English to orphans in municipal schools.  And how this bunch of college students is attempting to bring about a change is exactly what Michelle Obama would be keen to see for herself.

"It's a youth organisation, managed by the youth and she seems to be impressed with that. And she wants to know how we manage this along with our studies," says Pari Thakkar, a
volunteer

This high profile visit, they hope, will help focus attention on their cause - making these children a little less afraid of the English language, and allowing them to peer into a world of possibilities. 
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