My name is Vani Sood and I am 15 years old. I became part of the OneProsper English Learning Buddy program this year and it has been an amazing experience. I got paired with a 7th grade student from the Lotus Petal Foundation and had half an hour weekly sessions with her, through which I helped her get better at pronouncing words in English. We read a book together and I helped her with words or phrases that she couldn't understand or didn't know how to pronounce. Along with being educational, our sessions were a lot of fun! We talked about our interests and often conversed about where we are from. We were both extremely happy to get to know each other and share our backgrounds. This was a great experience for me as I truly felt honored to be a small part of furthering a young girl's education. As of now, I am part of another program with OneProsper and cannot wait to participate in many more! I consider them a learning experience for both parties as through helping my student, I learned a lot of skills as well such as better communication and organization. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of this program and will be participating in more in the future!

Through OneProsper's English Learning Buddy Program, I have helped a greater cause: education for everyone. This program has allowed me to help others and myself. It has helped me make a difference in someone's life for the better. OneProsper has helped me feel like a member of the world. I would love to continue volunteering, and I highly encourage anyone and everyone to try it.

Volunteering with children through the English Learning Buddy pilot program was an incredibly enjoyable experience for me! I had done an in-person program similar to this before at a school near me (before Covid-19) and had a good time, so I was intrigued when I learned about this second opportunity over Zoom. The best part is that anyone can do it without any previous experience! Over this program, I was able to mentor and make friends with a student, making our time together both entertaining and educational. I would 100% take this opportunity up again if I was given the chance and I would recommend everyone to give a shot!

The OneProsper English Learning Buddy program allowed me to connect with two girls who attend the Lotus Petal Foundation school in India. I enjoyed how much I was able to interact with them in general and help them with their English pronunciation and reading comprehension. I also liked how I was able to learn about their lives and their interests. I could tell that they were very engaged every week, and seeing that truly made this program a great experience for me.

I have been an English Learning Buddy for several months now, and I can say the experience is unusual and interesting, to say the least. The tutoring itself is simple: you listen to your buddy’s reading and correct their pronunciation. The part I was most anxious about was meeting and talking with my buddy: Will they understand me? Will I understand them? Will we be able to find common interests? Although I was really nervous the first time, the sessions and the entire experience were beyond my expectations: I was able to bond really well with both of my buddies, despite occasional misunderstandings and technical problems on either side of the screen. Overall, I am really thankful to the Lotus Petal Foundation and Mr. Raju Agarwal for providing the English Learning Buddy program.

The experience I received from volunteering at the Lotus Petal Foundation was truly unique and exciting. The initial awkwardness you feel when connecting for the first time dissipates after ten minutes, and I was genuinely waiting towards my sessions. I cannot describe the pride I felt when my student improved on her pronunciation. Furthermore, the English Learning Buddy Program is very well-structured and organized; I always know what I have to do for each session and am never at loss. I am grateful for this opportunity and OneProsper for giving me such a special experience.

Tutoring students at the Lotus Petal Foundation was an incredible experience. The student I was assigned to was very respectful, eager to learn, and fun to work with. Not only did I enjoy teaching her, but I also learned a lot from her. The fact that we came from drastically different backgrounds made it an extremely unique experience and broadened my perspective of the world.  My time with her was tremendously gratifying, and I am grateful to OneProsper for the rare opportunity.

I learned about the One Prosper program through my school and I immediately signed up because of what a great opportunity it seemed to be. For 7 weeks, I was matched with Rajnandani, a grade 5 student at the Lotus Petal Foundation; together, we'd read a story and I'd help her with her English pronunciation. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as I got to meet and know Rajnandani throughout the sessions. I also appreciate how organized and efficient the moderators of each session were as they really made sure my Reading Buddy and I had enough time to complete our weekly task. I think everyone who has an opportunity to get engaged with One Prosper should do so, as it's a great way to meet new people and learn new things!

Through the OneProsper English Learning Buddy Program, I've learned that a lot of these young girls come from low-income families and are rarely given opportunities to practice their English. Many students don’t often get the chance to improve their reading and writing skills because instead of attending school, many of them spend several hours a day collecting water and helping provide for their families. Throughout the weeks I have been tutoring and volunteering with the Lotus Petal Foundation, I’ve encountered many different interactions with the young girls and I was able to help them improve their reading and writing skills through the different lesson plans provided. My experience being a part of the OneProsper English Learning Buddy Program has been so insightful in ways such as connecting with the students and getting to know about them and their interest in the tutoring sessions. I greatly enjoyed the time I spent interacting with students at the Lotus Petal Foundation, which also helped me improve my own communication skills to help others who are interested in improving their English.

The English Learning Buddy Program helped me gain newfound confidence in speaking English that I didn’t have before. After working with my buddy, I am now able to volunteer during class to speak and read out loud. I don’t feel discouraged to step out of my comfort zone anymore when challenging myself with English pronunciation. And I made a new friend along the way, and we still talk all the time!