In 2007, four students from Delhi University visited Sidhauli in Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh, and discovered something that changed their lives forever: an entire community of children growing up without a school. Determined not to let another generation be denied education, they began teaching 48 children in a borrowed room. For most of them, it was the very first time they held a book or stepped into a classroom. That modest space became a hope for families who had long believed education was out of reach.

The dream soon grew into a collective movement. Local leaders came forward to donate land, while young people launched a crowdfunding campaign to build the first classrooms. Out of this unity, Swarachna School was born, the region’s first senior secondary school, created by and for the community. What started with 48 children has become a thriving institution that today serves more than 700 students from Nursery to Grade 12.