The challenges faced by youth in low-income communities in India
Unequal access to quality education continues to affect many young people living in low-income urban and rural communities across India, especially girls and women. In these settings, schools and families often lack the resources to equip children and youth with the skills, guidance, and opportunities they need for a fair chance in life. As a result, social mobility remains limited, and the cycle of poverty persists: where students come from continues to define their future.
How do Reality Gives support these communities?
Operating at the heart of these communities is Reality Gives, an organisation that believes education is the most powerful tool to break the cycle of poverty. Since 2009, they have focused on providing children and youth with access to equitable, quality learning. Their programs are grounded in lived experience, with offices and centres embedded in the very communities they serve: the urban slums of Dharavi (Mumbai) and Sanjay Colony (Delhi), and the rural community of Naujheel (Mathura).
Reality Gives’ Community Centres and core programmes
In each location, Reality Gives runs vibrant Community Centres — safe, inspiring spaces where young people and community members can access education, skills, and support they wouldn’t otherwise have.
Their core programs focus on English and Digital Literacy, helping bridge the gap between local-language schooling and the demands of higher education and employment, where English fluency and digital competence open doors to greater opportunities. They also offer an Employability Program that equips learners with career guidance, exposure to industries, and practical tools for job readiness. Beyond academics, Reality Gives enriches lives through workshops and extracurricular activities that promote creativity, curiosity, and awareness around key issues such as health, financial literacy, and inclusion.
These programs are delivered by a unique mix of external experts and trained community educators, using in-house curricula designed to reflect students’ real-life contexts and needs. The combination of a committed team, quality trainers, engaging learning spaces, and tailored programs aims to equip students with the confidence, skills, and self-awareness to thrive — to learn, grow, and earn like anyone else.
"A journey beyond travel — we have championed Reality Gives' work, year after year, through a shared commitment to community development."
How the Explorations Company partners with Reality Gives
Since 2019, we’ve been proud to partner with Reality Gives, whose grassroots educational work deeply aligns with our belief that travel should be a force for good. Over the years, our guests have had the unique opportunity to visit Reality Gives’ communities, not as tourists, but as learners and supporters. This ongoing relationship, renewed in 2025, reflects our shared commitment to responsible tourism and community-led development. We’re honoured to contribute once again to their impactful programs, particularly at the Community Centre in Dharavi.
This year, our support focuses on Dharavi — one of Asia’s largest slums, home to over one million people within just 1.7 square kilometres. Despite overcrowded living conditions and limited access to basic services, Dharavi is a hub of resilience and entrepreneurship. Our contribution will help sustain Reality Gives’ work in this vibrant community by covering the rent of their Community Centre — the heart of their programs — and supporting a local woman who progressed from student to teacher to teacher-trainer. Her work not only uplifts fellow educators but also strengthens the quality of every class, including the English lessons she continues to lead.
How will you engage with Reality Gives once in India?
Following a 2 to 3-hour educational tour of Dharavi, during which you will see a wide range of activities such as pottery making, embroidery and soap making, you could additionally participate in a family cooking or pottery class. There will also be the opportunity to interact with Reality Gives students and/or the local team at their community centre in Dharavi. There are no age restrictions.
