In this feature interview, Charles Daniel McDonald speaks with Adi Vickers, founder of A Place for Us, one of Alef Trust’s Conscious Community Initiative projects. This grassroots NGO, operating in India´s rural Uttar Pradesh, provides holistic, arts and nature based education to marginalised children who would otherwise fall through the cracks of the formal education system.
Founded upon the principles of integral education, the initiative goes beyond cognitive development to address the emotional, physical, interpersonal, and spiritual needs of its students. Delivered weekly, the programme blends basic literacy and numeracy with creativity, mindfulness, yoga, nutritious meals, and environmental awareness; all delivered within a safe, community led space. A Place for Us seeks to foster dignity, belonging, and potential among children whose lives are often shaped by poverty, malnutrition, and exclusion.
Adi discusses the natural development of the project, which arose in response to her observations of both local and refugee children, within her Irish hometown, struggling within traditional educational and pastoral systems. With prior experience in India, she proposed piloting the initiative in a rural village in Uttar Pradesh, where many children face limited access to education, large class sizes, and widespread malnutrition. The project quickly evolved to include not only creative education, but also pastoral care and nutrition, fulfilling the children´s welfare, and most urgent points of need.
The core strength of A Place for Us is its deep integration with the local community. The project is delivered in Hindi by a respected local team, enabling strong relationships, cultural resonance, and respect. Despite the challenges of working in a remote setting, such as the absence of infrastructure, mistrust of NGOs, and barriers to girls’ participation due to safety concerns – the initiative has steadily built credibility and impact.
Children attending the programme are slowly but noticeably transforming. From initial behaviours shaped by deprivation; such as overeating due to hunger, to now sharing meals, engaging with poetry, and exploring their emotional and creative expression, the shift is profound. While progress in literacy and numeracy is gradual, it is steady, and underpinned by care, consistency, and individualised love and attention.
Adi also speaks candidly about the personal journey of transformation for facilitators themselves. Through mindfulness practices and a shared commitment to inner work, her team is able to hold space for others from a place of grounded presence.
Looking ahead, the priority is to establish a permanent school structure, ideally using sustainable materials such as bamboo, to create a secure and inclusive environment. This will be essential for increasing girls’ participation and a long term community impact.
The project is currently seeking support from local businesses, government, and international donors to bring this vision to life. To learn more or support the initiative, please visit:
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