NGO: Samerth Charitable Trust

by EducationNgo's

NGO: Samerth Charitable Trust

Samerth is a non-profit organization, founded in 1992, that works towards development of a humane, sustainable and equitable society. Samerth has worked over 25 years in the areas of education, healthcare, water harvesting, rural sanitation, women’s empowerment and livelihoods in different parts of the country especially in the states of Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. The focus is on improving the conditions of marginalized communities and to that extent Samerth helps vulnerable communities to gain access to their social and economic rights. The organization works closely with these communities and the government for children’s rights and education.

IDRF partner since: 2009

  • Focus Area: Education, Health and Eco-friendly Development
  • Location: Gujarat
  • Project Title: Samerth Talim Kendra- Day Care Center for Special Needs Children
  • Details:  Samerth Talim Kendra was started in 2006, in order to meet the community’s need for services and facilities for children with special needs. This day care center is operational from 11 am to 5pm, five days a week. Till date the center has been able to enroll more than 175 children, 80% of whom have disabilities of some sort. At present the center provides services to 55 children, 26 young girls and 29 young boys. With IDRF’s support the center has been able to increase the number of children enrolled, create better facilities, hire better trained staff, invest in better tools and equipment and overall improve the quality of services for the center.
    These improved facilities at the center has ensured preparedness of special children for integration in the mainstream society, by helping them to be independent in activities of daily life, vocational training, and, equipping them with basic reading and writing skills, etc. The efforts of the Kendra has also been able to create awareness about needs of people with disabilities and factors contributing to incidences of disability at community level.
    Students at the center are provided Speech and Physical Therapy sessions, Yoga and Pranayam, along with diet changes to get appropriate nutrition. Proper diet, regular physical therapy sessions along with outdoor activities are showing positive results in most students. Some of the children have been associated with the center for the last 8- 10 years and are now looking forward to financial independence as they enter adulthood by making paper plates and bowls. The paper goods making enterprise started by the center also has a special marketing coordinator that is able to sell these products to certain establishments.
    IDRF and Samerth’s partnership is attempting to make these children self-reliant in as many ways as possible and striving to create for them a place in mainstream society. The process of ensuring personality development of such children needs to be extremely sensitive and customized for each child. Such special care can be imparted only in a center that is meant exclusively for such children and Samerth Taleem Kendra is in the process of doing the same.

Students in a classroom at Samerth Taleem Kendra

Please click on the link to know more about Samerth’s Taleem Kendra’s programs to educate children with special needs.

http://samerth.org/ahmedabad/samerth-talim-centre-mentally-challenged-children

NGO: Vatsalya Trust Mumbai

by EducationNgo's

NGO: Vatsalya Trust Mumbai

Vatsalya Trust Mumbai is a non-profit organization that was established in 1983 with the primary objective of caring for and rehabilitating destitute children through its orphanage as well as other social programs. The name ‘Vatsalya’, a Sanskrit word meaning affection, was considered appropriate for naming the Trust, as it works for the welfare of children and provides various facilities for their social and economic upliftment. Over the years, the Trust’s focus areas have extended beyond just the caring of destitute children, to include women’s empowerment and education efforts.

IDRF partner since: 1998

  • Focus Area: Education and Women’s Empowerment
  • Location: Navi-Mumbai, Maharashtra
  • Project Title: Balikashram: Sanpada Project
  • Details:  The Balikashram- Sanpada Project was started in June 1999 in Navi-Mumbai at Sanpada. IDRF has been partners since 2008 and sending grants to support this project. In this three-storied building about 54 destitute girls in the age-group of 4 to 16 years are provided shelter, nourishment, medical care and educational and developmental facilities. These girls from economically weaker sections of the society are getting education as well as personality development classes so that when they go back to their families, they feel more confident and self-reliant. During the academic year, several events and competitions are held and the girls are encouraged to participate in order to ensure their all-round personality development.
    Organization also conducts various vocational courses such as: tailoring, fashion designing, beautician, and henna application, etc. for girls at the Balikashram as well as other women from economically weaker section of the society.

Please click on the following link to learn more about Vatsalya Trust’s programs for destitute children and women.
http://www.vatsalyatrustmumbai.org/balika.html

NGO: Surabi Charitable Trust

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NGO: Surabi Charitable Trust

Surabi Trust is a non-governmental and philanthropic organization that was founded in 2008, by a group of socially committed youth in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.  The Trust is established with the ultimate aim to serve deprived children by providing them quality education, better medical and nutrition support and empower women to be self-reliant.

IDRF partner since: 2015

  • Focus Area:  Education and Health
  • Location: Tamil Nadu
  • Project Title: Brindavan-Residential Care for Homeless Boys
  • Details:  Surabi runs a free stay home Brindavan for abandoned children in a friendly and caring environment which makes them feel at home. IDRF has been supporting Surabi’s program of providing a home for homeless children who are vulnerable to exploitation by criminals and anti-social activities.
    The objective of this program is to provide good education to these destitute children by providing them a friendly learning environment and to equip them with moral values and help them grow into good citizens. Surabi provides free food, shelter, clothing, shoes, haircutting, education, sporting activities, and training in Taekwondo, music and arts for the children residing here. Apart from academics and sports, Surabi also arranges recreation programs and annual trips for the children to enjoy.

Homeless children residing at Brindavan

Homeless children residing at Brindavan are trained in Taekwondo and participate in championships

Please click on the link below to know more about the various programs carried out by Surabi Trust.

http://www.surabitrust.org/

NGO: Santosh Kumar Kamlesh Singhal Saraswati Vidya Mandir (SKKS)

by EducationNgo's

NGO: Kusum Goel Dr. Santosh Saraswati Vidya Mandir

A team of dedicated professionals has developed a National System of Education which helps in building a generation of young men and women infused with patriotism, physical, mental, and spiritual development and capable of successfully facing challenges of life. These youth will contribute towards building a harmonious, prosperous, and culturally rich Nation.

IDRF partner since: 2018

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Uttar Pradesh
  • Project Title: Funding request for a school for rural children (especially girls)
  • Details:  In 2018, a team of professionals started a school at a village Kanauja in Ghaziabad, about 25 km north of New Delhi. This new school spans over four floors and 16 classrooms. A team of 25 members works at the school and about 500 children are enrolled from nearby rural areas. The school is not-for-profit and provides quality and affordable education to children from economically weaker families and who are likely to drop out of school for lack of finances or facilities.
    The school is funded by donations from individuals and does not get any financial assistance from the government. The school is governed by Vidhya Bharati Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Sansthan. To achieve the goal of providing quality education to rural children, the school needs to create more facilities such as smart classrooms, improved computer lab, activity rooms, security, and CCTV system, and a sports complex. Donations are being sought to provide facilities at the school as well as to meet the annual educational and other essential expenses of the students.
    Besides academics, the students are also engaged in vocational training, field trips, cleanliness drives, environmental camps, and evening coaching classes to help with the homework, etc. To encourage the children to attend school, they are also given toys, books, and other school supplies. Dedicated school teachers regularly visit the children at home to meet up with their parents and get them to be involved in their child’s education.
    At present, the school has limited facilities and has initiated Phase-II of their building construction. A block of four floors with a covered area of 1,400 sq. meters will be added for which there is a dire need of funds.

Please contact admin@idrf.org for more details.

SKKS Saraswati Vidya Mandir School in village Kanauja, Uttar Pradesh

Annual Sports Day 2019

Summer Camp

Eye exam for the students

Student activities at the school

NGO: Sahaj Seva Samsthan

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NGO: Sahaj Seva Samsthan

Sahaj Seva Samsthan (SSS) is formed by followers of a spiritual way of living propounded by Mahatma Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. This society is focused on propagating the philosophies of selfless service, sacrifice, moderation, and co-operation. They have been working on uplifting the impoverished people of Telangana by providing them low-cost or free medical care and education.

IDRF partner since: 2005

  • Focus Area: Education and Health
  • Location: Telangana
  • Project Title: Free Schools for Disabled and Disadvantaged Children
  • Details:  IDRF has supported schools set up by the Samsthan for providing free education to children with special needs (slow learners), who are unable to study in normal schools and have failed there repeatedly or are dropouts. Another school that IDRF funded for, provides free education to disadvantaged children in an environment where besides academic excellence and vocational learning, the noble qualities like honesty, truthfulness, love, sharing, sacrifice, discipline, and moral values are being inculcated in the students through associative teaching methods.

Please click to know more about Sahaj Seva Samasthan’s programs.

NGO: Samerth Charitable Trust

by EducationEnvironmental SustainabilityNgo's

NGO: Samerth Charitable Trust

Samerth is a non-profit organization, founded in 1992, that works towards development of a humane, sustainable and equitable society. The focus is on improving the conditions of marginalized communities and to that extent Samerth helps vulnerable communities to gain access to their social and economic rights and their programs are developed as per the requirement of the respective communities.

A safe and sustainable water supply, basic sanitation, and good hygiene are fundamental for a healthy, productive, and dignified life. And yet, many of India’s poor rural people lack access to an improved water supply and improved sanitation facilities. Samerth Charitable Trust, has been working on these issues in the Kutch District of Gujarat and Kabirdham District of Chhattisgarh, which are characterized as most arid and drought-prone regions of India.

IDRF partner since: 2009

  • Focus Area: Education, Health and Eco-friendly Development
  • Location: Gujarat and Chhattisgarh
  • Project Title: Water Harvesting/Security in Gujarat, Water Security & Ground Water Management in Chhattisgarh.
  • Water Harvesting Project in Rapar, Kutch District, Gujarat: Water harvesting is the technique through which rainwater is captured from the roof and stored for use later. Harvested rainwater can be stored in sub-surface groundwater reservoirs or in storage tanks in semi-arid or drought-prone areas for soil and water conservation. IDRF has partnered with Samerth in Rain Water Harvesting in order to provide safe and sustainable water resources for the poor and marginalized communities in 97 villages of Rapar block, (Dist. Kutch) Gujarat.
    This area is perennially water scarce and depends heavily on water bodies that are refilled each year by undependable monsoons. The environmental conditions are extreme, and due to the scarcity of water, no industry or enterprise has flourished here. The region has rain-fed agriculture that is the backbone of the economy. The communities mainly belong to the poor and backward class, with very limited resources available to them. Due to lack of rainfall, an array of problems like poor health, decreased livelihoods due to agricultural unproductivity and insufficient water for the livestock forces several poor families to migrate for 6 to 8 months each year with their belongings and cattle.
    Samerth has prepared a complete Water Security Plan and a comprehensive report by visiting all 97 villages of Rapar block and shared the information with local authorities. Samerth has constructed total 37 check dams and 12 dug wells in the area. This has led to a considerable decrease in the number of people and cattle migrating from village to village in search of water and employment. The availability of water has changed their sowing patterns in agriculture and also changed animal husbandry conditions, which has not only improved their financial condition, but also improved their sanitation habits. It has also reduced the drudgery of women who use to walk more than 5 km to fetch water for their families and resulting in an improvement in their health conditions. A decrease in migration has also decreased the drop-out ratio of children from schools.
    So far a population of 52,908 in 20% of the villages has benefitted by this project. Samerth has identified the locations for the construction of 6 Earthen Check Dams and 3 Dug wells in near future. This will benefit over 15,000 households comprising of 90,000 people and 57,000 cattle. The current phase of the project started in July 2016 and will end in June 2018.

Click here to watch the success of water harvesting program in Rapar.

Water Harvesting Program: Nakhatrana Block, Kutch District, Gujarat:

IDRF and Samerth have also been greatly successful in developing Water Harvesting Structurers in the villages of Nakhatrana block, District Kutch. READ MORE….

Dug Well at Kidiyanagar Village, Gujarat- Provides Safe Drinking Water to the Villagers

Drinking Water Harvesting and Security in Bodla and Pandariya blocks of Kabirdham District, Chhattisgarh:

With the success of water harvesting project in Gujarat, IDRF has expanded the program to the most impoverished and backward hilly areas of Chhattisgarh, where rainfall is inadequate & erratic. Local tribes are often excluded from infrastructural and government services. People are not able to use water as per their requirements and needs. Scarcity and poor quality of drinking water force women to walk daily for 2-4 kms to fetch drinking water. Gastrointestinal and stomach illnesses, especially among the children, have been a widespread health problem here.

The problem in this region is not only the absence of water, but also the poor quality that hinders life and livelihoods.

Absence of water has also lead to a reduction in agriculture which has increased malnutrition cases and infant and maternal mortality rates. IDRF and Samerth are constructing rain roof-water structures, earthen check-dams and water tanks to harvest rainwater and conserve existing spring water. Rain Roof Water Harvesting structures are cost-effective, easy to construct, operate and maintain.

The youth in these villages are being trained as Jaldoots on principles of participatory ground water management. Villagers are being made aware about the causes of water contamination and efficient ways to store it. This program will create water secured villages and address safe drinking water related issues for 1,021 tribal families.

Rain Roof Water Harvesting Structure being constructed at Sivnikala Village, Chhattisgarh

Please click on the links to learn more about Samerth’s Water Harvesting programs in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.

http://samerth.org/kutch/water-security

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuoytemd5Pk

NGO: Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS)

by EducationNgo's

NGO: Yogoda Satsanga Society of India (YSS)

Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) of India is a social service organization that runs several programs throughout India in the areas of education, medicine, and disaster rehabilitation. YSS operates more than 20 educational institutions and 30 charitable medical dispensaries focused on free homoeopathic and allopathic medical care. These institutions are primarily centered in the tribal and economically disadvantaged rural areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Orissa, and Uttaranchal.

Partner Since: 2002

  • Focus Area: Education, Health and Rehabilitation
  • Location: West Bengal
  • Project Title: Corpus Fund
  • Details:  IDRF has made significant contributions to Yogoda Satsanga Society’s corpus fund, which is used for the running of educational institutions, awarding scholarships to deserving but economically disadvantaged students. IDRF grants have also provided financial support to nearly 750 students annually, and have enabled YSS to take advantage of various similar government initiatives.

Please click on the link to learn more about Yogoda Satsang Society’s various programmes.
https://yssofindia.org/

NGO: Upakar, USA

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NGO: Upakar, USA

Upakar is an exclusive voluntary organization based in DC metro area.  It’s an organization focused on providing financial assistance to high-achieving Indian-American scholars in the United States.

IDRF partner since: 2003

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location:  DC-Maryland-Virginia, United States
  • Project Title: University Scholarships
  • Details:  IDRF has been continuously supporting Upakar to provide scholarships to bright, second-generation Indians in USA with acute financial problems. Since its inception, the organization has awarded scholarships to high school students going to college in order to ensure awardees are able to receiving a quality university education. IDRF is one of the top corporate sponsors of Upakar and contributed more than $ 32,000 to be awarded as scholarships.

Please click on the link to learn more about Upakar.
http://www.upakarfoundation.org/

NGO: Swa-Roopwardhinee

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NGO: Swa-Roopwardhinee

Swa-Roopwardhinee is a social service organization that promotes the integrated development of students through a variety of educational activities and programs, including vocational training, a self-study center, a Montessori school, a coaching center to prepare students for university exams, and women’s empowerment programs. It was founded in 1979 with a mission to enrich the latent qualities of young, intelligent and capable children of society without any discrimination based on caste, color and creed. It is a place where future leaders are continually nurtured by providing hope, care and loving kindness through different types of informal activities and projects.

IDRF partner since: 1997

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Pune, Maharashtra
  • Project Title: Mobile Science Laboratory Expansion (completed), Scholarship fund for brilliant but needy children, and Integrated Development Centers and Patient-Assistant Courses
  • Details:  In 1996, Swa-Roopwardhinee initiated a Mobile Laboratory Program to provide educational programs focused on science – a subject that was found to be in great deficit in many of the current local educational institutions. As a result of this program, both students and teachers are seeing much greater use for the integration of the sciences in education.
    IDRF and Swa-Roopwardhinee have been working together for two decades on Mobile Science Laboratory. Their goal has been to empower slum/rural children and youth through education and vocational training including coaching for various competitive exams. Till date, the Mobile Laboratory and All Round Rural Development project, has helped 12,000 students to complete High School education and teachers have received practical training.
    IDRF and Swa-Roopwardhini also aim towards identifying and developing future leaders among school-going children from different strata of the society. IDRF supports Swa-Roopwardhini in running 16 Integrated Child Development Centers in various parts of Pune, wherein more than 800 selected students are benefitting. These centers are mostly situated near areas where mostly deprived sections of the society live. 200+ college-going youth volunteers, who themselves are from these deprived communities, help administer these centers. These after-school evening centers run throughout the year and provide study tours, residential camps, leadership training and coaching for competitive exams by professional experts and retired teachers.
    IDRF is also supporting the Patient Assistant Courses for strengthening girls’ self-reliance and financial stability in the rural areas of Pune. Many girls from underprivileged communities are not encouraged to pursue education and forced to drop off during high school. Several are married off at a young age, leaving them financially dependent and vulnerable to dowry demands and harassment by alcoholic family members. Swa-Roopwardhinee has been successfully running this Patient-Assistant course for 23 years (recognized by Tilak Maharashtra University, Pune). More than 1,164 economically and socially disadvantaged girls have gained quality technical education and gotten jobs at hospitals and nursing homes. These girls are now earning decent livelihood and able to provide a life of dignity for themselves and their families.

    Unique Housing Solution: Many parents are reluctant to let their daughters travel alone or stay in urban areas to attend training programs. A unique feature of this project is that, the training program is being brought to villages to offer safe housing for participants. Girls from tribal areas, remote interior villages around the backwater and hilly areas can also attend this program as a result.

Patient-Assistant Nursing program participants

Please click on the link to know more about Swa-Roopwardhini’s programs.

http://swaroopwardhinee.org/ 

NGO: Sri Ram Gram Vikas Samiti

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NGO: Sri Ram Gram Vikas Samiti

Sri Ram Gram Vikas Samiti is an educational nonprofit, dedicated to providing quality, accessible education to children in rural villages with little formal infrastructure.

IDRF partner since: 1990

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Nagauri Village, Meerut District, Uttar Pradesh
  • Project Title: Savitri Soni Vidya Mandir Inter College (Nagauri School)
  • Details:  The Savitri Soni Vidya Mandir Inter College began as one man’s dream to give back to his home! With IDRF’s vision and development strategy, the dream of an NRI to have a school in his native village could be fulfilled.
    In the beginning…the school faced tremendous opposition from villagers who believed once the children got educated, they would leave the village. The school had a modest start with two rooms, two teachers, a hand‐pump and no electricity, and provided free education to the children. Within a few years, school bought an old tractor trolley, as it could not afford a school bus. Soon, the tractor trolley had to make two trips to take the children to school. In order to save time for the students, IDRF was finally financed school bus. Now, the children from even further off wanted to attend this school, as its reputation spread. In order to provide education to more and more children, every few years IDRF financed more buses, now totalling to five.
    By now, the school expanded beyond Class 10th to include Classes 11th and 12th. Previously IDRF funding could not support education beyond Class 10th and the students were required to enrol elsewhere in order to continue their education. However, due to the villagers’ concerns about the safety of girls traveling far, IDRF initially funded private classes for them beyond Class 10th. Eventually the enthusiasm of the villagers and availability of funds through IDRF has resulted in housing the senior classes within the school premises. The multi‐storied school building has all facilities, including science laboratories, a state‐of‐the‐art auditorium and faculty apartments. Recently, IDRF grants enabled the school to build a computer lab to impart computer education and skills among the students, smart class equipment to improve teaching and wrestling Hall.

This video shows the fulfillment of the NRI’s dream to have a school in his native village.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJnW32q924Y&t=67s. The Success of IDRF’s vision and development strategy is reflected by the fact that today around 1,000 students from 30 villages are brought by 5 buses. Students of this school perform better in state board exams compared to other schools in the region. The operational costs of the school are now met by the same villagers who opposed the idea of having a school more than two decades ago.

Students in multi-media room

Students in Chemistry-Physics lab