NGO: Shiksha Bharati

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NGO: Shiksha Bharati

Shiksha Bharati is an educational institution that is devoted to the cause of the empowerment of girls. Shiksha Bharati runs and operates a Central Board of Secondary Education (C.B.S.E.) accredited senior secondary school (up to Grade 12th) on a 20-acre education campus. Tribal Girls’ Education and Hostel Facility, Vocational Training Centermpus, some 65 kilometers east of New Delhi. This school provides innovative and holistic education by utilizing a rigorous curriculum. The program combines academics with physical, moral, spiritual, and cultural development to empower these girls and prepare them to become financially independent to lead a life of dignity.

IDRF partner since: 2001

  • Focus Area: Education,Women Empowerment and Eco-friendly Development
  • Location: Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
  • Project Title: Tribal Girls Education and Hostel Facility
  • Details:  IDRF has been working with Shiksha Bharati to provide free education to underprivileged tribal girls who are unable to access basic education in their states. Girls from the Northeast region and other states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Ladakh are selected by Vidya Bharati and sent to Shiksha Bharati for schooling. An IDRFsupported hostel-Banwasi Chhatrawas with the capacity to house 100 girls operates within the campus of the Srimati Brahma Devi Saraswati Balika Vidya Mandir. IDRF and Shiksha Bharati provide free boarding, lodging, and travel to all girls residing here. The hostel includes a media room, library, game room, and a room for judo practice.

After completing their education some of the girls have returned to their native places, where they teach local girls, thus, contributing to breaking the cycle of gender discrimination and poverty in their communities.

The education of tribal girls at Shiksha Bharati can be supported through two distinct funds:

  1. Endowment Fund: a one-time donation of $ 10,000 endows one permanent educational seat, in perpetuity
  2. Annual Support: an annual donation of $ 550 per girl

Your donation will provide food, clothing, lodging, school supplies, medical expenses, utility charges, etc. The tuition, educational expenses, and counselors will be supported by partner Shiksha Bharati.

At present, 66 students are living at the IDRF Tribal Girls’ Hostel. To fill the hostel’s capacity of 100 students, and to educate girls belonging to economically disadvantaged backgrounds, we need your support! Your donation for educating a girl will give her financial independence allowing her to lead a life of dignity and self-respect.

IDRF also supports the higher education of these girls once they complete their schooling. The girls are also helped by IDRF volunteers with language skills, counseling, and guidance for college and higher studies. 

 Skill development and vocational training for IDRF-hostel girls and marginalized women

To improve their employability skills, students at the IDRF Hostel and other local marginalized women, are offered free computer and tailoring courses at the “Monica Gautam Vocational Training Center” named in memory of the late sister of an IDRF donor.  The training center is located on the education campus of Shiksha Bharati in Hapur.

 

Students at the IDRF Tribal Girls’ Hostel

Hostel students are also provided computer literacy

Girls learn various vocational activities while living at the hostel

Please click on the link to learn more about Shiksha Bharati https://www.shikshabharati.com/

NGO: Nayantara Memorial Charitable Trust

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NGO: Nayantara Memorial Charitable Trust

Nayantara Memorial Charitable Trust (NMCT), a public charitable trust, has worked since 2002, to extend a helping hand towards the deprived and the destitute. NMCT was established to carry out sustainable development programs to empower and engage the Santhal Tribe of Chaupahari jungle, Birbhum, West Bengal. This tribal population is amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged section of the society and over the years NMCT has been working in the field of Education, Basic Health care, and Livelihood in order to bring about an integrated development.

IDRF partner since: 2013

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location:  West Bengal,Rajasthan
  • Project Title:  Student Scholarships
  • Details:  The core purpose of NMCT is to change the plight of the tribes who do not have control over their own lives, by empowering them with tools and trainings that are necessary for shaping their own destiny. NMCT currently provides vocational training in a number of disciplines, scholarships for disadvantaged students, trainings on safe drinking water and proper hygiene practices, as well as a number of other programs.
    IDRF has worked with NMCT to provide university scholarships to a number of promising students enrolled in prestigious engineering programs. IDRF has also been able to support several tribal girls (first generation learners) by providing them with free tutorial facilities through short stay sessions at Nayantara premises. Most of these students have been able to appear for 10th grade State Board Exams and intend to make a difference in their lives.

Students in a Vocational Training Class

Please click on the link to learn more about Nayantara Memorial Charitable Trust’s projects.
http://nayantaratrust.com/

NGO: Lila Poonawalla Foundation

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NGO: Lila Poonawalla Foundation

Padmashree Ms. Lila Poonawalla along with her husband Mr. Firoz Poonawalla established the Lila Poonawalla Foundation (LPF) in 1995 with a vision to contribute to the empowerment of Indian women. LPF supports academically outstanding and financially deserving girls through scholarships to pursue higher education. LPF places great importance on nurturing women’s abilities through comprehensive education, including personal development workshops, activities, study tours, and other enrichment programs. Since its inception, LPF has transformed the lives of over 10,800 girls and their families. The foundation gives Scholarships to the girls from Amaravati, Wardha and Nagpur in Maharashtra and Hyderabad in Telangana.

IDRF partner since: 2009

  • Focus Area: Education and Women’s Empowerment
  • Location: Maharashtra and Telangana
  • Project Title:  Merit-cum-need based scholarships and skill-building
  • Details:  LPF awards scholarships to academically meritorious girls from the economically weaker background:
  • School scholarships (7th grade up to graduation)
  • Undergraduate scholarships and skill building project (engineering, engineering after diploma, pharmacy, nursing, and science courses)
  • Postgraduate scholarships and skill building project

The focus of LPF scholarships lies in the overall development and transformation of the scholarship recipients. Besides the financial assistance provided for completing their professional education, LPF focuses on ‘Beyond Scholarship’ by investing in the Skill Building & Development interventions to transform its girls into confident employable professionals for the industry at large. This also makes them balanced, empathetic and responsible human being. LPF provides them support in locating internship and placement opportunities, especially to those girls who may not get campus placement opportunities. LPF School Project is also supported with need based infrastructure and counseling of girls and their parents.

Many LILA Girls/LILA Fellows are working as Leaders in organizations such as Google, TCS, IBM, and Walmart in the USA. In India, thousands of LILA Girls and LILA Fellows are excelling in their career with Corporate MNCs, Hospitals, Academia Institutes, Research Organizations, Consulting and Civil Services.

LPF encourages the culture of give back within the LILA Girls/LILA Fellows through donations to help other girls get an education and blossom into confident young ladies through mentoring.

Skill building and training program for LILA Fellows.

Lila Girls from Wardha in a training class

Please click on https://www.lilapoonawallafoundation.com/  to know more about how Lila Poonawalla Foundation champions the significant cause of promoting girl’s education and women empowerment

NGO: Jayarama Educational Society

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NGO: Jayarama Educational Society

The Jayarama Educational Society started a school in West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. This English Medium School, Jayarama Vijnana Vihara, has provided economically-disadvantaged children from surrounding villages with quality, value-based education since 1999. Presently the school has about 300 students from kindergarten to tenth standard.

IDRF partner since: 2012

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Andhra Pradesh
  • Project Title:  School Construction and Expansion
  • Details:  The school building was completed in 2015 and IDRF sent a grant to take care of its whitewashing and fixing fans and doors. IDRF donor, who is a native of this area, has been supporting the expansion of this school building. This expansion has provided classrooms, dining rooms, other general facilities, as well as an activity space for kindergarten students. The benefactor couple visited the school recently and donated a marble statue of Goddess Saraswati for the school.
    On Vasant Panchami, the school celebrates Saraswati puja and 5 year old kids write their first letters in front of the Goddess’ statue.
    There are more than 350 children from poor families from the nearby villages that attend this school. As the number of children in the school is increasing, IDRF sent grants in 2018, to construct additional restrooms and water tank for the convenience of the students.

Teachers and Students at the School

NGO: Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS)

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NGO: Economic Rural Development Society

Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS) is an NGO established in 1982 in a village in West Bengal. ERDS owes its existence to the dedication and hard work of Mr. Madhu Basu, who wanted to combat the growing poverty in villages and urban areas. It is a non-profit, secular and non-political organization dedicated to the mitigation of misery and poverty, and upliftment of the impoverished.

The primary objective of the organization is to engage in sustainable development techniques to empower the local rural communities, especially women and children. In the initial years it concentrated on non-formal and adult education. Gradually ERDS has diversified its activities in other fields such as women and child development, child education, child sponsorship, health & nutrition, low cost sanitation, care & rehabilitation of the elderly.

IDRF partner since: 2005

  • Focus Area:  Education Health and Women Empowerment
  • Location: West Bengal
  • Project Title: Kesarben Memorial School, Gajole, Dist. Malda, and Primary School for Hindi Speaking Children, Boral, Dist. 24-Parganas
  • Kesarben Memorial School (KMS):
    Started in 2013 with support from IDRF, to ensure the overall holistic development of students hailing from poverty stricken background. Apart from providing quality education, extracurricular activities like sports, physical education and self-development are also encouraged. KMS has reached a new height in standard of education due to a dedicated team of qualified teachers and efficient management of ERDS.

    Hindi Primary School, Boral:

    IDRF came across a unique situation wherein, the future of Hindi speaking migrant laborers in West Bengal was bleak because of their inability to study in Govt. schools, where the medium of instruction is Bengali. Being cognizant of this situation, ERDS succeeded in securing 100% tax exemption under Indian Income Tax Section 35AC- rarity in INDIA, which allowed them to meet IDRF’s requirement of 50% co-financing. Thereby IDRF succeeded in establishing ‘Velji Vishram Popat Primary School’ in Boral, District South 24 Parganas.

    All 300 students that attend this school are from below poverty line families (BPL). In order to accommodate all the students and due to shortage of school rooms, the school is run in two shifts. To reduce the rate of drop-outs incentives in the form of toys, occasional tiffin are given to the children. As an integral part of imparting education, school creates awareness about health, hygiene and environmental sanitation so that the children can cultivate good habits from their childhood. The curriculum also includes teaching Bengali, computer, drawing, dance & music.

Students at Kesarben Memorial School, Gajole

Please click on the following link to find more information about Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS).
http://erds.in/

NGO: Computer Shiksha

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NGO: Computer Shiksha

Computer Shiksha is a non-profit organization that was founded by corporate leaders in 2012 to bridge digital divide in India. The skills and experience of the founders has led the NGO to provide free but quality computer literacy programs spread over 55 weeks curriculum to underserved children attending the government and municipality schools.  

IDRF partner since: 2018

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Learning centers in 16 states
  • Project Title:Computer literacy and digital skills for the underprivileged children
  • Details: In today’s world of rapid developments in technology, there are still hundreds and thousands of marginalized in India that neither have access nor afford computer literacy and skills to better their lives. The government schemes are mostly available online, which people from under-served communities are unable to access. IDRF is funding to continue a unique program in partnership with Computer Shiksha to impart computer knowledge and skills to the underserved children, who can use technology for the betterment of their lives in every possible way.

    The computer literacy program began in April 2013, with just 15 laptops taken in a vehicle to 60 poor school-going children to train them in the beginners level course (31 to 62 weeks), followed by advanced-level course (24 weeks).

    The success and popularity of this program led to the implementation of Stage-2 in April 2016. The partner schools are provided with refurbished computers to conduct classes using course content (in multiple languages), self-learning videos, teachers’ manuals, hardware, and upkeep. The classes are monitored live on the internet and students are evaluated periodically for certification. The NGO also delivers computer education to poor students pursuing higher education. Currently, 100,000+ students in 16 states of India are availing of these computer classes at 560 schools. Another great benefit of the program is that the IT infrastructure laid can be used by multiple organizations to impart various kinds of learning modules in the future.

    IDRF partner provides lifetime maintenance support for all hardware and software through trained manpower and a helpline. The success of this program has led to requests for the expansion of this model to other countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Barbados, etc.

Children proudly showing off their computer course completion certificates

Teachers from 22 schools in Jalaun district, Uttar Pradesh completed their computer training course (August 2021)

Children attending a computer literacy class in their school

Please click on the link to learn more about Computer Shiksha

http://www.computershiksha.org/

NGO: Bodh Shiksha Samiti

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NGO: Bodh Shiksha Samiti

Bodh Shiksha Samiti has evolved from experiences of collective action that helped establish a community school or bodhshala in Jaipur (Rajasthan, India). The school was initiated in 1987, and has motivated India’s ultra-poor communities to transform their villages and slums into centers of education excellence. It has pioneered the ‘common schools movement in India’, where schools (called Bodhshalas) are built, co-owned and co-managed by, mostly Below Poverty Line (BPL) communities in areas untouched by the government education system. Its key strength lies in its emphasis on learning from varied community settings and classrooms and holding students, parents and teachers in a tight loop of accountability and partnership

IDRF partner since: 2015

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Rajasthan
  • Project Title: Supporting Bodhshalas in the slums of Jaipur (ongoing) and Education of Girls (completed)
  • Details: The beginnings of the common school movement were simple. The first Bodhshala began with classes under trees, or in dispersed rooms donated by families. Learning was spontaneous with curious children, men and women as participants. A year later, the community identified land and pooled resources to build its Bodhshala with its own hands. Today, Bodh directly manages 43 Bodhshalas in rural and urban Rajasthan and the average student strength of a Bodhshala is 150. For the past several years, Bodhshalas have sustained on community will and participation. 50% of the cost of operations of rural Bodhshalas is covered by the community in some areas. This, is in addition to the land, labor and infrastructure costs that the villages bear.
    A couple of decades ago, in the blocks of Alwar, where rural Bodhshalas operate, and less than 5% girls were enrolled in schools. Today, with the support of IDRF and other organizations, all girls are enrolled in schools with a drop-out rate of less than 15% at the senior secondary level.

    Since 2018, IDRF is financially supporting these Bhodhshalas situated in the slums of Jaipur.
    1. Bodhshala Ramdev Nagar: In Ramdev Nagar slum, there is no government school for the children to attend. There are about 100 families living in this slum area and most of them are engaged in making illegal liquor or work as daily laborers. Hence, this community is considered unlawful, deplorable and perceived as a threat to the society. Bodh Samiti runs a primary school that is attended by 100+ students and is encouraged by the community. As this community is socially stigmatized, the students don’t feel safe or respected in schools in other areas. Besides this the parents fear for the safety of their children going outside the slum to attend school and therefore, back this Bodhshala in the slum itself. Even though most of the children who attend this school hardly study beyond grade 8, they are relatively different from the older generation and do not engage in illicit activities, have better social skills, feel more confident and have literacy skills to do better in their jobs. These changes in the children of this marginalized community makes it imperative to raise funds to ensure the continuation of this Bodhshala in this slum.
    2. Bhodhshala Guruteg Bahadur: The community in this slum mainly comprises of migrant Sikh families who have been displaced several times by the government and finally made to settle in Jaipur. These marginalized people mainly work as ironsmiths and don’t have enough resources to send their children to schools outside the slum. 30 years ago, Bodh Samiti had established a school here with grades pre-school to 2nd and 60+ students enrolled in it at present. Up to 2005 the school did not have its own building and the classes used to be held in 18 different houses in the slum. The women use to cook meals for their families early in the mornings and they let the school use their houses to conduct classes on a rotational basis. Since then the Bodh Samiti has been able to provide a building for this school which stands tall as a testimonial to the women of this marginalized community who wanted their children to receive education. Even though private schools and government schools have come up in the surrounding neighborhoods, this school needs to be sustained and reformed so that it can continue to work as a demonstration/resource school for the children of the slum.

    Education of girls at Residential school-Manas Ganga

    Bodh Samiti also runs residential urban and rural senior secondary schools for girls called Manas Ganga. In 2015 IDRF partnered with Bodh Shiksha Samiti to provide free child-centered learning to girls from poor families. Bodh’s first residential senior secondary school ‘Manas Ganga’ is a girl’s only school from sixth grade onwards and provides hostel facilities for the economically and socially marginalized. The school makes a significant attempt at providing a holistic educational framework to balance academics, arts, sports and vocational education components in order to enhance the skills of the girls. IDRF supported the education and annual expenses of 13 girls staying in the hostel.

Free education for children living in slums of Jaipur

Activity-based teaching methods are used at Bodhshalas

IDRF supporter Durgesh Gupta at the girls’ residential school Manas Ganga

Please click on the link to know more about Bhodh Shiksha Samiti’s education programs for the deprived urban and rural communities.

http://bodh.org/

NGO:Auroville Unity Fund

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NGO:Auroville Unity Fund

The concept of Auroville – an ideal township devoted to an experiment in human unity – came to the Mother as early as the 1930s. In the mid-1960s the Sri Aurobindo Society in Pondicherry reached out to Her that such a township should be started and in February 1968 some 5,000 people from 124 countries and every state of India attended the inauguration ceremony. The Unity Fund has been established as the primary channel for all income into Auroville.

IDRF partner since: 2002

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location: Tamil Nadu
  • Project Title: Udavi School.
  • Details: Udavi School started in 1971 as a Creche (Balwadi). Slowly it grew and in 1995, it was recognized as a Matriculation School and since then it has been functioning as such to cater to the rural population in Tamil Nadu. It has about 290+ students from Pre-k to 10th grade. It aims to give a high quality education to the children from disadvantaged families that come to school from Edayanchavadi and nearby villages. It ensures all round development of personality of the children and infuses them with high ethical values.
    Sri Aurobindo Ashram supports the running expenses of this school that imparts quality education with modern facilities for an all-round development of personality of the children and infuse them with high ethical values. Since 2002, IDRF has been supporting ‘Udavi School’ that aims at imparting the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Children’s formal education is supplemented by an array of activities: clay work, dance, drama, music, carpentry, tailoring and art work.
    Over the years, IDRF grants have met varied needs such as construction of compound wall (2002), relocation of library building (2006), staff residences (2005), dorm-room furnishings, and upgradation of computer rooms (2008) and construction of math laboratory (2009).
    One of the principal challenges faced by the school was to find good teachers. One of the incentives which help teachers and volunteers to come and work in Udavi School is to provide them with residential accommodation. In 2005, with IDRF’s support two additional rooms on top of an existing building were constructed. This has helped in recruiting qualified teachers and staff to work at this school. In 2015, IDRF funded the construction of a sports store room and caretaker’s residence on the campus. In 2017, a water tank to provide water for the upper level of the school became an urgent need and IDRF helped in the construction of a 20,000 liters water tank to meet the growing water needs.
    With the spread of the school’s reputation and an increase in the population, in 2018, IDRF supported the expansion of school facilities by providing additional classrooms, refurbishing existing rooms with ceiling fans and light fixtures, activity tables, and a playground and sand pit for the playschool. In 2019, some expansions and repair needs came up at the school that needed immediate attention. IDRF helped with repairs to the waste treatment plant on the school campus, cement floors where children play table tennis and seating area of open air theater, fixed support structure for the asbestos-sheet roof over rooms, construction of a STEM lab, additional toilet and septic tank near playground and lights in the parking shed.
    Today with the help of the infrastructure and facilities provided with IDRF’s support, Udavi School is able to expand the horizons of the poor rural children, who are able to aspire for things, for which they would have only dreamt of before!
    The sky’s the limit for this Udavi School Alumnus…. Aravindh comes from a poor family in the village and was the first member to get education! After the completion of his schooling and graduation, he got an air pilot’s license and is leading a successful life today.

Kindergarten students in the newly added wing

Students in the classroom

Students outside the newly constructed STEM lab

Please click on the link below to watch a video on Udavi School and the enthusiastic students from disadvantaged families discussing their future professional plans!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGxDD4SwCkA&t=3s

https://www.auroville.org/contents/2797

http://udavi.weebly.com/

NGO: Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram

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NGO: Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram

The tribal communities in India suffer from a lack of both education and proper health care facilities due to various factors including government neglect. As a result, the communities often have a sense of alienation from present-day India which is being rapidly urbanized and modernized. To bring them into the mainstream with economic development but with their cultural moorings intact is an extremely important task. Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (ABVKA) is dedicated to empowering these communities, by providing quality education, women’s empowerment and economic development programs, as well as conducting health programs and medical camps.

IDRF partner since: 1999

  • Focus Area: Education
  • Location:Chhattisgarh (CG), Madhya Pradesh (MP), Mizoram
  • Project Title: Veer Narayan Project, Mahakoshal, (MP)
    Bastar Development Project (CG)
    Mizoram Development Project
    Ambulance service for poor patients at Jashpur (CG)
  • Details:  ABVKA is operating the following projects housing and educating underprivileged students from the various tribes. These development programs are supported by IDRF as well as numerous local donors. IDRF also continues to support several other projects in the areas of health, education and empowerment of tribal women and children.

Maa Danteshwari Kanya Chhatravas, Barsoor, Bastar

Bal Sanskar Kendra
Project
Location
Includes
1 Veer Narayan Sewa Project Mahakoshal MP 2 Boys’ Hostels 1 Girls’ Hostel 40 One Teacher Schools Health services
2 Bastar Development Project Bastar Chhattisgarh 2 Boys’ Hostel 1 Girls’ Hostel Tailoring Training Center 15 Bal Sanskar Kendra 40 One Teacher Schools Health Services
3  Medical & Blindness/ Eye Camps Jashpur Chhattisgarh  Distribution of Vitamins to tribal children Medical van attending to accident & burns cases child
4  Mizoram Development Project Mizoram 15 Primary schools with 500+ students from 28 villages   15 One Teacher Schools  Health services Community training for conservation