NGO:Auroville Unity Fund
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
NGO: Arpana Research and Charities Trust
IDRF partner since: 2000
- Focus Area: Good Governance and Women’s Empowerment
- Location: Haryana(CG), Madhya Pradesh (MP), Mizoram
- Project Title: Good Governance: To Increase Attendance of Women and Scheduled Caste Members at Gram Sabha Meetings
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Details: IDRF and Arpana joined hands as a component of their women’s empowerment program, and started a number of Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Haryana. During the initial 3-4 years IDRF confined its activities regarding gender parity in 10 villages. The grand success of this experience gradually led IDRF to expand the program from 10 villages to 40 villages and eventually to 100 villages. On the other hand, IDRF gradually broadened the scope of its involvement from gender parity to Improved Health Care and Economic Emancipation by supporting SHGs for women, farmers and differently-abled persons.
IDRF’s partnership with Arpana led to the formation of 980 women’s SHGs, comprising of about 12,000 rural women, which have brought about an incredible enhancement of women’s self-esteem, confidence, and social recognition in their family and community.
In April 2015, with the consistent encouragement and support of IDRF, Arpana launched a project with a goal to implemented strategies for the sustainability and longevity of the 821 SHGs formed with 11,588 rural women members and the two federations of these groups. 100 SHG women have been trained as community trainers who are able to perpetuate the process of community level trainings, with minimal support of Arpana staff. A broad base of SHG women leaders have emerged through the intensive monthly village level trainings which have equipped over 4,000 women with skills and capacities to manage their groups and maintain records of all transactions in their groups.
Theater workshops and street plays held with each batch of trainers have contributed enormously in building the participants’ communication skills, self-confidence, self-expression, and body language, etc. A sound understanding of health, development and gender issues, and village governance is also imparted in the participants. Awareness of issues related to the differently-abled is being engendered, to work for inclusion in all spheres.
Equipped with the financial support from IDRF, as well as financial training from Arpana, it has become much easier for the SHG members to take micro-credits for starting up small business enterprises. This has brought about a profound transformation in their lives. The female entrepreneurs are running successful local businesses, supporting themselves, and also contributing to their families’ living standards. Over 7,234 cumulative loans have been taken by the members for their small businesses.
Village level training events were organized in 2016, in order to reinforce the skills in record-keeping for 2-4 literate members from all SHGs. About 4,000 participants were made aware of the importance of new norms for repayment of loans and also improving the punctuality and discipline in their groups. Village level training events reinforce record keeping, upgrading accounting and banking skills in the members. Modern mobile technology of text messaging is used to facilitate co-ordination of meetings, networking and trouble-shooting.
A Woman Entrepreneur- Sumitra’s Success Story:
A Woman Entrepreneur- Sumitra’s Success Story:
“My husband and I could barely feed our children,” says Anita from Sardarpur village, “but he did not allow me to work or even leave our home.” Anita then came to know about a women’s self-help group program, sponsored by IDRF. Self-help groups save and lend collectively, start businesses, and learn about everything from bookkeeping to reproductive health. “I joined a group without my husband’s knowledge. Slowly I started saving money… I went to the meetings…he only found out when I took my first loan, to help him set up a barber’s kiosk!” As his kiosk prospered, he became supportive of her efforts. Anita also used loans from her group to set up a dairy. “We have a good income now. Our children are all going to school. Our eldest is in a good private school!” She even found a job as a maternal health worker, because “I learned a lot about health in our self-help group meetings.” She was once a prisoner in her own home, but now: “I am confident. I have respect and status in my village. People recognize me and listen to me – all because of my group’s support and all I learned as a member … in each meeting over 7 years!”
Please click on the link to learn more about Arpana Research and Charitable Trust’s multifaceted activities for the underprivileged section of the society.
Trainers presenting a play at one of the training sessions
Members of Women’s Self-Help Groups at a Training Session
NGO: Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram
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 ProjectAmbulance 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 |
COVID-19 Relief Campaign-Nepal
COVID-19 Relief Campaign-Nepal
IDRF partner since: 2012
- Focus Area: Health and Disaster Rehabilitation
- Location: Nepal
- Project Title: COVID-19 Relief Campaign in Nepal
- Details: During the coronavirus pandemic, IDRF has sent $10,000 to Phect-Nepal to address specific needs at the Kathmandu Model Hospital. The grant helped cover the things such as:
