|
|
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our Board Member and Vice President of IDRF, Mr. Dileep Thatte (based in Maryland, USA). He had been a valued member of our team since 2013. He was a big supporter of women’s empowerment through education and grassroots development of underserved. He will be greatly missed at the IDRF.
Background:
Shiksha Bharati is an institution that is devoted to the cause of the empowerment of girls through education. 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, some 65 kilometers east of New Delhi. The school provides innovative and holistic education by utilizing a rigorous curriculum. The program combines academics with physical, moral, spiritual, and cultural development to empower girls and prepare them to become financially independent to lead a life of dignity.
IDRF Partner Since: 2001
Focus Area: Women Empowerment, Education and Eco-friendly Development
Location: Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
Project Title: Skill development and vocational training for IDRF Hostel girls
Details:
Girls from tribal villages of the Northeast region are selected by Vidya Bharati and sent to Shiksha Bharati for schooling. These tribal girls were often unable to access basic education—let alone quality education—in their home states. With IDRF’s guidance and financial support, Shiksha Bharati constructed a well‐equipped hostel to house 100 tribal girls within the campus of their C.B.S.E. accredited senior secondary school. IDRF and Shiksha Bharati together provide completely free boarding, lodging, and travel to all girls residing here.
To improve the girls’ employability skills IDRF and Shiksha Bharati wanted to start a vocational training center on the campus. The family of Late Monica Gautam donated money from a trust fund in her memory to start this center. The Monica Gautam Vocational Training Center was set up on the campus in February 2021 and offers cutting and tailoring courses spanning over six months. The classes are held in two batches, one for the IDRF Hostel girls (12 per batch) and the other for the local marginalized women (15 per batch).
Shiksha Bharati has applied for getting affiliation from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for the center and once that has been granted, the participants will be awarded diplomas that will greatly enhance their employability options. The equipment and accessories used for the classes are as per the NIOS guidelines.
Monica Gautam Vocational Training Center was set up in February 2021
IDRF Hostel girls receiving skill development training at the center
Women from nearby areas also receive training at the vocational center
Please click on the link to learn more about Shiksha Bharati https://www.shikshabharati.com/
Background:
Shiksha Bharati is an educational institution that is devoted to the cause of the empowerment of girls. The education complex comprises a senior secondary school for girls, an IDRF hostel for tribal girls, a B. Ed college, herbal garden, and gaushala (animal shelter) on a 20-acre campus, some 65 kilometers east of New Delhi. IDRF provides free value-based education, board, and lodging to underprivileged tribal girls from northeast India. The IDRF-supported hostel can accommodate 100 students and is attached to the C.B.S.E. accredited senior secondary school.
IDRF Partner Since: 2001
Focus Area: Education, Women Empowerment and Eco-friendly Development
Location: Hapur, Uttar Pradesh
Project Title: Biogas plant at IDRF Tribal Girls’ Hostel
Details:
IDRF with the help of an expert team -Dr. Emmanuel D’Silva (a World Bank retiree) and Mr. Narendra Jindal, who have set up more than 70 biogas units across India on a pro bono basis, set up two, new biogas units: a-20 cubic meter digester close to the gaushala run on cow dung and an-8 cubic meter unit run on human waste from the girls’ toilets. The biogas generated from the units meets most of the kitchen fuel needs of the girls’ hostel
The Shiksha Bharati management is happy with the new biogas unit that employs the latest technology. Unlike traditional dome-shaped cow-dung biogas plants made of bricks and cement, this one is made of synthetic material that looks like a balloon and rolls on the ground. The technology is sourced from Mexico but fabricated in India. The new unit saves about four cylinders of LPG gas per month in winters and five cylinders in summers.
The biogas unit has already generated considerable interest locally. The state’s Minister for Panchayats came on a visit to see the biogas plant and showed his appreciation for IDRF’s eco-friendly vision. The project might inspire other semi-rural schools that have student hostels, gardens or cattle sheds to have biogas units too. IDRF is looking ahead to support the spread of this technology to education/health institutions in other states of India as well.
The two-unit biogas plant installed at IDRF-tribal girls’ hostel
The biogas plant meets the fuel needs in the kitchen at the hostel with 66 girls
Clean energy from the biogas plant replaces 57 LPG cylinders per year at the hostel
IDRF attains the highest rating of 4-stars from Charity Navigator for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency!!!
IDRF is among the 6% of organizations in the USA that exceed industry standards and outperform most charities in their area of work!
We couldn’t have received this top rating without you. Thank you for trusting IDRF with your donations, your volunteer time, and your good will. Your trust and support mean so much to us and the individuals and families we serve.
Thank you for being a part of our mission to empower the underprivileged in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka!
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our Board Member and Vice President of IDRF, Mr. Dileep Thatte (based in Maryland, USA). He had been a valued member of our team since 2013. He was a very active volunteer and a highly respected member of the Indian-American community. He was a big supporter of women’s empowerment through education and grassroots development of underserved communities. He will be greatly missed by everyone at the IDRF.
Please keep Mr. Dileep Thatte’s family in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time.
Background:
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