Charity Fundraising - Building Education

OUR GOAL: To raise money to sponsor children to go to school in India.

While traveling through India with the Institute for Village Studies, I worked at a school in Sarnath, India. The focuse being primarily females, this school targets young dalit-caste children, and has teamed up with another non-profit organization to offer free health care in addition to education. With the new Right to Education bill that came into act this school year, the school was shut down due to insufficient infrastructure. The children have recently been placed in surrounding public schools, but cost of schooling is a remaining problem. While our larger goal is to rebuild the school, our primary goal is to continue their schooling by financially sponsoring their education.

By donating today, you are helping us to raise money to educate 357 children in Sarnath, India.

It cost about 150 dollars a year to sponsor one child. If you or anyone you know would like to take on an individual child, feel free to contact me by leaving a message on this page!

For more details, check out our story below!

Here is our story.

Great change can arise from small but powerful catalysts. For Dr. Abhaya Kumar Jain, a mere favor asked by a friend was enough to prompt the development of programs that have already enriched the lives of numerous members of his community in Northern India. In January of 1996 a German woman, Mrs. Siglind, paid for two days stay in his newly opened guest house. She was so pleased with the place that she decided to stay much longer. She became a mother figure to Dr. Jain, was respected by his daughter as a grandmother, and from that point on she visited yearly. In 2002 Mrs. Siglind's asked that Dr. Jain do something for the impoverished children regarding their access to education; he responded earnestly that he would try his best.

Living in an urban area, Dr. Jain often noticed several young children playing the entire day. Upon inquiring why they were not in school, he encountered countless reasons. Among the most prevalent was the overall disregard towards the importance of receiving an education. The grand majority of parents in these areas were illiterate so they couldn't conceive how an education would be important for their children. Additionally, in financial conditions where 80% of their meager earnings went towards food, they were incapable of the burden caused by superfluous expenses. With this insight into the lives of the underprivileged, Dr. Jain took action and created the Sarnath Village Development Project.

This project is composed of two sub-schemes working simultaneously: one being that of Social Awareness in Village Education (SAVE), and the other concerning Rural Child Health Care (RCHC). The overall mission is to establish awareness regarding education, physical wellbeing, ethical behaviors, and environmental aspects that affect daily life in the villages surrounding Sarnath. In August of 2003, the SAVE project became a reality for 47 children in the village of Ghurahupor. This project has since been sustained by two principles: sponsorship and a school system.

Children of disadvantaged families are able to apply for sponsorships that would guarantee them education at no cost. To be eligible, first the child's economic condition is assessed by the Sarnath Village Development Society. If the combined income of the parents is less than 4,000 rupees (currently equivalent to $70.28) per month, then he or she is be eligible for one of the Sarnath Village Development Project's facilities. The following step is for the Sarnath Village Development Society to find sponsors to fund the child's educational expenses; presently the cost of 7,000 rupees (approximately $150 U.S. or €100) is required per child per year. The child must be between seven to thirteen years old and may receive an education through this program up through 12^th grade depending on the availability of sponsorships.

The education system consists of Ankur Bal Mandir (ABM), scholastically comparable to preschools, and Srijan Nursery Schools (SNS), akin to grade schools or elementary schools. The ABMs are run in the home of a teacher living within the village. Children ranging from three to five years of age may attend to be instructed in basic Hindi, Math, and English for three hours in a classroom-oriented setting. The Sarnath Village Development Society provides the fundamental materials necessary for class infrastructure; including a black board, slates, mats, and books. There are two tests held annually, and the children that pass the final assessment are qualified to take the entrance exam for Srijan Nursery School.

SNS is a program for children in Kindergarten through 5^th grade. This education is also free for all of the children accepted due to the sponsorship system. The courses are based on the Indian Government's norms and the Sarnath Village Development Society supplies school essentials such as uniforms, shoes, socks, stationary, textbooks, and a book bag to each and every student. Class runs Monday through Friday providing instruction in the compulsory subjects of Hindi, English, Math, and Physical Education with electives offered such as Music and Dance. Saturday is devoted entirely to extracurricular activities; including games, sports, and art. Students are evaluated based on monthly tests and oral exams which teachers' grade based on the pupil's memory, presentation, imagination, decorum, pronunciation, and handwriting. Furthermore, the Sarnath Village Development Project is concerned about more than just the intellectual development of the children involved in SAVE; health is also a matter that is often overlooked.

The Rural Child Health Care (RCHC) venture along with SAVE comprise the entirety of the Sarnath Village Development Project. Supervised by Mr. Kenneth W. Dubois from the United States, the medical component of the project stems from the fact that education ensues most effectively in healthy, well-nourished children. Children are able to get checkups under this program, several hundreds of whom had never seen a doctor before in their lives. The Nityanand Hospital provides health examinations for all the children of ABM and SNS programs regarding worms and vitamins, likewise delivering treatment when aid is required. Just as this organization provides an opportunity for education to primarily young girls of disadvantaged groups and Castes; it acts as a form of empowerment by teaching self-sustaining skills and offering health security to the young women who will bear India's future generations.

The Problem:
The new building requirements under this new federal protocol include:

(i) At least one class-room for every teacher and an office/head teacher's room. At least seven class rooms sized 20'X20'
(ii) Barrier-free access
(iii) Separate toilets for boys and girls
(iv) Safe and adequate drinking water facility to all children
(v) A kitchen where mid-day meal is cooked in the school
(vi) Playground
(vii) Desk
(viii) Library

The SNS Sarnath and SNS Jairampur failed to meet the standard of 20'x20' classrooms. Dr. Jain has composed a comprehensive proposal to meet all of the RTE requirements.
Due to the rules and regulations of the RTE, both the SNSs in Sarnath and Jairampur have been closed. After a school inspection on 4/12/12, Dr. Jain was given positive reviews, only to be notified by the District Basic Education Officer at a later date that having not fulfilled the classroom size norms set by the RTE criteria, the SNS schools were not authorized to operate and starting 3/31/2013 penalties would apply. Since the SNS in Sarnath and the SNS in the village of Jairampur were both run from rented buildings, retrofitting the property to meet the RTE standards is not a feasible option.