This project seeks to raise funds for over 700 children who can be enrolled in our kindergarten programs in 400 villages in Karnataka in 2016. These children are either orphans or belong to very poor families some of them with family incomes as low as $15 per month. These scholarships will ensure that their children are not denied access to education during the critical early formative years which are so crucial to their development and success in the later years.
Rural India faces the challenge of access to quality and affordable pre-school education for their children. This absence of early learning foundation is responsible for significant dropouts in the higher classes affecting future employability prospects as the children who enroll don't finish school. Additionally, low educational qualifications and dependence on agricultural income have resulted in poor average monthly earnings, creating one more barrier to success.
The project will help create a pool of funds that will be used to provide scholarships for over 700 children as we reach 400 villages in 2016. These children hail from extremely marginalised families with seasonal or very low monthly incomes making sustenance difficult and are unable to afford even the frugal monthly amount of $45 towards their annual fees. Our policy gives priority to girl children and those who are orphaned ensuring that even the poorest have access to an early education.
Children receive access to a well-structured early childhood education, which they would not have had otherwise. Early learning is critical for a child's cognitive growth and lays the foundation on which all further learning is built. The project benefits the children and the community by providing early learning and better learning opportunities leading to improved employment prospects resulting in economic empowerment. An estimated 700 children in 400 communities will benefit.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
