Chilli Workers' Childcare and Education - Guntur

Dear Friends and Partners,

Namaste and warm greetings from the BASS Daycare centre  Team!

We are deeply grateful for your continuous compassion and generosity. During this reporting period (March to May 2026), we received $95 through GlobalGiving, bringing our total project funding since inception to $292. While our budget remains modest, every single dollar is stretched to its absolute limit to protect vulnerable children.

We write to share how your support is making a life-changing difference, alongside an urgent appeal to help us bridge a critical funding gap.

Our Core Mission: Serving the Guntur Mirchi Yard (chilli Market)  

The Guntur Mirchi Yard is Asia’s largest chili market, drawing thousands of seasonal migrant laborers from states like Odisha and Bihar. Sadly, these families live in extreme poverty, and their children face severe risks of neglect, child labor, and malnutrition.

Official surveys conducted by the local Samagra Shiksha (District Education Department) identified over 2,200 out-of-school migrant children in the market area alone. In response, BASS established two specialized Daycare and Creative Learning Centres, currently providing a safe haven, early education, and three nutritious meals daily for 120 children.

Project Timeline & Government Partnerships

To maximize our impact, BASS works tirelessly to secure local government support while stepping in with private funds when that support pauses. Our operational timeline highlights this journey:

February – April 2025: Successfully operated the centers with initial support from Samagra Shiksha Guntur.

June – October 2025: Maintained operations independently using private resources during the government gap period.

November 2025 – March 2026: Restarted under official government sanction to protect children during the peak migration season.

May 2026: The centers observed a necessary one-month summer break due to the intense heatwaves.

June 2026 (Current Status): The centers have successfully reopened! We currently have 80 children attending daily, and we expect attendance to reach its full capacity of 120 children next month as more families return.

The Current Challenge: Bridging the 7-Month Gap

The government education department generally funds these seasonal centers only during the peak migration months (typically November through April). However, the children and their families stay in Guntur year-round.

For the seven months between June and November, these children have no safety net. We expect the government to sanction the centers again by November 2026, but until then, we must sustain these centers independently to ensure the children are not left abandoned in the hazardous chili market.

Our Urgent Appeal for Operational Costs

We are seeking your compassionate financial support to keep our two centers running smoothly through this critical gap period. Your donations will directly fund:

Continuous Rent: Keeping our two physical center locations open, secure, and safe.

Educational Materials: Fresh textbooks, notebooks, educational toys, and stationery for the new 2026 school year.

Complete Operational Costs: Ensuring that every child has a dedicated teacher, three warm meals a day, and a secure roof over their heads.

Please help us ensure that these beautiful children are protected every single day of the year, not just during the government-designated "peak season."

Thank you so much for standing with the children of Guntur.

With sincere gratitude,

Dear Friends and Donors, Namaste!

Greetings from the BASS Daycare Team. We are writing to you today with a heart full of gratitude for your past support and a clear mission for the months ahead.

The Current Success Thanks to a recent government survey identifying over 2,200 out-of-school children in the Guntur Mirchi Yard area, BASS was selected to operate two specialized centers. Today, we are providing a safe haven, early education, and three nutritious meals daily for 120 children who have migrated from Bihar and Odisha.

The Challenge: The "Funding Gap" (April – November) We must share a critical reality regarding our sustainability. While the government provides support during the peak "seasonal" window, this funding is scheduled to stop in March 2026 and will likely not resume until the next season in November or December 2026.

The children’s needs, however, do not stop. While the chili season has a peak, the families remain, and the work continues throughout the year (with only a brief break in May for the summer heat). When government support vanishes in April, these 120 children are at risk of being pulled back into the hazardous conditions of the chili yards.

Our Urgent Appeal for Operational Costs We are seeking your compassionate support to bridge this seven-month gap (April to November). Because the government currently only covers staff salaries and basic food—and will soon stop even that—we urgently need funds for:

• Continuous Rent: To keep our two center locations open and safe.
• Educational Materials: Books, toys, and stationery for the 2026 school year.
• Complete Operational Costs: Ensuring that from April onwards, the children still have a teacher, a meal, and a roof over their heads.

The Reality of Our Resources Transparency is vital to our relationship with you. Between November 2025 and January 2026, we received only $40 in donations. This meager amount is not enough to secure the centers once the government support ends this March.

How You Can Help Your donation today is more than just a gift; it is a "bridge" that carries 120 children safely from the end of government aid in April through to the return of seasonal support in November.

Please help us ensure that these children are protected every day of the year, not just when the government identifies a "peak season."

With sincere gratitude,

The BASS Daycare Team