Education for Underprivileged Children in India

Dear Supporter,

We are delighted to share that Shiksha has been awarded Guidestar India's Platinum Level Certification for 2019-20! 

Platinum is Guidestar India’s topmost level of recognition and affirms that Shiksha demonstrates the highest levels of transparency, accountability and good governance, accompanied by an exemplary level of public disclosures. We are proud to join the pool of India's most credible NGO's.

We have been busy the past few months, painting and renovating over the summer and upgrading our electricity capacity to enable more digital initiatives in the classroom. This recognition further motivates us in our mission to provide quality and free education and vocational training to underprivileged children and youth. 

Thank you for your support of Shiksha’s project in Gurugram and stay tuned for more updates.

Siddharth has been residing in Jharsa Village, Gurgaon since his family migrated from Bihar seven years ago. Parental education plays an important role in a child's educational attainment, and unlike many other Shiksha students, his parents have completed their schooling up to Class X and he is not a first generation student. 

Siddharth hopes to do well in Class V this year and earn himself a scholarship. He says "I am clear in my mind that I will not only complete high school but will attend college to become an engineer." His parents prior level of education provides positive reinforcement at home and encourages him to be aspirational. His educational path was well laid by his parents who were motivated to obtain their own basic education and recognize its value and the dividends it pays.

Please consider making a one-time or recurring donation to Shiksha and invest in the future of students like Siddharth to make an impact for generations to come. 

Thank you for supporting Shiksha in 2018! One of the direct results of your contribution this past year has been the enhanced nutrition of the mid-day meal of our children by the addition of seasonal fruit into their diet at our Education Center in Wazirabad Village, Gurugram.

In October we marked World Food Day and renewed our pledge to work towards UN Sustainable Development Goal(SDG) 2, i.e. ‘Zero Hunger’ worldwide by 2030. The children who come to Shiksha are frequently undernourished and underfed; our provision of a free, freshly cooked nutritious meal attracts enrollment, improves attendance, and leads to their improved health and education outcomes. The eradication of hunger and malnutrition is within our reach and is essential to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. We all have a role to play. 

We are busy preparing our Annual Report for the past year and look forward to sharing it with our supporters soon! 

#GivingTuesday 2018 is fast approaching on November 27th and we hope we can count on your continued support. Please consider making a one-time or recurring donation to Shiksha to close out the year on a positive note. All donations made on Nov. 27, 2018, between 00:00:00 ET and 23:59:59 ET on Nov. 27, 2018 will be matched by the GlobalGiving Incentive Fund.

Roshni is an 11 year old girl who studies in Class III at Shiksha. She comes from an underprivileged family that migrated to Gurugram, Haryana from their village in Bihar where she had a poor early education that left her struggling with the basics. She has three sisters and both her parents are engaged in hard manual labour, working as mason's for a daily wage at construction sites.

When Roshni was first admitted to Shiksha last year she was malnourished and wouldn't participate in class at all.  Her attendance during these first few months was inconsistent making it difficult for her to adjust. Her mother said that she was very shy, and wasn't confident in her speech. Like her older sisters they planned that she would be married at an early age. Her parents were not against her continuing her education but viewed an early marraige as the safer option for her. With some counselling over time they began sending her to Shiksha regularly.

At Shiksha Roshni completed all her basic immunizations, this along with de-worming and the nutritional support of a mid-day meal has helped her reach a developmentally appropriate and healthy height and weight.  With regular attendance she has become more confident in her speech, and established a group of friends in her class. When her teacher noticed that the she was interested in drawing and coloring she held up her artwork as an example for the whole class. Her most recent artwork espouses the message of educating girls for the betterment of the country. 

She is a friendly and intelligent girl that just needed encouragement and a boost. She now tells us in hindi that "I want to do well and bring light to my parents name" (i.e. make them proud). She says she is determined to obtain her education and to become a doctor some day. We will be supporting Roshni to obtain her education and encourage her to dream big and go into the world with confidence. Her younger sister has also recently enrolled in Kindergarten at Shiksha.

You can help us provide quality education for young girls like Roshni and her sister by contributing to Shiksha's GlobalGiving project!

This year Shiksha instituted the 'Sarojini & Trilok Nath Scholarship' for meritorious students. The scholarship provides opportunities for meritorious students attending Shiksha to complete their education up to Class XII at a private school which would otherwise be out of reach for them.

It gives us great pride and joy to share with you the story of Rinki, one of the recipients of the inaugural Sarojini & Trilok Nath Scholarship.

Rinki's parents moved to Gurugram nine years ago from a village in Bihar and settled in Jharsa Village. Both her parents are illiterate. Her father works as a security guard and her mother is currently unemployed. Rinki was admitted to Kindergarten at Shiksha when she was four years old and this year completed Class VII. We have seen her grow from a curious little girl to a focused young adult who has distinguished herself in academics and as a very dedicated and talented dancer.

Rinki has always been a very friendly girl and popular amongst her peer group. She regularly participated in Shiksha's cultural programmes and even led dance practice with a group of students after school.

Last year with the encouragement and guidance of Shiksha teachers she mastered an admirable level in dance. She participated and helped choreograph a dance performance at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, a major center of art, dance, and culture in India.  Her mother says "that was her first real performance outside school and it gave her the confidence to pursue dance more seriously." 

Three months ago she cleared the entrance exam and was given admission to a reputed private school. She has now been attending her new school over a month and says, "They have very good facilities,  I enjoy my classes and there is a dance teacher as well! I have already made new friends and I like my class teacher." She is enjoying her classes doing well academically and looking forward to participating in dance as an extracurricular.

Shiksha will remain in touch with her, and four years from now she will be the first in her family to graduate from high school. Many young girls like Rinki who need a chance to pursue education, which will enable them to break out of the cycle of poverty. With your support we at Shiksha are helping them do just that.