Educational Sponsorship for 120 Children - India

Dear friends,

As part of IDEA’s sponsorship program, our social workers make sure that children complete their education with due importance on extra-curricular activities. The focus remains on all round development of children. We recently had a life skill session on famous six hat thinking method. This method is used to amplify creative conversations, by making sure that a broad variety of viewpoints and thinking styles are represented. Apart from distribution of notebooks, we also arranged mentorship program for the children to keep them update with the outside world.

Divya and her dream

Meet Divya. A young, enthusiastic girl aspiring to do M.B.A.

IDEA Foundation found her case ten years ago when she was in class 2. Her school teacher saw her potential during exams and referred her case to IDEA for further assistance. She was in desperate need to continue her education. Her father has expired, her mother was devastated and was earning a meagre income by working as a domestic help. Divya would follow her mother wherever she went and stay at home after school. She was a shy girl not knowing the sudden family circumstances that had come their way. Her mother needed support for Divya since it became difficult to pay for her school fees.

As our Social Worker intervened and took up the case, she became a part of our Sponsorship program. Sponsorship was organised by paying school fees and school material and arrangement of four sponsorship classes per month in various areas such as spoken English and basic mathematics. Our regular home visits and comforting dialogue with her slowly turned her into a confident girl by the time she went to class 7. Slowly her mother also got a better job as an assistant in nearby school and the family could make both ends meet. Divya has a very fond memory of IDEA. She had no flair of drawing as a child. In one of our competitions regularly held for sponsored students, she could not get any prize in drawing and that remained in her mind for some time. She took it up as a challenge and started working on her drawing skills. And lo! She bagged the first prize in drawing competition next year!

This is where we pitch in and boost their morale along with their talent. Now as a grown up girl in class 12, she is very thankful to IDEA for making such beautiful events happening in her life. Recently she won first prize in essay competition on Covid 19. She also drew a wonderful picture for our awareness campaign on pandemic. She never misses online sessions offered by us. She is also an active volunteer in her community. She has been arranging online sessions for other sponsored children in her community.

Unfortunately, her mother did not receive any payment during pandemic time and her dream to educate her daughter shattered. Due to the generous support offered by people like you, we could raise Rs. 7000 for Divya and her family. She bought an android phone and other stationary items with that and regularly attended online sessions by her school. Now financial situation is still grim as her mother is getting her wages three days a week and she is back to working as maid. Divya wants to get a degree in Commerce and plans to have a career in finance with an M.B.A. It is possible only because of kind donors like you.

(Name has been changed to protect her identity)

Links:

• IDEA Foundation Pune

Dear Donors ,

Greetings from IDEA Foundation!

IDEA’s sponsorship program is a great support to children from marginalised communities. Especially in this COVID crisis, when education is considered as a nonessential commodity for those who are struggling for a survival .  Your support has become so meaningful in the current scenario.

You will be delighted to read the story of Sundar who is getting support from you to complete his education and how he is making use of this opportunity.

We’ve been sponsoring Sundar since the last 3 years. The family of five members staying in a small rented house in Hinjewadi, Pune during last 10 years . The other occupants include his father, mother, a sister and a brother  . Their family income is meagre just to meet the bare minimum needs . Sundar’s father is a security guard, with long hours and sleepless nights, while his mother is a house maid in many houses . The highest educational qualification that both father and mother have received are 12^th standard and 7^th standard respectively.

The parents wanted the best for their children and encouraged them for an education much higher than they themselves had achieved. Sundar’s brother is studying in 8^th standard, his sister has just cleared 10^th   standard and is looking for admission for a diploma course in electronic engineering while Sundar himself is studying in his first year B.Com and completed a course in Tally with the support of YOU .

Sundar has indeed become one of the most outgoing individuals we’ve sponsored . He is an active participant of all our programs for children and has developed good communication skills . After Sundar completed his course in Tally he did not hesitate to take up the role of a teacher in Tally for those students who lived in his vicinity and his students attend his classes with a lot of enthusiasm. When we took up the initiative of introducing a library in their community Sundar readily volunteered to co-ordinate the activity .

Sundar enjoys learning new things. He acquired good skills in PowerPoint, Excel and Tally Erp9 along with soft skills . Being given a chance was as if giving him a new lease of life and not only is he good at his studies but he also enjoys taking active part in various competitions his college hosts.

All in all, we are so delighted in supporting Sundar for the higher studies .

Please continue to support IDEA Foundation so that we can help many more students like Sundar to come out of their shell and set themselves free from the vicious cycle of poverty .

Thank you !