OVERVIEW
This school is in the outskirts of Bangalore, South India, in quarry villages. The quarries are a harsh environment with inhumane and dangerous living conditions. Most families are bonded to their employers with no hope of paying their debts and breaking the cycle of poverty. They have no access to drinking water, proper roads or sanitation. Healthy food, education and healthcare are luxuries for these people. Our partner school is providing education to hundreds of children in these families. They are first-generation learners who have the chance to gain an education and escape the cycle of poverty and the back-breaking and hazardous work at the local quarry.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT IT
Our partners are working with the quarry communities. Children start in the childcare and preschool to ready them for primary and high school and their parents are offered adult literacy, vocational training and access to healthcare. They also partner with the local Family Planning Association, Medical College and Hospital to carry out health and awareness programs for the students and their families. Children at this school demonstrate education levels 20-30% above the state average, using the government curriculum.
BUDGET
$50,000 for the second year of a three year project. Tax deductible.
The budget will provide salaries for eight teaching staff, an assistant principal, a child counsellor, maintenance staff and other school expenses.
THE NEED
98% of children in India live in poverty and the government delivers less than 1% of the education that it should. Demand for enrolment at this school is so high that many children have been turned away in the past. This project will allow a completely new group of primary school students to enroll and study alongside the existing primary school students for their first five years of education – one group in the morning and another group in the afternoon.
LIFE CHANGE
