Category: Education Projects

A technocrat (electrical engineer), retired from the State government of Orissa, instead of taking the safe recourse of leading a quiet, comfortable, hassle-free life chooses to contribute something worthwhile for development of his village and fellow people- starting value-based and work oriented education to students from underprivileged rural families as a Mission. With such Mission in heart, Vikash Vidyalaya Foundation (VVF), a non-profit Public Trust, took birth in a remote unknown village named Pardhiapali in Sambalpur District of Orissa.

Greatly inspired by the thoughts, belief and preaching of his Late Gurudev (teacher) that One MUST try to give back, even a little, to the society and community which has given them so much in their life; the Messiah in Shri Nrusingh Nath Misra took upon himself the crusade of “giving back” – exclusively depending on the meager sum which came to him byway of pension every month.

Established in 1994, by Shri Misra teaming with a small group of socially conscious and dedicated friends, the Foundation aims to provide a model of Quality Education addressing needs of rural areas and people in totality. The Foundation therefore proposes to build a Community-centered Residential Educational Complex and other Centers such as Rural Community Center, Community Health Centers, Vocational Training-cum-Production Centers etc.

Under it’s Quality Education Project, the Foundation, in the first phase proposes to provide free boarding and lodging facilities to 100 children from under-privileged section of society studying in class 6th to 10th standards in nearby formal schools. These children are proposed to be given personalized care and opportunity for their mental, physical and spiritual development. The students are also to be associated with social welfare and development activities in and around surrounding villages. The students are also to be given opportunity for skill-development vocational training in certain trades of their interest so as to make them self-reliant and act as a dedicated volunteers guiding the people of their respective villages in village up-liftment and rural development.

Vikash Vidyalaya Foundation, through it’s other Centers (proposed) aims to act as a catalytic agent between development agencies and villagers for carrying out various community based development activities.

The Foundation with it’s meager (indigenous) financial resources has by now been successful only in partial construction of what is referred to as Vikash Vidyalay Ashram in a picturesque surrounding in village Pardhipali with some basic infrastructure / facilities such as water supply, electricity connection, telephone and a shed- with massive plantation, mostly with forest species.

A modest beginning has also been made from academic calendar 2002-2003 by providing free-of-cost hostel facilities with food – to 20 underprivileged students of class 6th studying in nearby schools-and providing opportunities for all-round development and vocational training besides coaching them on formal school subjects. Prior to it, free coaching classes on formal education was arranged for some students reading in nearby village schools. They were also given training on drawing/painting, Yoga, from time to time, and associated in various vocational activities, cultural programmes. The Foundation has a staff of 3 teachers-one of them being the principal. The dedication of these teachers are amply illustrated by the pleasant fact that assisted by the students, the teachers including the Principal, cook themselves for the whole group.

Smile Foundation having been successful in tracking down such low-profile, publicity lacking, endeavor in an otherwise remote rural corner of the country reflects not only the genuineness of the organization’s efforts but equally significantly illustrates the eagle eye through which it scans, identifies and chooses, through it’s own network, meaningful initiatives at micro-level worthy of extending it’s support.

This Mission Education project at GTB Nagar in Mumbai is designed to provide holistic education to children from slums and pavements through the participation and involvement of their parents in their development process.

The project aims to prepare the underprivileged children through creative and play way methodology and enroll them in the formal education system. Besides education, the centre provides holistic services of health, nutrition and recreation to these children, along with psycho social interventions. The project also focuses on sustaining the children already in school system through community study classes.

Parents are the key players in the process of development of a child. Hence parents need to be told about, and made aware of, the importance of education. Further, in order to develop a child holistically, it is necessary to work with the parents, the environment and community of the children. The project includes all these factors influencing the development of a child.

Parents of the children are directly involved in the process through regular parent-teacher meetings, counseling sessions and training in child care. Special sessions are conducted on importance of education for parents and members of the community.

Smile Foundation has joined hands for this project with Sparsh Charitable Trust.

About the Founder – One of the main founders of the organisation is Begum Bilkees Latif. She is the wife of former Governor of Maharashtra, I.H. Latif. She currently is the President of SHED.

About the Organisation – SHED has been working for the slum dwellers in Mumbai and its surrounding areas since last 25 yrs. Their prime objective is promoting the welfare and improvement in the living conditions of those peoples living in urban slums and tribal areas. SHED provides them basic amenities, such as health and family welfare clinics and regular medical checkups. In addition it provides nutritional programmes for children and expectant mothers and recreational and educational facilities for children and grownups. SHED also promotes environmental and personal cleanliness and hygiene among the slum – dwellers, villagers and tribals.

Association with Smile Foundation – SHED in association with Smile Foundation runs Smile Twin –e – Learning Programme in Andheri. The programme is designed to increase the employability prospects of underprivileged mass by equipping the adolescent youths in marketable skills like English and Computer. This helps them get employment in service sectors and particularly retail outlets, BPO’s etc. Besides necessary orientation, the job oriented Smile Twin e-Learning Programme trains youth in soft skills, basic management including retail and sales, personality development, career opportunities & counseling, team work and leadership qualities. The students are sensitised about the gender issues, reproductive and sexual health issues and diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Other Activities at SHED

Education – The organisation provides pre-primary and non-formal education in urban slums and tribal areas. In addition it facilitates coaching classes, literacy for adults, community libraries and vocational training.

Health – SHED provides health and family welfare clinics, health awareness, AIDS awareness and reproductive child health awareness.

Community Mobilisation – It mobilizes the community with mahila mandals, youth groups, career guidance and awareness programmes, counseling centers, etc.

Environment Awareness – It promotes and spreads awareness about environmental cleanliness, garbage disposal, water hygiene and sanitation, afforestation and rainwater harvesting.

This Mission Education project imparts education to underprivileged children of Chandigarh. It mainly focuses on children coming from the slums, streets and resettlement colonies of the union territory. With six centres operating in different parts of the city, this programme is benefitting over 300 impoverished kids by providing education, basic healthcare and nutritional support.

The project is an initiative aimed to provide right opportunities in terms of formal education to the children who are deprived of it so far. The initiative has a systematic process to identify non-school going, drop-outs and pre-primary children in the age group of 5 to 14 years for enrolment in the centres. The enrolled beneficiaries are then integrated smoothly to the bridge-course educational setup through persistent, coherent and cohesive systems with the children finally getting mainstreamed into formal schools.

It has provisions for retention of school going children in the formal educational system through systematic regular and periodic follow-up visits to schools, monitoring of the children’s performance, remedial education, regular counselling on issues related to education, support to child for medical assistance and nutritional aid.

This project has been implemented with Don Bosco Navjeevan Society.

This Mission Education project is helping underprivileged children in rural Karnataka take the first step towards fulfilling their dreams, by providing them quality education.

The project runs in Bhaktharahalli village, at Sidlaghatta Taluk in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. The school caters to children of six surrounding villages as well, which include Kakachokkandahally, Thotalanganahally, Mugiladapi, Thadur, Basavapatna, Maanamachanahally.

Bhaktharahalli, which has a population of over 4000, is 60kms away from the capital city of Bangalore. The village, like its neighbours, does not even have its own PHC or a bank. The main occupations of the villagers are agriculture, sericulture and milk production with only 40 per cent villagers being literate across the seven villages.The Mission Education centre is the only school at a convenient distance for children living in these villages.

The major focus of the intervention is on imparting primary education to children between three and 16 years of age, most of whom are first generation learners. Teaching learning material, uniforms, transportation and exam fees to the disadvantaged but deserving children belonging to the poorest of families. Free mid-day meal programme is also facilitated at the centre, with support from the Govt. of Karnataka.

Smile Foundation is implementing this project with BMV Education Trust.

This Mission Education project in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is focused on helping the differently abled people. The project has been implemented to develop and initiate a variety of services on the promotion of education and community based rehabilitation of this special community.

Provision of support services to the disabled persons is another important focus area of this project. For the benefit of orthopedic impaired persons in particular, construction of concrete ramps at the centre has been carried out. The ramp is named “Smile Foundation Barrier Free Access.” Infrastructural support is also being facilitated in other ways at the centre.

The centre runs various programmes for the prevention of blindness and other disabilities, besides providing professional and vocational training to the specially-abled. Rehabilitation and assistive devices, community based rehabilitation, research and development are some of the other programmes conducted at the centre.

Smile Foundation has joined hands with the country’s largest blind welfare organization – Blind People’s Association, for this project.

This project focuses in providing free education to poor children from the underprivileged sections of the society. Children who are benefitted are mainly from Bolangir district, which is counted among the most deprived pockets of Odisha.

The intervention is designed to provide remedial education to needy children and improve their performance in studies. The Remedial Education Project for Children targets to cover approximately 1100 children in 4 villages in Bolangir district of Odisha. Healthcare support programme for the children has also been incorporated in the project.

Special Teaching and Learning materials, stationery, proper uniform and play materials are provided to the poor children. Extracurricular activities and personality building modules are being hosted to ensure holistic development of the children. Besides these, growth monitoring of the students is carried out on a regular basis.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Jana Sewak Sangha (JSS) for this Mission Education project.

This project caters to the children living in impoverished conditions in the slum cluster of Dhaula Kuan’s Sri Ram J.J. Colony in South Delhi. In addition to education, which is the primary focus, this project also puts emphasis on the health and nutrition of the children in the community.

Through the project, children who have never been to school before are provided basic education and are mainstreamed to local government and private schools when eligible. Also, for school-goers, the project conducts special classes to provide them with extra help and attention in their academics. At the centre, classes are held for students of Class 1 to 3 in the morning shift. In the afternoon shift, remedial classes are held for children for Class 4 onwards.

Healthcare, along with nutritional supplement programme, is integrated with the project. Health check-ups as well as regular camps are organized by involving trained physicians and staff. Extra- curricular activities such as painting, poetry recitation, story- telling, physical training, music, dance and games are organized for children with the aim of building confidence in them.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Health and Care Society for this Mission Education Project.

This Mission Education project provides primary education to underprivileged children in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, with special focus on the girl child. Three project centres are operational under the project at Takrohi, Amrapali and Samaudipur areas.

Most of the children are first generation learners and come from adjoining villages and slums of Bastoli, Samadipur, Gajipur, Lavkush Nagar and Pratap Nagar. Their parents have been working as casual labourers or daily wage earners at construction sites, small shops or roadside Dhabas (small roadside eateries).

Initially, it was very difficult to induct the children into the centres, as most of them preferred loitering around, playing or accompanying their parents to work. But after rigorous counseling sessions with the parents and later owing to the success of the project, parents are now aware and get their children enrolled at the centre as they come of age.

Multiple vocational training courses have been included in the curriculum, particularly for adolescent girls. On the completion of the course, the older girls are also assisted in getting employment.

Smile Foundation has joined hands with Jupiter Academy Society for this project.

This Mission Education project addresses the basic educational and nutritional needs of school-going children from socially and economically disadvantaged communities living in the vicinity of Hari Nagar in West Delhi.

The focus is mostly on children between the age group of 3 – 15 years, enrolled in nearby government schools. These children are provided with special classes after the school hours. The centre has a good library with about 2500 books for children as well as arrangement of indoor games and other co-curricular activities. In the last few years, health and nutrition has also been given special importance to facilitate retention of the children in schools.

It is ensured that every child educated under the project passes through the National Open School Examinations and receives proper accreditation. The project not only focuses on academics but also on many other aspects of education like theatre, dance, music, art and craft. It intends to inculcate a holistic approach towards life in the children.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Ina Raja Memorial Education Trust (IRMET) for this Mission Education project.