Kamla Foundation working with some of the world’s poorest children to move from a life of poverty to a future with opportunity.
We are supporting India’s next generation of Teachers, Engineers, Civil Servants, Lawyers and Doctors…
The Foundation has developed a sponsorship programme to support 30 children from rural areas of Tamil Nadu who are living in extreme poverty, (many with a widowed or abandoned parent) and in need of assistance in order to be able to start/continue their education and improve their life chances.
The Context
In India today, millions of children live in desperate need of the very things we often take for granted; shelter, food, safe drinking water, medicine and education. Without these basics, they are often denied the chance they need to ever realise their full potential. Children that come from a widowed family are in an even more difficult situation. Widows are amongst the most stigmatised and deprived people in India today because once their husbands have died or abandoned them, they are left totally without support. In order to sustain themselves and their children, they must look for whatever work is available. With insufficient wages, they frequently rely on their children to make up the shortfall.
Beneficiary Families
The children that have been identified live across rural hamlets in Tamil Nadu and were initially selected by leaders of local women’s groups as being the neediest in the community. All the children that were identified have been visited; their situation assessed and detailed profiles completed.
See the difference you make
Supporting a family in India offers a unique opportunity for the sponsor to make a real difference to the lives of some of the poorest children in rural areas of Tamil Nadu. This programme not only offers the opportunity to give money, but to develop a relationship with the child and family which will allow you to see directly the difference you are making. This connection is something that not only encourages the confidence of the person being supported, but can often be a rewarding and enlightening experience for the sponsor too.
| Age | England | India |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Year 1 | 1st Standard |
| 7 | Year 2 | 2nd Standard |
| 8 | Year 3 | 3rd Standard |
| 9 | Year 4 | 4th Standard |
| 10 | Year 5 | 5th Standard |
| 11 | Year 6 | 6th Standard |
| 12 | Year 7 | 7th Standard |
| 13 | Year 8 | 8th Standard |
| 14 | Year 9 | 9th Standard |
| 15 | Year 10 | 10th Standard |
| 16 | Year 11 | 11th Standard |
| 17 | Year 12 | 12th Standard |
India’s Schooling System
The schooling system in India is very similar to the UK system. The table shows how the English ‘school years’ compare to India’s ‘standards’. In England children move from primary to secondary school between Year 6 and Year 7. In India, children will either move schools between 5th Standard and 6th Standard or between 8th Standard and 9th Standard depending on the size of their first school. Children will take exams in 10th Standard and 12th Standard and these will determine their options for further education.
Resource Packs
The sponsorship programme has received support from sponsors to provide resource packs to these children enabling them to continue their education. Resource packs include uniform, shoes, books, a school bag and stationery. The sponsored amount will also cover school and exam fees. Resource packs are distributed at the start of each academic year which begins in June. By providing these resources we ensure that the children can continue their education to a reasonable standard and not be forced to drop out due to a lack of financial support. The longer these children remain in education, the better their life chances.
Links with the Micro Enterprise Training programme
Unlike the UK, it is not possible to purchase ready-made school uniforms in India, instead material must be bought and uniforms handmade for each child. The resource packs will provide two sets of uniform for each child at the beginning of the academic year. Kamla Foundation supports three tailoring training centres and the women at these centres will be making the uniforms. Therefore ensuring the money paid for tailoring is again reinvested into these poor rural communities. Through sponsoring a family you also support women in the tailoring centres ensuring your money is assisting this community in more ways than one. This creates a fantastic opportunity for synergy between Kamla Foundation projects and in the long term will enhance the livelihoods of these communities.
The Cost
The academic fees increase considerably once the child moves to College and then onto University. These costs are not factored into the regular schooling fees which are set for when the child completes studying to the age of 16 years.
Given the tenfold rise in academic fees, currently, we have 7 students, who come from the most impoverished backgrounds and were breaking rocks with their bare hands in a quarry some 10 years ago, Through our support they are now at University, which in anyone’s eyes is quite remarkable. However with this progress comes considerable costs. The Foundation is bridging the shortfall by £1000’s per year.
Therefore, we kindly request that if you are still interested in supporting a child through schooling / University that you consider setting up a monthly Direct Debit to the Foundation for the sum of only £10 per month. This will provide a regular income stream for this strategic programme and enable the Foundation to continue supporting the students at University with course, exam fees, books, living, travel and related subsistence costs.
We can select a child that will benefit from your support and provide you with regular progress of the beneficiary through family and school life.
What you receive as a sponsor
You will receive is a Sponsorship Pack with a profile of the child including a personal thank you from the beneficiary family.
You will then receive a photo of the beneficiary in receipt of the resource pack along with a certificate of thanks.
You have the opportunity to forge a personal relationship with the child with an option to exchange letters or gifts. Details of how you can do this is provided in the Pack. (Please note it may take time for letters to be translated and delivered by hand).
Ongoing Support
Where possible, sponsors support the child to the age of 17. This will ensure stability in the child’s life and allow a longer term relationship to develop. It also allows a unique opportunity for the sponsor to establish a bond with an Indian family and see directly the difference they are making.
Each year a Progress Report will be produced, highlighting the child’s health, well-being, achievements and aspirations. In the future it may even be possible to visit your child/family and to see first-hand the problems they are faced with on a daily basis.
