Imagine, families having to make a choice - between feeding their children or educating them. It does not have to be this way ...
Our Vision
With every visit AITYS realises that poverty is an ongoing phenomenon, which unfortunately, is complexly woven into the socio-economic life of the villagers in Uttarakhand. Farming is no longer the prevalent profession in the remote regions as men have been abandoning farming. Instead they now migrate to bigger cities of Uttarakhand or other states to earn a living. The families left behind are children, old grandparents incapable of employment or lone women struggling to feed the family. In such conditions the child’s secondary education is sacrificed for either domestic chores or getting an extra wage-earning member in the family. District Information System for Education (DISE) Reports for Uttarakhand, published for 2015-2016 till 2017-2018 show a shocking drop-out rate up to 12.42% in secondary education classes. While reports 2018-2019 onwards are yet to be published, it is unlikely we will see an improvement. When the children reach the ninth grade of school and the fee needs to be paid, parents opt for drop-out without question. The girl child, in particular, bears the brunt as they are forced to drop-out because domestic chores are a more important learning than syllabus. And this is where our initiative becomes essential. AITYS undertakes the sponsorship of a child’s secondary education starting from ninth grade, basis a predefined eligibility criteria. Sponsorship request applications submitted by parents are checked by our representatives from government schools and then sent to AITYS. AITYS volunteers check these applications ensuring every detail and supporting documents are sufficient to meet the eligibility criteria. Sponsorship cheques are then handed out to students during field visits. AITYS meets with parents and children to discuss and repeatedly emphasise the importance of completing secondary education, which will equip the child for better opportunities after school. Conversations with parents, school principals and staff often reveal stories of struggle undertaken by children, who with the sponsorship are able to confidently study and complete secondary education. Many times we have come across our sponsored students who have shown exemplary potential for furthering studies. However, due to financial hardships they have not found the means to undertake that education. Every year AITYS has stepped in for some of these cases and sponsored their college studies and even vocational training. Many of these individuals have successfully established their own means of employment.
Donate INR 9,000 for a child’s annual secondary education
Sponsor a deserving AITYS student for college/vocational education
Contribute material to encourage creative activities for students
Donate funds for annual secondary education for an entire school(s)
Contribute writing notebooks and stationery
Contribute reference printed material for students to use as preparation for examinations
Our Coverage
Students Sponsorship
Schools Sponsorship
Hospitals and medical centres in Uttarakhand are limited to bigger cities like Dehradun, Rishikesh and Srinagar etc. However, the remote interiors lack availability of basic medical facilities. As more men abandon farming and families, and instead migrate to cities for earning livelihood, the situation worsens for the families left behind with no steady income. Therefore affording medicines and treatment becomes a close impossibility. AITYS began its ‘seva’ in Uttarakhand with free medical camps. Our first medical camp in 2012, was organized at a bus stop with a single table. Continuous efforts have brought it to the point where we now set up multiple assistance counters within government school compounds catering to more than 500 villagers in each visit. Each medical camp is planned six months in advance which includes resource planning, scheduling, procurement, coordination and logistics. Our representatives in villages help spread the word, well in advance, basis a pre-planned date and a designated location. These camps are set up for multiple days so that maximum villagers from afar may reach and benefit. Since 2015 our medical camps are being organized in government school premises within Pauri Garhwal and its surrounding regions. The basic medical assistance provided includes health check-up from a physician, distribution of non-prescription medicines along with blood pressure and sugar level tests. Villagers from Uttarakhand commonly suffer from skin infections and digestion problems owing to unfiltered groundwater and poor nutrition; common ailments such as cough, cold and fever; aches and pains due to the strenuous physical labour. Children report lack of energy as families face difficulty in affording proper meals. For the aged, blurry eyesight and joint aches are the biggest problems. While these free medical camps are intended at providing basic medical healthcare to villagers, for AITYS it means much more. The success of this initiative has paved the way for launching our other initiatives. During medical camps, AITYS also analyses the socio-economic situation of the villagers; the school premises and its infrastructure and also identify areas of improvement. This allows the team to create initiatives customized to have maximum impact.
Sponsor the complete set up of one or multiple free medical camps
Fund monthly dosage of multivitamin syrups for school children for a minimum of one year
Fund/donate a predefined list of medications and supporting material. List will be facilitated by AITYS
Sponsor the medical camp material along with logistics to transport the material to a pre-designated centre in Uttarakhand
Our Coverage
Medical Camps
Patients Attended
Villages Covered
Even though Pauri District and its surrounding areas have an adequate network of primary and secondary government schools, nevertheless, most of them are in an urgent need for major improvements. The schools have sparse infrastructure, which is minimal and very basic. Crammed classrooms, lack of building maintenance, inadequate furniture, poorly stocked libraries, neglected sanitary systems and absence of technical support, were some of the major concerns that needed to be addressed. In spite of limited funds and a careful analysis of each school’s needs, in 2016-2018 we launched several pilot programs in selected schools to address the above mentioned problem areas. Audio-visual aids, computers and library books were donated. After a careful analysis of the utilization of our efforts by the individual schools, it’s impact on student learning, maintenance of the donated items, AITYS prepared for a wider area of impact. Since 2018-19 the reach of this initiative has increased multifold. The resultant success has been heart-warming. Teachers and students are actively using audio-visual aids, in downloading lessons and other learning materials, coping with the correct English pronunciation and inculcating reading habits through story books to uplift the idea of receiving and imparting knowledge. Going ahead, we intend to continue upgradation of school infrastructure by upgrading technology, better facilities, books, sports etc. Not only will this make the school environment more engaging but also more productive. Rather than thinking of it as a mere formality, we aim to bring the children to a point, where they will look forward to going to school as a place of interest and learning.
Sponsor a School – Adopt a school supported by AITYS.
Donate Equipment – Donate/fund items such as classroom furniture, sanitary installation, library books, computers etc. towards improvement of school infrastructure.
Financial Contribution – Fund our infrastructure initiative so AITYS can reach out to help more schools
Provide Ancillary Support – Donate/fund items for students such as footwear, sportswear, winter apparels, school bags, steel water bottles & lunch boxes etc.
No child should be deprived of the education because of poverty.
#Disaster Relief #Education #WomenEmpowerment #Children
