Help Vulnerable Children Stay In School

Poverty is often harshest on children, and this is most evident in slums. Children living in slums have to face crowded living spaces, next to no sanitation, food scarcity, water issues, social stigma, and much more. Many children end up trapped in the same poverty that has affected the generations before them.

The one way to break this cycle of poverty and misery is to ensure that children get a good education. Once educated, children can grow up to pursue a variety of productive occupations that not only contribute to society but also help raise them and their family out of impoverishment. However, keeping poor children in school is quite a difficult task.

First, there aren’t enough schools to cater to underprivileged children. Then, many families simply cannot afford to send their kids to school or purchase school supplies, so they discontinue education and send the children to work.

While this gives momentary benefit, it stifles the growth of the child and completely destroys their potential for a better future.

In order to combat this issue, many organisations have come forward to build schools and provide education to slum children. One such organisation is Akshaya Vidya, which is a Slum Education Program with a focus on children from 1st to 6th class who are at risk of dropping out of the schooling system because of insufficient support at home. These classes run directly in the slum from 6 to 8 PM every day.

Akshay Vidya was founded in 2011 as a project from the Ekalavya Foundation. They operate in the Greater Hyderabad area which has approximately 1000+ slums.

The Coronavirus lockdown has greatly disrupted these classes and children are at an even higher risk of dropping out this year. Many are confined in small homes with many family members and the daily struggle is so harsh that many drop out simply to cope and help their families. Most of these children are so poor that they can’t attend online classes because they don’t have a cellphone or any other digital device.

Equipping these vulnerable children with cellphones is the first step to keep them on the path of education. At least if they have a phone, they can attend classes and keep learning. With this campaign, Akshaya Vidya hopes to reach out to thousands of slum children and help them build a brighter future for themselves and society.

About Akshaya Vidya

Akshaya Vidya (AV) is a project of Ekalavya Foundation which started in 2011 and is aimed at comprehensive development of slum Dwellers with special focus on Educational needs of children; employment opportunities of semi literate youth; health, hygiene and other social aspects of their living.

Address: AKSHAYA VIDYA, C/o. Ekalavya Foundation, 1-8-522/7, Chikkadapally, Hyderabad – 500 020.

Note: All the donations towards this campaign are eligible for Indian Tax Exemption.