Asha for Education

1. Overview of current programs and accomplishments.

Our programs are based on a four-pronged approach in an effort to address the issues arising, as follows:

Shelter: We shelter abandoned girl children in Aarti Home. More than 300 long-term residents have lived here, and 100 are living here at present. They are given a loving home and supported till they finish their education and settle down in their careers. Over the years we have also had around 700 children rescued from traffickers who have stayed temporarily until they were rehabilitated.

Education: We provide support for education through:

• Aarti School for 375 underprivileged children in the area.
• Financial assistance to bright and needy students in the area to support
further education.
• Bridge schooling to bring older children to schools for over 200 children.

Livelihood: We train and counsel destitute women and impart income-generating skills. Around 10,000 women are now financially independent thanks to our tailoring, embroidery, beautician & petty coat & saree fall making courses. We support them by marketing their products through corporate/personal orders and exhibitions in various cities in India and abroad.

Awareness: We run outreach programs in an effort to educate the Community.

We also undertake special projects like:

• Mobile Computer Project – This project is aimed at taking computer education to rural India. We have already trained around 1200 school children in computer basics in villages in Kadapa district.

• Women’s Education Programme (WEP) – This is an ongoing programme that we have undertaken in the current year wherein our school children are taught various extra-curricular activities and taken for hospital visits and field trips.

• We conduct workshops, seminars and group discussions on -
a) Health care – Importance of Nutrition, physical and emotional health and sex education.
b) Environment – Global Warming, Bio-diversity, Conservation of water and Cleanliness.
c) Career Guidance – Workshops on goat setting, Decision Making & Planning.
d) Summer Camp – Painting, Clay modelling, Drama, Dance, Story telling & etc.

Aarti Home started in 1992 when Sandhya, the founder of Aarti Home found Radhika, a three year old who was abandoned on the streets of Kadapa after her mother was killed in what would typically be called a case of domestic abuse and dowry harassment. A few friends came together and formed Aarti home to take care of children like Radhika. Radhika and Aarti Home were the humble start to Vijay Foundation Trust, which can be best described as a silent crusade against injustice to women and children, a crusade that has got stronger over the last twenty one years and has impacted over 100,000 women and children across the district.

Over the last two decades there have been many changes. Seeds of what is to come have been sown, and they show hope for a better future for lakhs of women.

Over the years, they have started Aarti Home, Aarti School, Aarti Education, Lalitha Women's Centre and Lalitha Advocacy under the aegis of Vijay Foundation Trust. In addition, Aarti has built tremendous external linkages with governmental and non- governmental agencies across the world to bring funds, focus and awareness for the issue of girl child.

USA Project Coordinating contact:
Name: Prema Grandhi(Seattle chapter)
Email: prema.grandhi@gmail.com
Phone # 425-786-7966