Freedom Fellow Education Fund

Education is believed to be one of the powerful tools to attain freedom in a real sense. Freedom is not only about physical freedom from the situation of exploitation but also the opportunity and liberty of expressing freely and fulfilling life’s aspiration. Rehabilitation of children in the mainstream from an exploitative situation is incomplete without quality higher education and the necessary skills required for gainful employment. Once equipped with quality education and vocational skills, children will be able to break the shackles of exploitation and violence forever and become self-reliant. Children staying in childcare institution exercise their constitutional right of free and compulsory education up to grade eight. Maintaining academic continuity, especially after leaving the care homes, becomes a big challenge for these children. Most of the inmates in such care homes start their education late due to their past, and they are barely able to complete higher secondary by the time they reach 18 years of age which is the maximum age limit for staying at childcare institution. There are higher chances of discontinuation of further studies by the children who do not receive proper aftercare support despite having huge potential to excel in an educational and professional career.

Generally, the rate of transition from elementary to secondary education and further higher education for the children having a history of exploitation is poor, owing to a lot of factors. A lack of strong support mechanism after completion of stay at a special home/children’s home leaves the child at crossroads, and this is believed to be one of the primary reasons for the discontinuation of their education. Keeping this in view, Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) has established Freedom Fellow Education Fund (FFEF) to empower such children who are the survivor of exploitation and violence by supporting them and ensuring access to high quality higher education thereby preparing them as future change agents. Presently, there are 24 such Freedom Fellows who are receiving full support for their education across different field of studies from secondary to master degree level. These children who are referred by childcare homes/ various organisations and individuals post identification are profiled, counselled and assessed by KSCF under their different interventions, PAN India. Financial assistance is made directly into the account of the institutions on course fee, accommodation and food facilities.

The Freedom Fellows Education Fund is aimed at creating a pool of educated, empowered and strengthened Freedom Fellows — young individuals who are free-thinking, self-assured and confident citizens of modern society. With exposure to sound and high quality higher education, children who have been rescued from labour, slavery or violence can realise their aspirations of becoming equal and productive members of society. These Freedom Fellows will also become effective game-changers and agents of transformation for millions of children of lesser privilege, thereby contributing to the principles of equity and freedom, self-respect and sustainability. Among the 24 freedom fellows who are being supported, there are cases of as the fellow studying Masters in Micro- Biology, Law from Universities as Delhi University, Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, Calcutta University as few names. The aim of FFEF is towards fulfilling and nurturing the dreams and aspirations of children, by fostering access to additional educational opportunities of gaining academic excellence from premier institutions across the world thus realising their aspirations of becoming equal and productive members of society.