“The Hummingbird School is my only hope to succeed in life. I feel I am trying to swim out of this place (Majuli) and my school stands as a beacon on the other side of the river. If my school closes down, I feel I will drown in this river. Not just me but every child in villages around here and our families depend on this school”, says Roopjyoti, a bright, young student of Ayang Trust’s The Hummingbird School.Majuli Island, where The Hummingbird School is situated, faces severe floods and constant riverbank erosion, leaving most of its residents struggling to survive. For the children of this impoverished tribal community, education remains their only path to hope and dignity.Your support to Ayang Trust’s Hummingbird School can ensure that its students can have a future different from their parents who are struggling to get even two meals a day. Donate now.Donate easily through UPI, all debit/credit cards and net banking. Charitable donations to this fundraising campaign are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India).From IIT Kharagpur to Majuli“When I first visited the remote villages of Majuli I was shocked. The extent of the struggles here was beyond my imagination. These villages had no connectivity to the outside world, and very limited access to healthcare and quality education”, says Bipin Dhane, founder of the school. Bipin, who grew up in the small town of Satara in Maharashtra, faced countless financial hardships. Despite his struggles, Bipin secured admission to the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and then went on to take up a job in Singapore. Owing to his childhood experiences Bipin was always inclined towards helping the less fortunate, and he believed in the transformative power of education. It was in 2016 that Bipin left his lucrative career abroad and moved to Majuli, to provide the children from this inaccessible river island education they were deprived of.“Whatever little money I had saved, I gave it to my parents. I had no money to start the school. It was then that villagers came together to build bamboo huts. Each family donated bamboo, wood, and whatever little they could. It was the parents of our students who erected huts for the school to start”, shares Bipin while talking about the inception of The Hummingbird School in 2017.Help Bipin save underprivileged children of Majuli Island from generational poverty and give them a chance to succeed. Donate now.Donate to save future generations“People of the island value education greatly because they know that their children have no future without it. Parents have vested their faith in The Humming Bird School because they don't want their children to suffer the way they have been”, says Bipin. Bipin says, “Today we have over 300 students in our school and about 90 children live in our hostel. Many of these children are orphaned or come from single-parent households, struggling each day without adequate care or resources.. I urge each one of you to come forward and donate to us so we can help hundreds of children escape from the cycle of poverty and build lives of dignity, hope, and opportunity.”Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform, to help children of Majuli Island get an education and break the cycle of poverty.

For tribal children of Majuli Island, education is the only way out. Help Bipin ensure they go to school

Punjab was once widely recognised as a land of abundance and promise. Unfortunately, the state today is staring at a crisis in the making. And this time, the most vulnerable of all, the children of Punjab, are at the receiving end.Onground reports suggest a large number of children fail to complete schooling, and some others may be completely out of the education system.But our NGO partner, Sanjhi Sikhiya, has been at the forefront, fighting for the children of Punjab and ensuring their right to an education and a future ahead. But sadly, the NGO and its young founders can't do this alone. Your donation can fuel the transformation that Punjab needs. Donate generously!Donate easily through UPI, all debit/credit cards and net banking. Charitable donations to this fundraising campaign are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India).<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/a2bf52af-9220-45bc-95df-e9de6985aa45.webp" />A crisis at the gatesPunjab's children are facing an unprecedented education crisis that threatens their future and the state's prosperity. One in four young people in Punjab feels there's no future for them in their own state. The opportunities they see around them don't match their hopes and aspirations.The impact on the groundStarted by a group of well-educated youths, Sanjhi Sakhiya has already begun to make its presence felt and bring about visible change. In just a few years, Sanjhi Sikhiya has reached 1,200 schools across Punjab, trained and supported 5,000 teachers, impacted 1.22 lakh students, and empowered 94 youth leaders who are driving change in their communities.Real change happens when communities take ownership. The NGO has mobilised over 8,000 community members who refuse to accept mediocre education for their children. They have empowered 516 School Management Committees to move from paperwork to real action, and created 584 Teacher Collectives where educators support and learn from each other.When Punjab faced its toughest test, Sanjhi Sikhiya empowered youth to restore safe and joyful spaces for every child, covering 100 schools, turning flooded classrooms into Schools of Strength.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/936c73ce-abc6-49e2-a1b9-0dc24c73a134.webp" />What your support will doYour donations contribute to expanding this movement. Your donation has the power to reignite the spark of learning. It will provide materials that make abstract concepts concrete for children struggling with the basics. It will support teachers who want to do better but need resources and training to make it happen.This isn't charity. This is an investment in Punjab's future. Join Punjab's Transformation. Donate nowYour support will help the NGO reach more districts, more schools, more children who are currently sitting in classrooms where hope is in short supply.Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s most trusted online donation platform, to support Sanjhi Sikhiya, in its mission to give children of Punjab the future they deserve.

Pledge to rebuild Punjab, support the state’s children and their education

Every child deserves the chance to dream, learn, and achieve. But for countless bright young girls from poor families and daughters of single mothers, education remains a distant dream. The burden of poverty often outweighs their potential, leaving them with little hope for a brighter future.Our NGO partner Vidya Poshak, has been transforming the lives of thousands of young girls from poor families by sponsoring their education and giving them a chance to dream big. You too can be a part of this life changing journey. Donate now to invest in the future of our girls.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/668baa6d-f74c-49ff-9838-ac5217f1ff21.webp" />Donate easily through UPI, all debit/credit cards and net banking. Charitable donations to this fundraising campaign are tax exempted under 80G of the Income Tax Act (India).Education is the only way out"I grew up in a remote rural area and went to a government school. While I managed to complete my higher education, many of my brighter classmates couldn't. Today, they struggle to survive. When I saw this, I knew I had to act. Especially for girl children who, despite their academic achievements, are deprived of the chance to fulfill their dreams. I started sponsoring the education of girl children from my salary. Today, Vidya Poshak has supported the education of over 15,000 students. Many of our girls now hold jobs in top companies and government sectors. None of this would have been possible without the opportunity to learn," shares Venkatesh, the founder of Vidya Poshak.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/387a09f4-8641-44aa-9309-c699a6323c27.webp" />Why donate to this fundraiserThrough your support, Vidya Poshak provides financial aid, mentorship, and educational resources to ensure that no deserving girl is left behind. Each donation helps cover tuition fees, books, and other essentials that are often out of reach for these families."These girls have the potential to achieve great things. Your support can give them the wings they need to fly," says Venkatesh.When you sponsor the education of a girl child, you’re not just shaping her future, but you’re uplifting her family and community. Imagine the impact when a girl becomes an engineer, a teacher, or a government officer. It’s a ripple effect that transforms lives.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/985a3765-a375-4bc3-92c5-83948ad663d6.webp" />Change lives nowYou have the power to ensure that no bright girl is held back due to financial hardship. Sponsor the education of a girl today and become a part of her success story.Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest online donation platform, to support Vidya Poshak in its mission to provide higher education to girls students from single parent households and poor families.

Sponsor the education of bright young girls from poor families. Your support can transform generations

Sanjhi Sikhiya started in 2019 to address the problem of ‘lack of learning’ for each and every child in Punjab. At Sanjhi Sikhiya, we believe that foundational learning holds the key to Punjab's resurgence. Our mission is simple yet profound: to empower every child with foundational capabilities in an enabling environment. We believe that lasting change can happen only when we :-   Strengthen the existing structures & processes instead of building new ones  Enable the people closest to the problems to solve the problems Bring people together for a shared purpose.  Thus,  taking a systems reform approach , we aim to strengthen both the demand and supply of quality Public education by enabling teacher leadership & excellence, community participation and effective policies.  Currently we are directly operating in selected clusters of 4 districts of Punjab - Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar, Patiala & Bathinda; covering 500 Schools, 1454 teachers and 38676 Students. Our vision is to expand our presence across all districts of Punjab.

Education

Sanjhi Sikhiya is a collective movement of young professionals that are working towards the mission to ensure that ‘All children in Punjab attain foundational educational capabilities. We work with the government primary schools, the entire education ecosystem, panchayats, local urban bodies, and the community to create a conducive environment of learning for our children. We work with teachers and officials at all levels- State, District, Block, and Cluster- to ensure that our teachers have the required competencies, feel motivated, and have resources to create meaningful learning experiences and provide ability-based foundational skills to the young children of Punjab.We work with :State/District Leadership (Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab Team, SCERT, District Education Officers) - Co-creating programs and policies supporting teacher competencies and community partnership Teacher Educators (Block Master Trainers/ Cluster Head)- Competency building to support and mentor the teachers Teachers - Competency building to facilitate ability-based learningCommunity - Dialogue building to support the learning environment for children in and out of school This structure enables all stakeholders in the education ecosystem to ensure access to quality education for students enrolled in the government primary schools of Punjab. We are currently engaged in four districts- Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Rupnagar and Bathinda, and have been able to impact 400+ schools, 44000 Students and worked with thus far and aim to reach all 12,000 government primary schools in Punjab.

Donations through Give Foundation, registered under section 80G of India's Income Tax Act, 1961 are tax-deductible.

Simranpreet Singh

Tanya Sharma

Fundraising Team

Sanjhi Sikhiya Foundation

This nonprofit is registered as a charitable trust under section 12A of India's Income Tax Act, 1961.

This nonprofit is registered under section 80G of India's Income Tax Act, 1961. This means you can deduct 50% of the donation you made through your tax return.

Through the STEM Collective, we are working to expand access, aspiration, and opportunity for government school students across Punjab, with a special focus on girls. This initiative brings together non-profits, universities, industry partners, and schools to build meaningful STEM pathways that help young learners move from curiosity to careers.Currently, the Collective supports 25 government schools across District Patiala and works closely with 100 high-potential girls from Grade 9 onwards, providing structured guidance, exposure, and mentorship as they prepare for higher education opportunities in leading institutions such as IITs, AIIMS, IISER, Delhi University, and other Tier-1 institutions.At its core, this initiative is about building knowledge, mobility, agency, and long-term independence through education, especially for students who have historically had limited access to these pathways. Strengthening the STEM Ecosystem Through Partnerships The STEM Collective is built on the belief that systemic challenges require collaborative, ecosystem-based solutions.The Collective also brings together committed partners including Avanti Fellows, Genpact, PI-RAHI, SAMA Foundation, universities, and industry collaborators, each contributing uniquely to mentoring, exposure, and academic preparation. Creating Exposure That Builds Aspiration A key part of the program focuses on exposure to real-world learning environments.Recently, over 50 girls visited Plaksha University as part of an immersive campus exposure program. For many students, this was their first experience exploring a university campus of this scale, interacting with professors, visiting advanced laboratories, and learning about academic pathways and scholarships. The visit helped students better understand the possibilities available through higher education and strengthened their motivation to pursue STEM careers.Similarly, on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, students from School of Eminence Bhadson and GSSS Mangewal visited Kartar Agrotech Ltd., where they observed the manufacturing process of farm equipment and interacted with engineers on the shop floor. Watching the girls confidently explore tractors and heavy machinery was a powerful reminder of how exposure can challenge gender stereotypes and expand what young girls believe is possible for themselves.Student feedback from these visits has been deeply valuable. Many girls expressed interest in visiting robotics labs and automobile manufacturing plants and asked for deeper technical explanations of industrial processes. These insights are now shaping the design of the next phase of the 100 Girls Program, ensuring the initiative remains student-informed and aspirational. Building Data to Guide Impact Alongside exposure and mentorship, the initiative is also building a strong evidence base to guide future programming.A recent district-wide STEM assessment drive reached over 3,000 students across 22 schools in Patiala. This large-scale effort was made possible through the support of NSS volunteers from Punjabi University, Patiala, who helped conduct assessments, manage logistics, and support classroom engagement across schools.The exercise has generated a rich district-wide dataset that will help identify student strengths, learning gaps, and emerging potential. These insights will inform the selection of students for the Genpact STEM Girls Program Top 100 and guide the next phase of deeper academic engagement. Looking Ahead By strengthening STEM access for government school students, particularly girls, the STEM Collective is addressing a multidimensional challenge that connects education, opportunity, economic participation, and systemic equity. Through partnerships, exposure, mentorship, and data-driven programming, we are steadily building pathways that help young learners move from aspiration to achievement.

Building Pathways to STEM for Girls in Punjab

Rupinder Singh

Pledge your support – Donate now!Sanjhi Sikhiya was started in 2018 to tackle Punjab's multifaceted crises, including a failing education system, drug abuse, unemployment, and the migration of talented youth abroad. The organization aims to revive Punjab’s future by working at the grassroots level to transform public primary schools into centers of excellence.Our mantra, "Come, Learn, Work, Grow," along with values of Compassion, Curiosity, Grit, Awareness, and Collaboration, guides every step of our journey. Inspired by a 30-year commitment from our co-founders, Sanjhi Sikhiya is dedicated to creating long-term, sustainable change in Punjab's education system.23 Oct, 2024Sanjhi Sikhiya (Learning Together) is focused on building Punjab’s future by empowering primary school students and nurturing youth leaders.Our young team of 80 individuals includes fellows from the Punjab Youth Leaders Program (PYLP), a flagship two-year fellowship for youth from Punjab and across India. These fellows work in rural government schools to improve learning outcomes and make primary schools the pride of the village – Pind da School, Pind da Maan. Our Dual Approach<ol><li>Teacher Collectives: Bringing together teachers from 10-12 schools to brainstorm solutions for students’ academic challenges, plan lessons, and share knowledge to create innovative teaching methods.</li><li>Community Collectives: Engaging villagers to take ownership of their schools and actively participate in the educational journey of their children.</li></ol>Your contribution will directly support these initiatives to improve learning outcomes for primary school students and develop youth leaders dedicated to Punjab's progress. Together, we can ensure every child gets access to quality education and every youth has the opportunity to become a changemaker for Punjab. Pledge your support today – Donate now to build a brighter future for Punjab!

I am fundraising for a cause close to my heart – to transform the future of Punjab by improving the quality of education in government primary schools and nurturing young leaders dedicated to the state's growth. With your support, we can empower children in public schools with better learning opportunities and create a generation of youth committed to rebuilding Punjab’s glory.  Your contribution will directly impact school-going children from underprivileged communities and youth leaders working on the ground to drive sustainable change. Together, we can make education the foundation of Punjab’s revival. Please back my fundraiser to bring this vision to life and ensure every child in Punjab has the opportunity to dream big and achieve their full potential.

Ankit Chhabra

On the last day, we started from Chone and Batala and covered nearly 50 km to reach Amritsar. We had started early at 8 and reached Golden Temple by 1. It was also our fastest ride. As we came closer to the destination, we felt stronger to keep going.  It was an emotional day. Being on the road for 7 days was full of self-exploration, understanding Punjab and connecting with people. At some point yesterday, all the historical trends and futuristic predictions that my mind was continuously analysing stopped making any sense. It was just about being in the moment, feeling all the feelings, and letting go of everything else. Starting the day at a time when children are going to school means you are going to meet a lot of smiling faces. Despite a government school within walking distance, many narrow village roads were jammed with private school buses. When parents don’t feel empowered to challenge the teachers, they change the buildings where their children go. We keep creating infrastructure for more schools without trying to fix the problems in the learning process. The fields that we saw over the last two days were also different. A lot more area was dedicated to growing vegetables, and there were many fruit orchards. It was a refreshing change after seeing endless stretches of rice cultivation everywhere. Potatoes and Peas were the most prominent crops. At the Golden Temple, Gurjit, Tarundeep and Anurag from our Sanjhi Sikhiya community came to welcome us. The joy of meeting familiar friends after a week of connecting with new people is like a homecoming. There was an excitement of completing another Yatra as well as immense gratitude for all that we received on the way. As we meditated together, I was filled with a sense of serenity. We had worked hard to reach here, but it felt effortless. For a few moments, I could feel the journey and the destination to be one.  We loaded our cycles on a bus to Chandigarh and reached our homes post-dinner time. Completing this Yatra felt like a process of renewal. I realise that our life is much like the Yatra we undertook. We don’t know much, yet we hide behind the comforts of certainty and pretence of knowing. I came back with greater awareness and a stronger intention about the life I want to live and the world I wish to create.  On the Yatra, we used to end every interaction with ‘Rab Rakha’ - loosely translated as ‘May God Take Care’. When Inder, Gurpreet and I parted, we said the same to each other. Still immersed in immense gratitude, I repeated the same to myself as well. Day 7: Total Distance Covered - 340 km, Funding Goal - 34,00,000, Funds Raised - 1,30,200 If you would to support our efforts at Sanjhi Sikhiya, you can donate here - bit.ly/CycleYatra

Punjab Cycle Yatra - Day 7

We started from Beas and cycled till Gumana in Gurdaspur district to spend some time with our friends. This detour also took us to to Chone village in Batala where we explored an old haveli in the village. In the evening Inder taught Kabbadi to the children while Gurpreet and I interacted with young people there and documented their stories. We rode around 35 kms and cycled for 3 hours. We are now less than 50 Kms from our destination. Going slow allows for more serendipitous connections within ourselves, with each other and with the landscape and people around. This connection feels immensely satisfying and we more energised at the end of the day even after exerting ourselves over long distances. We also developed greater stamina, increased our appetite and maybe also gained weight! As partners on the journey, I also see a shift in how we are nudging and pushing each other’s limits in a friendly way. Mutual growth is being a reflective mirror to each other while delving deeper within ourselves. We all have our peculiarities that are comforting or irritating to people around. Learning to share the effects we are having on each other sincerely yet lightly is a big thing I have learnt from my fellow yatris.  At Ghumana, we interacted with young students at the school started by Kawal and Pahul. They are both are part of our growing community of  passionate educators in Punjab. Their classrooms clearly reflected their perseverance and creativity. Students studied in mixed age groups, made their own schedule for the day and solved their problems together. It was a refreshing change to witness a classroom where expressions were full of  joy, empathy and curiosity. At Chone, our next stop, we discovered a nearly 150 year old grand monument. While the building stood strong despite the neglect, the story of its origin and importance seem to have been lost. We heard different accounts most of which were hard to believe for me. This is true in many other ways in Punjab. Partition has separated not just the land, it has also broken lineages and spoilt the legacy. Even I have no imagination of my family history from pre-partition times because my grandparents could never recover from the loss and hence never shared their stories with me.  Oblivious of the historical factors, the haveli ground now is a vibrant place where children and young adults from nearby villages come to play sports every morning and evening. We couldn’t meet the coach but it was obvious that his leadership was having a significant impact in the region. We have seen many such sports, music and readings initiatives which are being led informally by a local and kept alive by the participants themselves. As we left the ground late in the evening, everyone came together and wished us goodbyes. It was probably our best moment of the whole yatra.  While I am nearing the end of this exploration, I urge to continue supporting Sanjhi Sikhiya. 100% of your funds will go towards developing young people as leaders and transforming the primary education system.  If you'd like to contribute to this effort please follow this link - https://bit.ly/CycleYatra Day 6: Total Distance Covered - 293 km, Funding Goal - 29,30,000, Funds Raised - 1,27,700

Punjab Cycle Yatra - Day 6

We started day five from Sultanpur Lodhi and travelled 58.5 km to Radha Soami Dera in the evening. As we crossed the Beas River into Amritsar district, we also entered the Majha region in Punjab. The Yatra started in the Malwa region, crossed Doaba and is now in the last phase.  Our mornings are at ease, like home. I wake up early to reflect and write. I then meditate and do yoga before getting ready for the day. Posting on social media daily feels like a hassle. Even after the calm morning, the hour before we begin is always rushed, even though we don’t have anywhere in particular to get to. Every moment of the Yatra makes me more aware of my conditioning.  All three of us feel connected with nature. Many of our conversations over the last few days were about rivers, native birds and trees of Punjab. We become so excited when we spot a native species that now I can identify and name quite a few. We prefer routes next to rivers and canals and stop at every opportunity to immerse ourselves in the soothing presence of flowing water beside us.  Along the route, many people offer us water, tea and food. They ask us curious questions, share their wishes and send us off with smiles and blessings. Some others on their cars and bikes slow down to pace up with us and talk to us. I am becoming so acquainted with Punjab that I can now guess where in Punjab a person is from by carefully listening to how they speak.  A particularly humbling moment yesterday for me was the langar we ate. It was being offered in celebration of Valmiki Jayanti. It was next to a highway and was being served literally on the street. As I shared the meal, I felt a shift within me and many differences were dissolved. The noise, taste or anything external didn’t matter. It was just about being there, experiencing the togetherness of humanity and witnessing the overflowing joy and abundance in celebration. Our evening host was a gracious 81-year-old TS Ananthu at Radha Swami. He completed his engineering in the first batch of IIT Madras, left his career, and has been leading a life based on Gandhian principles for nearly 50 years. He is now based in Beas and dedicated to strengthening his inner work practice and synthesising his learnings. His youthful enthusiasm and child-like curiosity were something I have rarely seen.  We had to submit our electronics before we entered the Radha Soami Campus. Being away from screens for nearly 15 hours felt like a welcome break for our bodies. I couldn’t update my morning note, but I slept for nearly 10 hours. The meticulous arrangements and soothing silence at the campus added to our experience. Experiencing so many ways of being in Punjab and immersing ourselves in it, even though briefly, has been an expansive exercise for all of us.  While I am on this reflective journey, the team at Sanjhi Sikhiya is working hard, focused on working with teachers, community and leaders. To help create the necessary conditions for the younger generation to thrive!  If you'd like to contribute to this effort please follow this link - https://bit.ly/CycleYatra Day 5: Total Distance Covered - 257.5 km, Funding Goal - 25,75,000, Funds Raised - 1,27,700

Punjab Cycle Yatra - Day 5

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The crisis in primary education in Punjab is leading to grave issues like the high unemployment rate, migration, and drug addiction. Poor foundational learning is causing a higher learning gap, drop-outs, and excessive pressure on children as they go higher in the education level. There is hardly any ownership taken by the teachers, parents or the community, which is leading to a decline in the foundational learning of the students enrolled in these government primary schools. While the challenges are largely systemic in nature, we found that current interventions are isolated and focus on symptoms rather than the root cause.  
 Cluster Transformation Program (CTP) is a multi-stage approach to transformation from a systemic lens. The unit of change for us in the public education system is a cluster of government primary schools, which if improved correctly will improve all the schools within it and will directly impact its educational block.The program works at enabling our teachers and school eco-system to provide ability-based foundational skills to the young children of Punjab. We work with the education and local governance system to make sure that our teachers have the required competencies, feel motivated and have resources to create meaningful learning experiences for the children. The program follows the multi-pronged approach : <ul><li>At State- Co-designing State levels programs and training for teachers and teacher educators / Youth leaders providing feedback/ inputs from the schools to the State team for advocacy and policy interventions </li><li>At District- Upskilling sessions for the leadership team and co-designing District-level initiatives </li><li>At Block-Cluster level- Learning collectives of Block-Cluster leaders, Co-planning &amp; implementation of Teacher capacity building</li><li>At the School level- Teachers' professional development circles and on-field support</li><li>Community - Dialogue building to support the learning environment for children in and out of school </li></ul> 
 <ul><li>To create a conducive environment for learning for the students in the government primary schools, to enable teachers to practice ability-based learning, and create a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy.  </li><li>To enable parents, school management committees, and local elected bodies to come together and take ownership of these schools and work together towards creating a conducive environment for the students. </li><li>To reach the goal of expanding the program to all 12,000 schools government primary schools in Punjab.</li></ul>

Cluster Transformation Program (CTP)

100 Futures. Not Far a Dream. Let’s Lead Punjab to STEM.

Pankaj Rai

This is a sample description for education. For the purpose of testing I will use the word EducationEducationEducationEducation.

Cluster Transformation Program (CTP)

For tribal children of Majuli Island, education is the only way out. Help Bipin ensure they go to school

Pledge to rebuild Punjab, support the state’s children and their education

Sponsor the education of bright young girls from poor families. Your support can transform generations

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