"My son used to kick me when he was in my womb. Why make an issue when he kicked me in my old age?" reasons a very forgiving Shakti Dasi. The widow travelled 2300 kms from Tripura to Vrindavan after her only son violently beat her with a burning plank of wood and broke her knee one evening. She had to leave behind the business she had built with her husband who had died a few years back. Shakti ended up on the streets of Brindavan begging for food and shelter. But when Winnie Singh of Maitri saw Shakti in a frail state in tattered clothes, she brought her to the shelter home where Shakti gets food, care and medicines. What more, with Maitri’s intervention, Shakti reconciled with her son - and daughter-in-law, and now travels home to Tripura twice a year to spend time with her grandchildren. But she is not leaving Maitri, as this has become her family.Not every elderly widow who comes to Vrindavan after being abandoned by her family gets as lucky as Shakti. Many of them often end up living a lonely life and begging to survive on the streets. Maitri aspires to take care of every widow in need of help.<img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/ce101369-528c-4d37-bc1d-1118b9925af3.jpg" />Maitri’s Project Jeevan to the rescueAbandoned, elderly widows are the amongst the most vulnerable in India. After being thrown out of their often abandoned by their own children and are forced to beg for food and shelter. “Through Project Jeevan, Maitri houses aging widow mothers in two ashrams in Vrindavan and Radhakund (Mathura), providing them with wellness and well-being. The programme also reaches out to widow mothers beyond the ashrams with fruit, milk and healthcare services,” explains Winnie Singh, co-founder and executive director, Maitri India.Save homeless elderly widows from begging on the streetsMost widows who make their way to Vrindavan are abandoned by their families, often after years of abuse. They come here hoping they will spend the rest of their days in prayer and devotion. But most live in impoverished conditions on the streets and in dingy rooms. Since poor living conditions often cause a wide range of health ailments, including respiratory infections and chronic conditions, Maitri comes to their rescue through its Project Jeevan.The project aims to:<ul><li>Provide meals leading to improved health and wellbeing</li><li>Make physical and mental health services accessible</li><li>Offer necessary quality aged care and assisted living support</li><li>Increase awareness on and engagement around the struggles of abandoned widow mothers</li></ul><img src="https://cfstatic.give.do/1abfb906-563b-4747-85b8-8af2071a2856.jpg" />Project Jeevan needs your support to help those in need of food, healthcare and well-being. Donate now.“Maitri urgently needs your support to provide food, clothing and healthcare to sustain these widow mothers who are prone to more illnesses as they age,” appeals Winnie.Maitri believes in a woman’s right to dignity in life and death, more so a mother. Our help will enable Maitri to save hundreds of abandoned widows from a life of begging, and restore the respect, dignity, and identity they deserve.

Save abandoned, elderly widow mothers of Vrindavan from begging on streets

In the dark and dingy alleys of red light areas, injustice, pain and suffering run rampant. And the worst affected are the children who grow up in red-light areas and are subjected to constant abuse and violence. “The sight of a 12-year-old girl being gang-raped by a group of men near a house l haunts me to this date. I was filled with anguish and resolved to do something,” says Girish Kulkarni who has made it his life’s mission to rescue children from red light areas and give them a safe and secure childhood. In the last 3 decades Girish has saved over 1100 girls from a life of abuse in red-light areas, giving them a loving home, education and medical care. He has further supported over 20,000 children with a better life.Sadly, 250 of the children rescued from abuse and exploitation are HIV positive. The high cost of medication has left Girish struggling for funds. Your support can help him provide these children with the care and upbringing they need. 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), &amp; 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (USA). A movement to protect vulnerable children“Growing up in Ahmednagar, the experiences I had as a child witnessing the horrors of sex trade defined the path of my life. I had even seen my friend’s 15-year-old sister and 70-year-old grandmother being forced to do sex work for the price of a cup of tea”, recalls Girish. “I started by merely feeding and teaching children of sex workers initially with the intention of giving them some respite from the horrors of life of abuse in red-light areas. Gradually more and more mothers started coming to me and asked me to take their children away, even if it was just for a couple of hours,” he further adds.The work that Girish started in his youth gradually grew to become a movement, with many more joining his cause. His NGO Snehalaya to date has transformed the lives of millions. Girish’s work is crucial for the survival and safety of vulnerable children of sex workers. Snehalaya is almost entirely dependent on donations from the public and your support can strengthen his mission to save children most in need. Donate generously.The horrors of life in red light areas“The cruelty and abuse that children as young as 6 or 7 years of age face is something that I can’t explain in words. Young daughters of sex workers are made to watch their mothers being raped, are brutally assaulted and forced into sex work. No child deserves to grow like this, Girish says in anguish.Sad reality of life for children growing up in red light areas is that they are deprived of even the most basic needs like proper food, safety and education. Moreover, a majority of children rescued by Girish are diagnosed HIV positive. The task of securing medication, providing them quality education and much needed nutrition is one that requires constant support from donors. Moreover, the increase in healthcare cost has left Girish struggling to keep his home for children going. But your support can enable him to give his children a loving environment and save many more who still remain trapped behind closed doors.Donate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform, to help Snehalaya give hundreds of children rescued from red-light areas a life away from violence and abuse.

Help Girish give 250 HIV+ children, rescued from abuse in red-light areas a new life

“They insert a candle in the vagina, fingers are inserted (in the vagina) and tortured, and if children don’t relent even then, they put chilli powder so that children will say “yes” because of the burning of the skin… There are teeth marks on their bodies, and their vaginal parts are burnt. When children stay in these conditions, it is painful even to hear,” says Lalitha SA of Society for Participatory Integrated Development (SPID), in course of talking about many heart-rending stories of trafficked children in red-light areas.In over three decades, the SPID led by Lalitha, has saved over 3000 children from the red-light areas, many from clutches of sex trafficking.Sadly, many more children need to be rescued and in need of a loving home. But Lalitha needs our support to carry on the mission, to move out of her small facility so that she can rescue more children, house them in a permanent location and give them all the love they deserve. Your support can help her give these children the care and upbringing they need. 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).A movement to protect vulnerable childrenAs a social worker, Lalitha has worked for decades in GB Road, the red-light area of Delhi and helped many women escape the clutches of being forced into sex. But it was the exploitation of children, many of them hardly ten or twelve or even less. The SPID has focused on rescuing such children and giving them a new life.Lalitha plays a vital role in the survival and safety of vulnerable children in the red light areas. As SPID is almost entirely dependent on donations from the public, we can support and strengthen SPID’s mission to save children. Donate generously.Donation to SPID’s fundraiser on Give.do“I have limited funds and very limited space, and if I had the funds, I would be able to rescue many more children and provide them with more comfort. With folded hands, I plead with you that you help us with funds in large numbers and support us in providing us children with a decent life. Become a part of the mission,” pleads LalithaDonate to this fundraiser by Give, India’s largest and most trusted online donation platform, to help Lalitha give hundreds of children rescued from brothels a life away from violence and abuse.NGO's 80G number: AADAS3217RF20212NGO's 12A number: AADAS3217RE20214

This Navratri, help Lalitha give kids rescued from abuse in red-light areas a safe and loving home. Donate now.

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

Children

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

Education

This is a sample description for Community & Rural Development. For the purpose of testing I will use the word Community & Rural DevelopmentCommunity & Rural DevelopmentCommunity & Rural Development.

Community & Rural Development

VISION:To end poverty in the Mahakaushal region. MISSION: To build and scale impactful education, nutrition and livelihood practices for school-going children in tribal belts and demonstrate an environment of love and care for the child. OUR COMMUNITY: As per the Annual Health Survey (2010-11), in Mandla, one of the districts in Mahakaushal region where we currently focus, 56.5 percent children are underweight, while 47.3 percent and 29.6 percent are suffering from stunting and wasting (decreased fat mass), respectively. Families residing in the Mahakaushal region in Madhya Pradesh comprises three of the most backward and tribal populated districts in India. With an annual income of just Rs. 30,000, these families are at a disadvantage due to lack of education and skillsets. The current livelihood opportunities for these families are only through their small landholdings, but low farm production due to one crop farming and lack of irrigation facilities, leads to high rate of migration, and children dropping out of school along with a high rate of malnutrition.  OUR JOURNEY SO FAR: Mrida Education and Welfare Society was set up in 2016 with an objective to establish Excellence in Education and Sports for girls and boys from tribal communities in rural India. We work to bring a fundamental change in learning through Education in Sports, Agriculture and Skill Development. In the last 4 years, we have set up a fully residential- cum- day school with 210 children. This year we are raising funds to establish one more school for 800 children (600 residential and 200 day scholars), carefully selected from some of the poorest and most deprived families from Mandla and Dindori districts of Madhya Pradesh. We provide child-specific experiential education with an emphasis on hands-on skills and a balance of heart and mind, going from classes pre-primary till Class 7. The curriculum is steeped in a strong value system with service at the core.  Mrida’s founders have more than 10 years of on-the-field experience in the region. They have identified the cultural capital of the local communities to mobilize innovative development programs. Thus, two of our immensely popular development programs - Future Technologies and Sports Excellence, are helping students develop sustainable livelihood skills for the future.  HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR WORK IN THE REGION: Some of the key on-the-field development programs we have initiated are: <ul><li>Riverside Natural School (RNS): </li></ul>The school takes care of the educational needs of the children with a full-time residential facility from Grade 1st - 8th and with future plans to add classrooms till Grade 10th.<ul><li>Narmada Valley Football Academy: </li></ul>Setup Narmada Valley Football Academy (NVFA) in 2016 which has been recognized by the Madhya Pradesh Football Association. Our goal is to provide a full residential and schooling facility to train 120 children at NVFA to become National level football players in this academic year 2021-22.<ul><li>Narmada Valley Aavishkaar Lab:  </li></ul>In 2018-19, Mrida worked with a Government High School in Phulsagar where we conducted our four-year robotics program. Some of these students participated and won at IIT Indore’s Robotics design fest in January 2019. The program had to be discontinued at Phulsagar due to lack of funding but 14 of the children from Sagar transferred to RNS to continue their work in the area in a focused way.<ul><li>Agroforestry Initiative with the tribal families:  </li></ul>This is the long term sustainability plan which will support Mrida’s intervention programs. Along with PRADAN-promoted FPO, we are working with 25 tribal farmer parents to grow the medicinal plant, Ashwagandha on 40 acres of land which is barren and lying unused by the farmers. The second stage of this initiative is to grow food forests in 60 acres of land with a focus on medicinal plants and fruits that are in demand in Indian food markets,<ul><li>Raja Hriday Shah Golden baby League: (AIFF-approved- an only league in MP which is under the FIFA guidelines) </li></ul>The lockdown imposed due to Covid-2019 has impacted the Adivasi households in the region as 45,000 migrant labour has returned from April – May 2020. With schools closed due to the lockdown and children having little access to technology, they have no opportunities to learn. To bring joy back into the life of children here, we run an AIFF-approved Baby League, the Raja Hriday Shah Golden Baby league, dedicated to the 49th Gond King who holds a dear place in the heart of the locals. Over 14 girls and boys teams in under-10 and under 13- age categories are participating in the league. THE IMPACT:  <ul><li>Improved health through strong nutrition and sports: </li></ul>We monitor the body mass index (BMI) every month - from June 2019 to February 2020, the percentage of severely malnourished children (BMI &lt; 16.0) under our care fell from 81% to 68%. <ul><li>Better attendance and academic performance: </li></ul>85% of the players reported more than 90%attendance in the academic year 2019-20. Group learning has improved their academic results especially in subjects like Mathematics. <ul><li>Self-employment and employment opportunities for footballers: </li></ul>A total of 7 senior players who played/trained with us are employed/self-employed and earning up to Rs.60,000 annually which they are contributing towards their families and education of their younger siblings. THE NEED: The academic year 2021-22 will be the most challenging year for rural education. We fear that as schools reopen after the year-long COVID hiatus, more children will drop out of the education system. 4 years of working out of rented premises. 4 years of learning to play football in makeshift grounds leading to injuries and frustration. As our high school children enter Grade 9, our oldest cohort has now been training for 3 years. 1000+ hours of football. We need high-quality infrastructure to be able to move forward. To achieve that objective we are raising funds to build and operate a Residential School for the Tribal children in Mandla. Join us in our mission to educate to end poverty!

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Priya

Sarika Jadhav

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Mrida Education and Welfare Society

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.

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Mandla is a densely-forested district surrounded by river Narmada and is dominated by the Gond and Baiga tribes. With small landholdings that have been losing productivity that has resulted in food insecurity and subsistence income, the people relied on the non-timber forest produce (NTFP) to support their livelihoods. The earnings from NTFP too have been failing in recent years due to climate change and rejection of forest rights claims. As a result of the welfare programs not reaching the people effectively, the district of Mandla as a whole has weak human development indicators.A 2005 State Planning Commission report had estimated that 75.5% of the population in the district of Mandla were below the poverty line. Mandla’s urban population accounted for only 12.3%. As per the National Family Health Survey (2015-16), in Mandla, 49.8% of children were underweight, while 36.9%, 44.5%, 69.7% suffered from stunting, wasting, and anemia respectively. As per the 2011 census, the average literacy rate among the total population was 63% against 51% literacy rate among the scheduled tribes that accounted for 57% of the population.Forced by chronic poverty, during lean seasons, the tribes migrated to nearby villages and towns in search of work. The seasonal migration of parents in search of work affected the children’s schooling, and an estimated 45% of the students enrolled in the school did not attend school regularly. Food insecurity impeded families from spending on education and drove children to enter the workforce before they completed the education, where they did not fit and suffered poor working conditions and job loss. Thus, they remained trapped in a vicious poverty cycle. Even among children who complete schooling, there is a lack of skill attainment, particularly important to households living below the poverty line. 
 Founded in 2016, Mrida has been working with tribal children from 4-16 years through a model that emphasizes care, skilling, and well-being. Currently, we have 210 children with 110 living in the shelter home, who come from Gond and Baiga families with an average annual household income of Rs.30,000. Over time, we intend to work with 750 children from some of the poorest tribal families in the region. Through this, we intend to influence and eventually reach many more children in the region. SPORTS: The structured curriculum I AIFF-certified coaches I All age groups WELL-BEING: Balanced diet and care I Basic schooling FUTURE TECHNOLOGY: Computers I Tinkercad I Python I AI I GIS  Our entire team that includes alumni of India ' s premier colleges who all live and work out of Mandla.   
 In 2020-21, the total number of children who will benefit from our schooling will be 253 with 133 being day scholars. Through intensive and selfless work with a group of at-risk first generation tribal learners, we wish to demonstrate that excellence can only be achieved through sustained effortImpact in the next 2 years:<ol><li>Weight gain among children who are under our complete care with a strong improvement in BMI indicators.</li><li>Rooting out of anemia currently present in nearly all children who have been in the shelter home for less than 1 year.</li><li>All children in the shelter home learn self-care and hygiene.</li><li>Well-defined livelihood pathways and related activities for every child.</li><li>Children start coding using Python.</li><li>A well-trained and accomplished under-14 football team that has experienced success in local, regional and pan-India tournaments.</li><li>An under-14 girls football team.</li><li>Developing child farmers through practical farm-based work.</li><li>All children are grade-ready within 2 years.</li></ol>Impact in the next 5 years<ol><li>Healthy, well-rounded and focused children living in the shelter home.</li><li>Strong academic results for children on the academic track.</li><li>Developing child farmers and entrepreneurs who will through sustainable farm practices, be able to earn and provide a livelihood to others.</li><li>Creating a vibrant and dynamic grassroots sports program for all tribal children in Mandla and Dindori districts.</li><li>Creating a strong technology program with 60% of children involved in this, picking STEM-related fields.</li></ol>

Building joyful and empowered children in rural Madhya Pradesh in a focused way - SPORTS I WELL-BEING I TECHNOLOGY

Mrida’s school was set-up in 2016 with 90 children on rented premises to provide education to the children from impoverished families in the tribal region in Madhya Pradesh. The student strength has now grown to 210 children with more than 200 waiting for a place in the school. Mrida's team scour the villages from 3 districts in the Mahakaushal region to find the high potential in sports and neediest children. However, to continue to do this we need space - not just for new children but even for the older ones. Unless that happens, we will be stuck in a sea of need without a boat. And more children will continue to become migrant labourers.The Mahakaushal region in Madhya Pradesh comprises three of the most backward and tribal populated districts in India. Some of the issues that affect the children and their education in this region are:1) high rate of migration,2) high rate of school dropouts due to migration, and3) high rate of malnutrition. As per the Annual Health Survey conducted (2010-11), in Mandla, 56.5 per cent children are underweight, while 47.3 percent and 29.6 percent are suffering from stunting and wasting (decreased fat mass), respectively. Most of the farmer families in the region possess small landholdings and earn low produce from the farmlands due to inadequate irrigation facilities, and one crop farming practice. Thus, the tribal families live in abject poverty due to lack of alternative livelihood opportunities in the region. 
 We see a dire need to build a proper school building with well-equipped education and sports infrastructure. We have also planned to build hostels for orphaned and single parent girls and boys this year. Although this fundraiser might not fulfil the project's entire funding need, still it will help us cover 20-30% of our required construction and operational cost. Every little bit counts! KEY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS:Residential School: Set up a small school on rented premises in 2016 to provide education to 90 children from impoverished tribal families. We have also set-up a residential facility to house orphaned children and children with single parents. Our current teaching starts from Grade 1st - 8th and has future plans to add classrooms till Grade 10th.Narmada Valley Football Academy: Set up Narmada Valley Football Academy (NVFA) in 2016 which has been recognized by the Madhya Pradesh Football Association. NVFA's goal is to provide a full residential and schooling facility to train 120 children to become National level football players by the academic year 2021-22.Narmada Valley Aavishkaar Lab:  Initiated a four-year Robotics program with a Government High School in Phulsagar in 2018-19. Some of the students from this program participated and won at IIT Indore’s Robotics design fest in January 2019. The program had to be discontinued at Phulsagar due to lack of funding but 14 of the children from Sagar transferred to RNS to continue their work in the program area in a focused way.Agroforestry Initiative with the tribal families:  Started this long-term Sustainability initiative to support Mrida’s intervention programs. Along with PRADAN-promoted FPO, Mrida mobilized 25 tribal farmer parents to grow the medicinal plant, Ashwagandha on 40 acres of land which is barren and lying unused by the farmers. The second stage of this initiative is to grow food forests in 60 acres of land with a focus on medicinal plants and fruits that are in demand in Indian food markets. Raja Hriday Shah Golden baby League: (AIFF-approved- an only league in MP which is under the FIFA guidelines) Started the football matches under the Baby League to address the learning gap faced by the children. The lockdown imposed due to Covid-2019 has impacted the Adivasi households in the region as 45,000 migrant labour has returned from April – May 2020. With schools closed due to the lockdown and children having little access to technology, they have no opportunities to learn. To bring joy back into the life of children here, we run an AIFF-approved Baby League, the Raja Hriday Shah Golden Baby league, dedicated to the 49th Gond King who holds a dear place in the heart of the locals. Over 14 girls and boys teams in under-10 and under 13- age categories are participating in the league. 
 For the last four years, we rented premises to run the day school. Our goal is to build a school capacity for 800 students.. We need a better school infrastructure to educate a growing number of children from impoverished tribal families.  In the past, we trained football players on makeshift grounds resulting in injuries and frustration. Our sports goal is to create National and International level football players. We need high-quality infrastructure to move beyond 1000+ hours of football practice sessions. The academic year 2021-22 will be the most challenging year for rural education. We fear that as schools reopen after the year-long COVID hiatus, more children will drop out of the education system. We are fundraising to create a lasting positive impact on the lives of children from tribal families. Join us to start to educate to end poverty. IMPACT OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS<ul><li>Improved health through strong nutrition and sports: We monitor the body mass index (BMI) every month - from June 2019 to February 2020, the percentage of severely malnourished children (BMI &lt; 16.0) under our care fell from 81% to 68%. </li><li>·Better attendance and academic performance: 85% of the players reported more than 90% attendance in the academic year 2019-20. Group learning has improved their academic results especially in subjects like Mathematics. </li><li>Self-employment and employment opportunities for football players: A total of 7 senior players who played/trained with us are employed/self-employed and earning up to Rs.60,000 annually which they are contributing towards their families and education of their younger siblings.</li></ul>

The Education Project - To Build A School

Mrida works with tribal children from impoverished families (Gond, Baiga, and Ahir tribes) in eastern Madhya Pradesh by providing residential schooling, training in football, and coding to these children. Although enrolment in schools, especially elementary schools, has improved, the quality of learning outcomes leaves much to be desired. The dropout rate of children at the high school level is high at 25-30%. Even children who finish high school do not have strong prospects to look forward to. Skilling initiatives have not worked due to a lack of basic skills among youth as well as unwillingness to migrate long-term. One large-scale initiative in Mandla and Dindori districts has seen only 20% of youth who have finally started working after skills training. The community largely depends on subsistence farming or seasonal migration to cities, typically 2-3 times a year. With a failure of education and an acute dearth of opportunities to learn, rural children as young as 9-10 years are taking to consuming tobacco and gutkha products, impacting their bodies and minds adversely at this tender age. Through football and education, we are building an institution and culture of excellence in the region so that children and parents have positive role models and career pathways to look up to.   
 Mrida is currently working directly with 260 tribal children with 120 girls and boys from 6 years to 17 years, living in the hostel and 140-day scholars who attend the Riverside Natural School, run by Mrida. In addition, we also work with 200 children from 20 villages through our football league, camps and scouting programs that we conduct regularly in the region, totally reaching 460 children in the region. We have built a 36-member strong team, comprising football coaches, teachers, core team and support staff.We run the following programs:1. Riverside Natural School and Hostel2. Narmada Valley Football Program3. Narmada Valley Aavishkaar Labs 
 In the short term, we are spreading a love for Sport and learning coupled with a need to stay fit and avoid bad habits. The children we work with getting access to opportunities and platforms to express and excel in Sports, Technology, and Education. In the long term, we are building confident, healthy, and positive role models for the region, who have worked hard to achieve success, fueling the movement out of poverty for the community.  We have been able to achieve the following outcomes in the last 6 years of operations:CODING (NARMADA VALLEY AAVISHKAAR LABS) 1.     15 of our Class 9 and 10 children who are first-generation learners and had not touched a Computer 3 years ago, are now coding in Python. 2.     Four of our teams from the Coding Program were in the top six in a nationwide hackathon with 250 children from 10 cities. The coders have proven their talent earlier as well by excelling at IIT- Indore, competing with the best and winning numerous prizes. 3.     70% of our children from Classes 6 to 10 are able to access email, search on the internet, take printouts and find the information they need.  SPORTS (NARMADA VALLEY FOOTBALL PROGRAM) 4.     Our U-17 girls team is the MP champion, beating teams from Indore, Gwalior, Ujjain, Bhopal and Narmadapuram. They represented MP in the historic 61st Subroto Cup organized this month, organized by the Indian Air Force where our girls and school were recognized with the 'Fair Play' award and were widely appreciated for their technically sound game. Most girls in this region fetch water and firewood, cook food, work on the farm and get married when they turn 18 (or sometimes even earlier). Our girls are changing the development trajectory of the region. 5.     One of our 13 year old boys, Nageshwar Dhurvey has been selected by <a href="https://minervaacademyfc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Minerva Academy FC</a>, Chandigarh through a nationwide open trial with a full scholarship that includes schooling, football training, food and accommodation.6.     One of our girls, Antara Dhurvey was part of the Maharashtra U-17 probables and selected to attend the Maharashtra state camp for the U-17 national women's football tournament, organized by Western India Football Association at Cooperage in Mumbai. 7.     We run the largest and longest football league in MP that runs for 3 months and sees participation of 350 players in the U-10 and U-14 age categories for both girls and boys. Through this program, we also raise awareness on tobacco and gutkha consumption by minors. HEALTH8.    No anaemia among our residential students, particularly significant in a region where 70% of children are anaemic, as per the NFHS 2015-16.

Nurturing Excellence in Tribal Children-Support Program Costs

Mrida works with tribal children from impoverished families (Gond, Baiga, and Ahir tribes) in eastern Madhya Pradesh by providing residential schooling, training in football, and coding to these children. Although enrolment in schools, especially elementary schools, has improved, the quality of learning outcomes leaves much to be desired. The dropout rate of children at the high school level is high at 25-30%. Even children who finish high school do not have strong prospects to look forward to. Skilling initiatives have not worked due to a lack of basic skills among youth as well as unwillingness to migrate long-term. One large-scale initiative in Mandla and Dindori districts has seen only 20% of youth who have finally started working after skills training. The community largely depends on subsistence farming or seasonal migration to cities, typically 2-3 times a year. With a failure of education and an acute dearth of opportunities to learn, rural children as young as 9-10 years are taking to consuming tobacco and gutkha products, impacting their bodies and minds adversely at this tender age. Through football and education, we are building an institution and culture of excellence in the region so that children and parents have positive role models and career pathways to look up to.   
 <ul><li>Mrida is currently working directly with 260 children.</li><li>120 girls and boys from 6 years to 17 years, living in the hostel.</li><li>140 day scholars who attend the Riverside Natural School, run by Mrida.</li><li>In addition, we also work with 200 children from 20 villages through our football league, camps, and scouting programs that we conduct regularly in the region, totally reaching 460 children in the region. We have built a 36-member strong team, comprising licensed football coaches, teachers, a core team, and support staff.</li></ul>We run the following programs:<ol><li>Riverside Natural School and Hostel</li><li>Narmada Valley Football Program</li><li>Narmada Valley Aavishkaar Labs</li></ol> 
 In the short term, we are spreading a love for Sport and learning coupled with a need to stay fit and avoid bad habits. The children we work with get access to opportunities and platforms to express and excel in Sports, Technology, and Education. In the long term, we are building confident, healthy, and positive role models for the region, who have worked hard to achieve success, fueling the movement out of poverty for the community.  We have been able to achieve the following outcomes in the last 6 years of operations:CODING (NARMADA VALLEY AAVISHKAAR LABS) <ul><li>15 of our Class 9 and 10 children who are first-generation learners and had not touched a Computer 3 years ago are now coding in Python. </li><li>Four of our teams from the Coding Program were in the top six in a nationwide hackathon with 250 children from 10 cities. The coders have proven their talent earlier as well by excelling at IIT- Indore, competing with the best, and winning numerous prizes. </li><li>70% of our children from Classes 6 to 10 are able to access email, search on the internet, take printouts and find the information they need.</li></ul> SPORTS (NARMADA VALLEY FOOTBALL PROGRAM)<ul><li>  Our U-17 girls' team is the MP champion, beating teams from Indore, Gwalior, Ujjain, Bhopal, and Narmadapuram. They represented MP in the historic 61st Subroto Cup organized this month, organized by the Indian Air Force where our girls and school were recognized with the 'Fair Play' award and were widely appreciated for their technically sound game. Most girls in this region fetch water and firewood, cook food, work on the farm and get married when they turn 18 (or sometimes even earlier). Our girls are changing the development trajectory of the region. </li><li>One of our 13-year-old boys, Nageshwar Dhurvey has been selected by <a href="https://minervaacademyfc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Minerva Academy FC</a>, Chandigarh through a nationwide open trial with a full scholarship that includes schooling, football training, food, and accommodation.</li><li>One of our girls, Antara Dhurvey has been selected by Gokulam Kerala FC, making her the first girl to play the game professionally in Madhya Pradesh</li><li>Pramod Wate from our program was selected to play for ATK Mohun Bagan's Youth Academy (U-17) and has been training with their reserves side.</li><li>We run the largest and longest football league in MP that runs for 3 months and sees the participation of 350 players in the U-10 and U-14 age categories for both girls and boys. Through this program, we also raise awareness of tobacco and gutkha consumption by minors.</li><li>Two of our girls, Akansha Narte and Ambika Dhurwey, were among the 25 best players in the 61st edition of the Subroto cup and they impressed the scouts and coaches with their performance and for this which they have been awarded scholarships of Rs. 25,000 each.</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/RiversideNaturalSchool/?__cft__[0]=AZXbwpNisF6sER6Hy02-iuwUUxdpzjnpcIEh4zMSTKyzqNL0Laj3s9qjQW2vx_yV7caC-CJdX02sFfKk7cI2O-q71LqarDWv-RC3htXhjzRD3xunPOLmiE-pyuITvEq-SRAVnbFIdGVK4LG8YvEbgrHU0qe83V_gMdhWisugDZTcdKlDsTKkttu5cQW5VC2ut6M&amp;__tn__=kK-R" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Riverside Natural School</a> 's U-17 Girls' Football Team received the HFO VN Singh Fair Play Award in their first appearance at the 61st <a href="https://www.facebook.com/subrotocup?__cft__[0]=AZXbwpNisF6sER6Hy02-iuwUUxdpzjnpcIEh4zMSTKyzqNL0Laj3s9qjQW2vx_yV7caC-CJdX02sFfKk7cI2O-q71LqarDWv-RC3htXhjzRD3xunPOLmiE-pyuITvEq-SRAVnbFIdGVK4LG8YvEbgrHU0qe83V_gMdhWisugDZTcdKlDsTKkttu5cQW5VC2ut6M&amp;__tn__=-]K-R" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Subroto Cup Football Tournament</a>.</li></ul>HEALTH<ul><li>No anemia among our residential students is particularly significant in a region where 70% of children are anemic, per the NFHS 2015-16. </li></ul>