A
Kindergarten
for
Tribal Children in Rural
To help children gain access to pub-
lic education in rural India, the AWCH
applied for a FAWCO Foundation De-
velopment Grant for the project “A
Kindergarten for Tribal Children in
Rural India.” This project, under the
direction of the non-governmental
organization (NGO) Nandanvan Trust
(Integrated Tribal and Watershed De-
velopment Programme, ITWDP) was
awarded the 2020 AW Surrey Hope
through Education grant of $5000.
This grant will finance construction
of a kindergarten that will contain a
classroom, kitchen, and sanitation fa-
cilities. School is free in India but chil-
dren must first possess a basic foun-
dation in learning skills, habits, and
initiative — all made possible through
kindergarten.
The Nandanvan Trust has successfully
used watershed development (“catch-
ing the rain”) in desertified areas of
India
Maharashtra, India, to replenish
groundwater, to increase agricul-
tural production, and to improve the
lives of tribal inhabitants, amongst
the poorest people of India. To en-
sure the sustainability of this socio-
economic advancement, it is essential
that the children, especially the girls,
of these communities receive an edu-
cation. The necessary foundation for
future education will be provided,
bringing sustainability to new socio-
economic growth. The kindergarten
will be located in Hazarwadi and will
serve its inhabitants as well as two
neighboring hamlets with a total of,
at present, 48 tribal families and 38
children.
Robert d’Costa, director of the Nan-
danvan Trust, is our contact, and he
has kept us up-to-date. Construction
commenced on December 5th, 2019,
and the building was almost complet-
ed as of February 29th. It has been
inspiring to follow the development
Over 265 million children world-
wide are not attending school,
and 22% of them are of primary-
school age (www.un.org/sus-
tainabledevelopment). “A qual-
ity education has the power to
transform societies in a single
generation, provide children
with the protection they need
from the hazards of poverty, la-
bor exploitation, and disease,
and give them the knowledge,
skills, and confidence to reach
their full potential.”
(Audrey Hepburn)
of this project, from the first fleeting
idea about a kindergarten at Robert’s
presentation of the Open Well Proj-
ect (also in Hazarwadi, also financed
by a foundation grant) at my home
in 2018, to the sketch of the govern-
ment-approved plan, to the excellent
grant application that Carol H. wrote,
to the announcement of the award in
Edinburgh, to the beginning of con-
struction, and now towards the end
of it.
We are expecting a visit from Robert
sometime this spring and hope you
will join us to learn more about this
project and the work of Nandanvan.
It would be wonderful if AWCH could
continue its long relationship with
Nandanvan, fundraise for small proj-
ects, and find another project that is
worthy of a FAWCO Foundation De-
velopment Grant.
by Carol S.
AWCH Philanthropic Collective
A Collective is a group that shares a common interest, issue, or objective.
The AWCH Philanthropic Collective is planning for 2020 and is looking for people who share an interest in gi-
ving. If you have time, skills or ideas. A little or a lot. It all matters!
Let us know how you would be interested in contributing. Or just let us know to keep you in mind in 2020.
Email me: Christine R. [email protected].
Areas of Interest for Example:
*FAWCO Target Project *Fundraising *Community Service Days
*5th Hamburg Women’s Shelter *Environmental Concerns
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