The Objectives

Having proved the concepts in running hostels at Vijayawada, Srisailam and later, in Vinukonda and Kotappakonda and having established the SoPs and protocols,

• Now, the idea is to extend this concept and scale up to provide for education of children who are too poor to get educated on their own.
• Needy children are to be picked up in 6th class. Their education till 10th is provided in these hostels.
• Initial focus will be on girls. Boys will be catered for once the effort gets enough traction.
• The needy are identified through community networks, word of mouth, they are interviewed, their needs ascertained through an informal but thorough verification process.
• Each facility can have up to 150 children.
• The facility can be created in any large village with a full-fledged ZP high school. Villages having volunteers from the community would be preferred for the purpose of security to the kids and, to have some local elders taking care.
• Each class from 6th to 10th will have 30 – 40 students.
• They can be initially housed in a rented/temporary premises until permanent building is constructed.
• It is estimated that each child requires 100 sq. ft of built-up area – a total of 15,000 sq. ft for 150 kids. More area is welcome.
• They attend the local Government Zilla Parishad school. But their learning is based more on self-study, kids from senior classes teaching juniors, internet browsing of select sites, solving question papers set centrally by experts, evaluating answers by seniors etc.
• The overheads are minimal. One full time warden and one cook are sufficient.
• Up to half a dozen dedicated, local men and women (retired teachers etc) at each facility work part time as mentors, care takers and foster (grand) parents.
• The children keep the premises clean, wash their own clothes in large laundromats, assist in cooking.
• They develop good work ethics, life skills, responsible study habits and they gain enormous self-confidence.
• They are put through National Merit cum Means scholarship exam, National Talent Search exam to motivate them and to identify bright and gifted children among them.
• After they finish 10th class, it is open to them and their parents what to do next.
• It is open for this Trust to make similar effort to see them through their intermediate education.
• Professional counsellors can be arranged to guide them and their parents in choosing subject of study for intermediate and beyond or vocational training, based on their aptitude and capability.
• The scale visualized is – initially to establish 100 centers with 150 children each. That is, 15,000 children to start with.
• It is estimated that there ARE so many children in need.
• At full strength, it will cost Rs.60 crores/- per year for running expenditure and a total of 300 Crores for (one time) establishing land, buildings, and infrastructure.