AARAMBH

2007 INITIATIVE - SCHOLARSHIPS FOR KIDS

One of AARAMBH’s founding principles is that education is the key to helping children get
out of the circle of poverty that they face day after day.  So it is particularly frustrating
for us to see bright, intelligent children drop out of high school because their parents
cannot afford to send them to school.  Public education up to Standard VIII is highly
subsidized by the government and virtually free for the students and their parents.  
From Standard VIII onwards however, the government subsidies are significantly
reduced and the cost of education per child skyrockets to approximately Rs. 2000
(approx. US$50) per year.  This is when the parents find that they can no longer afford
their children’s education, and the children are forced to drop out of school.  Due to
societal stereotypes and prejudices, young girls are more likely to become victims of this
problem compared to young boys.

In 2007, AARAMBH has made a concerted effort to alleviate this problem.  We have
been regularly surveying the communities to identify such children at risk, and then linking
them to individual donors who finance the child’s education Standard VIII and beyond.  
Due to our current funding and donor constraints, we are able to fund the continuing
education of only 25 of the 50 to 60 children entering Standard VIII each year.  By the
end of 2007, we hope to expand our sponsorship and scholarship program to cover at
least 35 students each year.   In a typical case, the sponsor pays for the child’s school
fees while AARAMBH buys the child school supplies such as book bags, books, stationery,
and other supplies.