Anjina Rajagopal started Saikripa in March 1989 .It is relevant to note here that Anjina’s services have been recognized and she has been awarded by many including the latest “CNN IBN Senior Citizen’s Award” given by Shri Amitab Bachan on 2nd Nov. 2013 at Mumbai for those who are still in the field of social work even after crossing the age of 60 years. Also, she has been conferred with Real Heroes Award.
Anjina's journey in her own words:
- Balkutir
Balkutir is a home to provide and uphold the orphans and abandoned children in our society. Begun with just one child in 1990 today. Balkutir has strength of 50 children of all ages that varies from time to time. More than three hundred children have so far taken the benefit of this home.
Some children have settled in life after completing their studies and getting a job with Saikripa’s support, for sustenance. Besides this, so far three girls have been married off after securing them appropriate jobs. All these children have been brought up in Balkutir since their childhood. Notable among the achievements is that five children have completed their studies and Secondary board exams from boarding schools in Mussorie and Nainital.
Tale of Radhika -
Financial Supporters of Bal Kutir:
- GIVE FOUNDATION has been giving financial support to different purposes in Balkutir for the past thirteen years. we get most of the support from CAF India since last decade. The funds are utilized for the welfare of the children in Balkutir. It is worth mentioning here that CAF has got a unique scheme called ‘GAYE’ viz. Give As You Earn. In this, the employees of different corporate houses make their contributions from their salary which is equaled by the company management thereby the employees have the satisfaction of contributing for a social cause.
- HCLT FOUNDATION: They have been giving the grant for the past three years for the nutrition of the children in Balkutir.
- Q.A Info Tech. A donor to Saikripa financially, This Public sector unit located in Noida has been regular in supporting Saikripa, specifically Balkutir.
Seeking to empower the underprivileged children through education, Anjina started a school in the rural area of village, Wazidpur in the year 1991.
This village, as early as 22 years back, had neither access for any school nor any proper transport for the children to commute to the nearest school which was about 10 to 15 km away. Started with just 80 children as a co educational English medium primary school this has now grown to be a secondary level school with about 400 children on strength. The heavily subsidized fee of Rs 35/- per month has been progressively increased to Rs. 400/-over the years. The children from the families below poverty line are given free education. It is notable that the same kind of education is given in the schools run by non NGO bodies on a fee of more than about Rs. 1500/- per month. So far fifteen batches of students have completed their 10th std.
Success Story of Sai Shiksha Sansthan - Lalita:
- SAI BAL SANSAR
This is a charitable informal school to make these children literate. It has strength of 150 students. The children attending the Sai Bal Sansar are provided with free mid day meal. Besides, this attracts these children to attend the school regularly. Being an informal school, all the eligibility norms observed for admission in the normal school are ignored since the intention is to train these children to attain a level of literacy / knowledge that will make them fit and suitable to join the mainstream schools in the appropriate classes leading to 10th std.
So far Sai Bal Sansar has enabled 150 children to join our own regular school or some other schools elsewhere
Financial Supporters of Sai Bal Sansar:
- Pathways School, Noida- The students of Pathways School, Noida visit our informal education center Sai Bal Sansar at sector 41 and conduct various activities with the students enabling the children of SBS to improve their knowledge, shed the shyness and be more interactive. The children also raised funds for the civil works and furniture at the school. They also got paints and brushes and themselves decorated the classes with beautiful, colorful drawings.
- Sai Vocational Training Centre
Skill development is one of the essential ingredients for India’s growth as the country transforms into a diversified and internationally competitive economy. Skill development is going to be the defining element in India’s growth story.
Hence the inception of fifth project Sai Vocational Training Centre in the year 2010 on a low fee mostly for the underprivileged section of the society who cannot afford to send their children for higher education in professional courses or for those children who drop out
from the school at middle or secondary level due to lack of proficiency, interest or any
other reason in academics. This is a skill development centre for ensuring and accelerating their progress. The students are given adequate training in skills such as tailoring, computer course, bakery, beauty culture on highly subsidized fees and made future ready to thrive in the society.
This project is bringing in visible changes and positive impact on the job opportunities and the earning capacity of the successful students from Sai Vocational Training Centre as the emphasis is laid on developing entrepreneurial skills which adds to the overall development. Sai Vocational Training Centre is training people slowly but surely.
Financial Supporters of Sai Vocational Training Centre:
- ACCENTURE: The project; Sai Vocational Training Centre is being supported in full by CAF-Accenture from last year. Their support is enabling Saikripa to get Employment to the youth from the weaker section of the society besides giving some relief to Saikripa in the management of the funds.
- Sai Vatsalya Vatika
This is an informal special school for the children with special needs. Over half the kids described by the government as ‘children with special needs’ (CWSN) are not in school. This is despite the Delhi high court’s ruling for setting of seats by schools in nursery class for CWSN.
Saikripa incepted this school in the year 2009 with learning environment to cater education to these kind of children with not only physical disabilities but also learning difficulties such as ASD( Autism Spectrum Disorder ) etc. Due to lack of space we have very few children in this section. However, teachers in this school play multiple roles with every child by being friendly and caring with child centered approach. This school practices art based pedagogy i.e. learning through integrating various subjects with different modules of art such as painting, drawing, paper cutting, theatre, dance etc.
These activities ensure an all round personality development of the children and tap their hidden talents thus contribute in making them smart, self reliant, articulate, amiable, intelligent, responsible, and global citizens of tomorrow. Students here come from marginalized sections and they avail the free midday meal provided in the school.
Other Supporters:
MAVERIC SYSTEM: M/s. Maveric Systems Ltd, Chennai: They visited Saikripa for sending their staff to volunteer here but decided to give financial support. Now they are one of our major regular donors.
CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION: This is a funding agency that channels the donations from various companies. They also support us through “Give as You Earn” scheme from their employees.
AMERICAN EXPRESS: They have been supporting us since 1997 through their employee welfare schemes.
ASHA: A society in Arizona, U.S.A., has been supporting us by providing financial assistance for the laboratory equipment, study tours, books etc. thereby encouraging Saikripa’s educational pursuits.
ADOBE FOUNDATION: They have been instrumental through their grant to create a computer lab in Sai Shiksha Sansthan with the facility of invertors for enabling the functioning of the lab even during power failures. Their continued support is a great help to us.
PROJECT AND DEVELOPMENT INDIA LTD: M/s. PDIL, has given us a donation to buy computers and Steel locker Almirahs, book shelves etc.
SREE RAMA CHARITABLE TRUST , CHENNAI: They have been supporting us since more than five years by providing material support every month.
INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LIMITED: have been supporting us since the last three years.
PRATI KREATIONS: have been supporting us with monthly donation for the last one year.
BHEL: M/S BHEL have extended their support through their CSR scheme since 2013.
U.N. WOMEN'S GUILD (Queen's Group) They have been extending their support since the last many years by providing financial assistance.
Challenges
Being on guard to maintain a good learning level among the increasing rural children who are mostly first generation learners is indeed a challenge.
Of course, the often repeated challenge of the payment of adequate emoluments to the teachers at least to their basic requirements if not at par with the government scales still remains due to the insufficient resources despite the Concern India Foundation’s unstinted support though tapered to about 23% of the school’s total budget now.
The available funds through donations/grants are unsustainable to run the projects due to the increasing operational cost. It is a fact that Saikripa has taken care to provide basic infrastructure facilities like drinking water and toilets in their schools. Despite this, space required for accommodating ever increasing admission in Saikripa’s schools, remains still a matter of concern.
Generation of the capital funds needed to procure land to establish a school building continues to be a challenge.
Problem Statement :
- Given the above scenario and human resource, how will you increase their outreach?
- How can we run a fundraising campaign for them?
- What revenue streams can we introduce to make the organization self-sustainable?
For more information on their cost structure, please find SaiKripa's Balance Sheet below --
