| Vidyanikethan, (Society for Education and
Social development) is a not-for-profit organization founded in
1988 to improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals and
families, especially children and women, from low income groups
and from the vulnerable, marginalized and under-developed
sections of the society. Based in Bangalore, (India)
Vidyanikethan's interventions in four key areas - health,
socio-economic development, education and environment -
facilitate and provide opportunities to the needy by creating
awareness about relevant issues, and capacitating them through
sustainable eco-friendly programmes. Vidyanikethan works in the
urban, peri-urban, and rural areas of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
It is registered under Karnataka Societies Registration Act,
1960 and with the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act FC[R] A.
Genesis
An initiative that started as a Kindergarten for seven children
in 1988 in a sub-urban area of Bangalore is now a school with
over 200 children studying upto the 7th class. Known as Sri
Vidyanikethan School, this initiative is special to that strata
of society where families are constrained to discontinue their
children's eduction in order to make their ends meet. At the
same time, these families, earning an average of Rs. 3000/- per
month. (US$ 65 ), want to be assured that a school which
provides free or 'affordable' education does not compromise on
the quality of education and the development of the child.
Sri Vidyanikethan School is just one of the several enabling
and empowering endeavors of Vidyanikethan, a not-for-profit
organization founded by Ms Susheela in 1989. When she decided to
use a couple of rooms of her mother's vacant house for taking
classes, little did she imagine that two decades later, a three
floors school building would be standing tall on the same space.
An acorn was growing to become an oak.
Prior to this, Ms Susheela, who majored in History, had
worked extensively urban poor communities in areas of advocating
gender justice (equality), promotion of literacy, and in
facilitating access to basic civic infrastructure in slums.
The strong calling to serve the marginalized and the
under-developed sections of the society motivated her to
establish Vidyanikethan, envisioned to improve the lives and
livelihoods of individuals and families through interventions in
health, education, environment and socio-economic based
interventions.
She got the close support of Mr. Nagaraj, Ms. Bhanumathy, Ms.
Joy Srinivasan, Ms. Jacintha Kumaraswamy among others, many of
whom are still part of Vidyanikethan's journey.
At present, Vidyanikethan's different programmes and
projects, are being implemented by its team living in villages,
small towns and urban areas. With the support of different
Indian Government departments, Indian and multi-national
corporate houses, Indian and international funding
organizations, volunteers, network partners and project
partners, Vidyanikethan is impacting more than 7000 families,
and over 600 Self-Help Groups in almost 10 divisional areas in
two major states in South India – Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
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