Projects for the Year 2004
Two high schools for girls which were identified and supported last year continue to merit support; Sarada Vidyalaya Girls Higher Secondary School, with about 2400 students, and The Lady Sivaswami Girls Higher Secondary School with about 1500 students. In addition, a high school for boys, Ramakrishna Mission Boys Higher Secondary School with about 2000 students was also added for support for this year. All these schools (in Chennai, India) are government- aided schools, which means that the government pays the teacher and staff salaries, but all other expenses of running the school are covered by tuition fees from the students.
The Board of KEY International Foundation has approved establishing new scholarships for 8 girls in each of the above two girls’ schools, and for 8 scholarships in the boy’s school for a total of 24 students for the year 2004. The students' families are poor and earn an income of about $30 per month. Each student will be given a scholarship that will pay his/her tuition fees of about $28 per year for a period of 6 years, subject to her/his academic performance. All the students supported are in the 7th grade, and supporting them for 6 years will enable them to complete their high school diploma. The performance of these students will be monitored through Dr. Nanditha Krishna (Director of the C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, a well established nonprofit organization based in Chennai, India, www.cprfoundation.org). An annual report by the school on the performance of the students is also required to be provided to KEY International Foundation to maintain accountability. Also, given the additional funds raised this year, last year’s (2003) funding of scholarships for 16 girls in the above two schools was extended to the 6th year so that they can finish the 12th grade and receive their high school diploma. Thus over the last 2 years, KEY International has been able to provide scholarship support for a total of 40 children for 6 years of their education.
There are several advantages to supporting these children. The poor families have shown a strong interest and initiative in sending their children to these schools, even though it would affect them financially. Thus, the chance of success for these children is much higher. The schools have a mix of students, with a large proportion from primarily the middle-income families (family incomes of about $120-150 per month). Thus the poor girls have an opportunity to mix and compete with these middle-income girls and thereby have access to good quality education. The schools are well established and have dedicated teachers and principals. Photographs of many of these children and the schools are posted below. These schools have many more students that could be helped in the similar way. There are also other worthy schools in the Chennai area alone that could merit support. As Key International collects more funds, these could be part of future projects.
Additionally, the KEY Board approved funding for two smaller projects. A small sum of $250 (to be used for obtaining books to set up a modest library) will be given to a primary school (‘Born Free School’) located on the outskirts of Bangalore, India. This government-aided school has about 180 students and about 4 to 5 teachers, including the principal. The school's annual expenses of running the school are about $500! The dedicated teachers' donate about 10 to 15% of their low salaries, and the rest is obtained through donations to run the school. A second project would fund the provision of primary medical care and of vitamins to very poor children in primary schools located in the village of Alamadhi, about 25 miles north of the city of Chennai, India. This project will be administered by Mr. S. Suresh (Director of the Divine Mother Society Trust, www.seva-dms.com). The Trust runs a small health clinic in the village and has already been successful in improving the health of several children who were malnourished. These children were given health checks and appropriate amount of vitamins resulting in their gaining weight within a year.
By U.S. standards, the support for a full year's quality education of a poor child in India is very low at $28 per year (the approximate cost of a large pizza!!). KEY International Foundation would appreciate any help from you to support and expand our projects. You can donate by sending a check, or by using your credit card. Please click on donate for more information. A reminder that 100 percent of your donations go towards helping the poor children; the Board of KEY International covers the very low administrative costs.
Thank you for your generosity and help in making a substantial difference to the lives of these poor children and their families. We do hope that we will continue to merit your support of our worthwhile projects of helping the poor children.
Two high schools for girls which were identified and supported last year continue to merit support; Sarada Vidyalaya Girls Higher Secondary School, with about 2400 students, and The Lady Sivaswami Girls Higher Secondary School with about 1500 students. In addition, a high school for boys, Ramakrishna Mission Boys Higher Secondary School with about 2000 students was also added for support for this year. All these schools (in Chennai, India) are government- aided schools, which means that the government pays the teacher and staff salaries, but all other expenses of running the school are covered by tuition fees from the students.
The Board of KEY International Foundation has approved establishing new scholarships for 8 girls in each of the above two girls’ schools, and for 8 scholarships in the boy’s school for a total of 24 students for the year 2004. The students' families are poor and earn an income of about $30 per month. Each student will be given a scholarship that will pay his/her tuition fees of about $28 per year for a period of 6 years, subject to her/his academic performance. All the students supported are in the 7th grade, and supporting them for 6 years will enable them to complete their high school diploma. The performance of these students will be monitored through Dr. Nanditha Krishna (Director of the C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, a well established nonprofit organization based in Chennai, India, www.cprfoundation.org). An annual report by the school on the performance of the students is also required to be provided to KEY International Foundation to maintain accountability. Also, given the additional funds raised this year, last year’s (2003) funding of scholarships for 16 girls in the above two schools was extended to the 6th year so that they can finish the 12th grade and receive their high school diploma. Thus over the last 2 years, KEY International has been able to provide scholarship support for a total of 40 children for 6 years of their education.
There are several advantages to supporting these children. The poor families have shown a strong interest and initiative in sending their children to these schools, even though it would affect them financially. Thus, the chance of success for these children is much higher. The schools have a mix of students, with a large proportion from primarily the middle-income families (family incomes of about $120-150 per month). Thus the poor girls have an opportunity to mix and compete with these middle-income girls and thereby have access to good quality education. The schools are well established and have dedicated teachers and principals. Photographs of many of these children and the schools are posted below. These schools have many more students that could be helped in the similar way. There are also other worthy schools in the Chennai area alone that could merit support. As Key International collects more funds, these could be part of future projects.
Additionally, the KEY Board approved funding for two smaller projects. A small sum of $250 (to be used for obtaining books to set up a modest library) will be given to a primary school (‘Born Free School’) located on the outskirts of Bangalore, India. This government-aided school has about 180 students and about 4 to 5 teachers, including the principal. The school's annual expenses of running the school are about $500! The dedicated teachers' donate about 10 to 15% of their low salaries, and the rest is obtained through donations to run the school. A second project would fund the provision of primary medical care and of vitamins to very poor children in primary schools located in the village of Alamadhi, about 25 miles north of the city of Chennai, India. This project will be administered by Mr. S. Suresh (Director of the Divine Mother Society Trust, www.seva-dms.com). The Trust runs a small health clinic in the village and has already been successful in improving the health of several children who were malnourished. These children were given health checks and appropriate amount of vitamins resulting in their gaining weight within a year.
By U.S. standards, the support for a full year's quality education of a poor child in India is very low at $28 per year (the approximate cost of a large pizza!!). KEY International Foundation would appreciate any help from you to support and expand our projects. You can donate by sending a check, or by using your credit card. Please click on donate for more information. A reminder that 100 percent of your donations go towards helping the poor children; the Board of KEY International covers the very low administrative costs.
Thank you for your generosity and help in making a substantial difference to the lives of these poor children and their families. We do hope that we will continue to merit your support of our worthwhile projects of helping the poor children.