SAIKRIPA -Site Visit report June 2010
B.L. Ramakrishna
Saikripa, a non profit registered society since 1988, is functioning in Noida for the welfare of the orphaned and underprivileged children.
I visited the school, the vocational training facility and the orphanage in June 2010. I was accompanied by Smt. Shiromani Vijay, our local contact. We had a good discussion with the founder Smt. Anjina Rajagopal and several of the staff and some students. I was amazed ot learn that Anjina was nominated for the CNN hero and was invited to make a presentation in Bombay.
The visit to the vocational training center was inspiring given the amount of hard work that has gone into the construction of the building with local funding and also to equip the various classes with the necessary instruments and materials. They have been able to secure funding to pay for some instructors, but urgently need funding for a bakery instructor, as there is a huge demand as evidenced by the number of students interested and the jobs that are potentially available for trained students.
The second point that was discussed was the gradual reduction in funding by concern India foundation and the need for Asha’s funds to be utilized to support teachers.
I came back with a great feeling that children were being given the education, training, encouragement and opportunity to really flower to be fine young adults.
Anjina proudly highlighted a couple of success stories which I have captured here as case studies.
1)Sheetal: - is a very poor girl from the village Vazidpur. She is a Fatherless child with five siblings. Her mother is working as a sweeper in Vazidpur and is financially weak. Though her family has no educational background her mother has taken interest to put this girl in school because we are providing education at a very low cost in English Medium and her mother wants her children to get good jobs when they grow and lead decent lives. Three girls are getting free education and she is paying for two sons and one daughter. Actually Sheetal’s elder sister was studying in Sai Shiksha Sansthan and the mother was impressed by the standard of education provided by Sai Shiksha Sansthan and so she brought Sheetal too, to Sai Shiksha Sansthan when she was just 5 years old. Sheetal was admitted to LKG on 1.4.2008. As the family income was very poor, Sheetal was given free education by the School as otherwise her mother would not educate her. Thus they are benefitted by the project by getting the kind of education she could never hope for and that too free of cost. Sheetal has secured first position in the UKG. Class.
2)Priya: - Priya’s Father was a farmer and the mother a housewife when she joined the School at the age of 4 years in UKG on 20.03.1991. She was very interested in studies her mother wanted her to study in an English Medium School. Priya belongs to the village Vazidpur and Sai Shiksha Sansthan is the only low cost English medium School in the village. The kind of education provided by Sai Shiksha Sansthan initially gave more confidence and encouragement to Priya for further studies. Thus she completed her education up to 10th Standard through Sai Shiksha Sansthan and passed out in the exams conducted by NIOS. She went on to pursue her studies and passed 12th standard through CBSE from different a School, finished her degree from Meerut University and completed MBA from institute of Management Jaipur. At present she is working as an executive in a private organization.