The main areas of intervention that are needed today are: Education, health, livelihoods and disability. This can only be achieved through poverty alleviation, economic inequalities, and 360 degree impact on the quality of life through social development programmes. For this, a wide range of programmes — from grass root level to national level — have been undertaken.
Sustainable development goal is a unique goal focused purely on education. This is the first time such a standalone education goal has been set and ratified by The Hans Foundation which has been working on education as a core thematic area.
“Education is a human right and a public good that is critical to the health and future of the country. Through various partnerships with NGOs working at the community level, we have been making efforts to ensure that children from remotest areas receive affordable education. Our school programme aims to ensure that all students clear high school and are prepared for under-graduate studies,” retd Lt Gen SM Mehta, CEO of The Hans Foundation tells you.
In their effort to bridge the gap of inadequate number of schools in the country, they have been supporting construction of schools across States. These schools provide quality education to children from slums, disadvantaged families, orphans, street children and children of labourers who do not have immediate access to schools. Many of these schools also have been provided with residential facilities for children.
Health and education for all (HEAL) is another area of focus. Founded by Dr Satya Prasad Koneru, it is an international charity, registered in India, the UK, the US, Australia and Spain. The village project at Thotaphalli in Gannavaram Mandal located in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. “The school with the capacity to accommodate 1,000 children is proving quality education and infrastructure to orphans/children living with single parents and children from underprivileged backgrounds,” Mehta says.
The foundation is also working for the marginalised sections of the society where children are first-generation learners. “These children are left out of the mainstream of formal education because of several factors. “This void is filled through non-formal education (NFE) programmes. It imparts continuous education to the participants irrespective of their age, sex and educational background. The scope covers activities ranging from simple memorisation to learning of complicated concepts to get them accustomed to the NCERT syllabus. It covers all areas of formal education, including life skills, nutrition and health and family planning,” he explains.
For those who are interested in to pursue a career in engineering or becoming a doctor studies, there are fellowship programmes. The foundation has collaborated with organisations with an aim to create opportunities for all aspiring and deserving students hailing from economically disadvantaged families especially in Uttarakhand. Efforts have been made to identify top colleges offering BE/BTech/MBBS courses in the State and eligible students from these institutes were selected based on annual family income and the students’ academic records. Around 350 students have been supported.
“There is also a need to work to increase enrollment of children, retention and boost attendance. This can be achieved through improving nutritional levels among children. We have supported three midday meal programmes — supplied nutritious meals to 75 schools benefitting more than 10,000 children. The results have been manifold – from addressing the problem of classroom hunger, to increased enrollment, higher attendance, improved social skills among castes, addressed malnutrition and has also led to women empowerment,” Mehta says.
