About NGO:

Girivanvasi Educational Trust (GVET)'s Nareshwadi Learning Centre, founded by Padmabhushan Karamshibhai Somaiya, empowers underprivileged children reach their dreams by providing access to quality education in an environment conducive to learning. Nareshwadi children come from migrant tribal families who either leave their children behind, or take them to their place of work. Nareshwadi is also home to HIV impacted children. No fees are charged by GVET.

Nareshwadi provides all children the opportunity to participate in activities beyond the prescribed curriculum, to hone their multiple intelligences. English and IT skills are given importance. The vocational education and training programme integrated with the school curriculum, enhances their future prospects for higher education and employment. GVET engages children in ecological agriculture, water harvesting as project based learning initiatives. The School Farm & Apiary and the School Dairy are live projects.

Fund Usage:

Project Annapurna
The children admitted to Nareshwadi come from impoverished backgrounds hence GVET ensures that their diets are wholesome and nutritious. Food is not restricted and children can eat as much as they want. Breakfast is made from beaten rice (pohe) and broken wheat (dalia). On Sundays, breakfast is a sweet porridge with dalia and jaggery/sugar. Lunch and dinner comprise chapattis, rice, lentils, pulses and vegetables. Presently, all children up to grade 6 are given 100 ml milk each day. All children up to grade 10 will be covered shortly. As cost of food items and fuel has tremendously escalated over the past year, GVET seeks support to meet operational expenses.

The total monthly food cost is about Rs 2 lakhs per month for 500 children. GVET spends about Rs350,000 per month to cover salaries of house parents, additional teachers, admin, vocational training, school supplies, food and fuel cost, medicines, transportation etc. GVET receives a salary grant from the Government towards for 9 teachers and a small grant from the Woman & Child Development Dept for supporting 50 children placed by the Children's Welfare Committee. However, no grants are available to meet food expenses.

All children get three meals per day -

• Breakfast at 8.30 am
• Lunch at 12.40 pm, and
• Dinner at 6.30 pm

About Rs15 lakhs was raised in SCMM 2010 which went towards food grain support.

Impact:

Pramila Bhavar Age 15 10th Grade

Pramila comes from the Warli tribal community. Her family lives in the remote village of Divshi. There is only a primary school nearby; most times there is no teacher. Her elder brother dropped out of school when he was 10 and joined their father in a nearby town working on a construction site. Besides her older brother, she has 2 older sisters, 1 younger brother and 1 baby sister. Her 2 older sisters never went to school and have been working with their father and brother on construction sites since they were 10 years old.

Pramila's parents learnt of Nareshwadi and she was admitted to the 1st grade when she was 6. When Nareshwadi started special sports training for the children, Pramila won top positions in every marathon event in Dahanu Taluka, the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and inter school sports in the division. She reached number 7 in state rural schools' athletics. She has a bank deposit of over 11000 rupees from her prize money

Page Url :
http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/ngo25_nareshwadi.htm

Founded Year: 1991

Cause category: Education