The academic year has come to an end and we are happy to inform you that Gift a Dream Foundation (GADF) has improved its coverage since last year.
Table 1 – An update on the Foundation’s activities in the recent years
Year | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
Number of children (education sponsored) | 26 | 73 | 83 | 128 |
Number of children (provided with other support – study material, sports material and computers) | 100 | 1100 | ~2000 | ~6100 |
This year we have paid the school fees for 128 students as per the following break-up:
Table 2 – Break-up of direct fees sponsorship for students
Grade | Girls | Boys |
Nursery | 2 | 2 |
Lower Primary | 13 | 9 |
Higher Primary | 18 | 10 |
High School | 24 | 29 |
Pre-University | 2 | 2 |
Degree | 2 | 5 |
Diploma | 1 | 1 |
Engineering | 5 | 3 |
Total | 67 | 61 |
All the students have fared well in the exams and we are happy to share the news that one of our girl students of engineering has been placed in Cognizant through campus placement.
Apart from this we have supported 56 government schools and 6 government PU colleges in Bangalore City, Districts of Bangalore Rural, Chikkaballapur, Chamrajanagar (6 tribal schools), Kunigal and Madhugiri taluks of Tumkur District, most of them remotely situated and not easily accessible. We have also supported one unique school in Thiruvannamalai called the Forest way school, where the students stay on the campus and go through an holistic learning method and also get involved in afforestation programs and they learn together without the division of class creed or religion.
We have supplied the above institutions with library books, both reference and text books – in case of colleges and reference and story books in schools, used/new computers, sports materials, band sets, kitchen appliances including plates and glasses, uniforms and footwear items, study material like charts, models, scientific material and educational toys for some anganawadi classes. We have also supplied laboratory materials for students of the Training centre for the deaf – which trains students in ITI, both for fitter, lathe work and electronics subjects. In the tribal school situated in Keredimba village about 8 kms off the main road and in the forest, we have supplied zinc sheets as the school sheds were leaking. In some colleges we have donated desks, library racks, and in some schools where the students had no place to accommodate benches and were sitting on the bare ground, we have donated carpets. In one school in Mayasandra Village where mentally challenged students were learning, we have supplied the required study material.
We thank our donors and volunteers for having enabled us to do all the above by contributing funds and their time. We thank each and every one of them.
We conducted our 4th annual get together on the 26th of October 2013 at the Basavanagudi Pre University College auditorium. The program was well attended by students, volunteers, principals, teachers and parents. The entire program was conducted by the college and high school students. A volunteer conducted a GK Quiz for the college and high school students and invited the parents, volunteers and donors to join and it was very well received. Nearly 300 people attended the programme.
Refreshments served during the annual get-together were sponsored by one of our trustees and gifts for the students were from the general pool.
We would like to further place on record the services of our team of volunteers who teach the students of Vinayaka School in English, Science, Mathematics and humanities thrice a week. They have become very popular and the students just love them.
Our printer continues to supply us the printed matter be it vouchers, letterheads or applications, free of cost. Thanks to him.
All our vendors give us good discounts considering the cause involved. The proprietor of a book store in Gandhi Bazaar gave us many unsold toys free of cost.
The trustees will continue to contribute towards the administrative costs of the trust this year as well.
We once again thank the entire team of donors, volunteers, well wishers, dedicated and concerned teachers, principals and heads of institutions who have contributed positively towards this cause and the smiles of the children when they receive books, geometry boxes etc more than compensate for all our work.
THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN.