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India Day 2014 Charity: IDRF      (More Info)
IDRF project supports:Holistic and Innovative Education for Tribal Girls
Focus area: Children’s Education, Women’s Empowerment
Location: Hapur, Uttar Pradesh (program site); serving girls from far Northeast

IDRF partner's with Shiksha Bharati to provide innovative and holistic education for these underprivileged girls through a unique residential program. The program enables mainstream education for tribal girls at a nationally-recognized school in Uttar Pradesh and empowers them with all-round life skills. The Shiksha Bharati curriculum combines academics with physical, moral, spiritual and cultural development. The school produces young women who are bold, confident and ready to tackle the challenges facing their communities. Our goal for this program is to educate and prepare these girls to return to their community as advocates for women’s empowerment and education.

IDRF provides guidance and financial support to Shiksha Bharati to construct a dorm for these students; today the dorm is as an integral part of their education. The dorm includes a media room, library, game room and room for judo practice. These young women also build livelihood skills on site; they make handicrafts, study medicine in a herbal garden, and manage a dairy with 20 cows.

IDRF’s support in expanding the school’s athletic fields has benefited all the students, as they win new accolades in sports. A Shiksha Bharati student recently won the national judo competition, while 13 of her classmates won first prize in a national yoga competition.

On the academic front, Shiksha Bharati students are performing exceptionally well, earning competitive scores in the nation’s rigorous board exams. Recent tribal graduates of the school have returned to the Northeast where they teach local girls, breaking the cycle of social isolation and poverty in their communities. Other tribal alumnae are pursuing higher education or working in social services.

Warmed by the progress and success of the students, IDRF has joined hands with Shiksha Bharati to establish an endowment fund to accommodate more tribal students. While Shiksha Bharati will cover their tuition, the endowment fund will cover the girls’ boarding and lodging, in perpetuity.


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