What is the common bond that a poor woman in rural India kick starting her own small-scale business, a street child growing up to be an executive and a physically disabled trying to attend classes with crutches: These are only handful of the strategic successes among many that Share and Care Foundation (SCF) has created in the past 28-years. SCF is a leading humanitarian organization fighting poverty in Rural India. As we celebrate yet another year of supporting sustainable social and economic development, we like to share this moment with you. Its milestones bear testimony to the success of our efforts at projecting the concerns and compassion of the vibrant community. We are humbled by their immense faith in us over the years.
It all started in 1982 with the simple thought of “giving back to our motherland,” and over the years our mission has grown rapidly to counter new and emerging issues and our volunteers have adapted themselves to the changing times. Our mission has emerged from a strong belief that women and children are the vulnerable sections of the rural population that need the most empowerment. At the same time, we have repeatedly rushed to provide emergency relief aids to survivors of natural disasters to help rebuild their lives.
Drawing strength from our diversity, resources and experience, we promote innovative solutions that are well researched, practical and fit in the local environment. We take pride in…
• Strengthening capacity for self-help
• Educating and providing economic opportunities
• Energizing and inspiring people to make a difference.
• Scientifically Measuring, Communicating, and Learning from the IMPACT of our efforts together with volunteerism, very little operating cost, and well-managed, professional group of executives.
At SCF, we feel that every human possesses talent and a capacity to learn special skills and earn good livelihood. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity or access to facilities that would help them reach their full potential and overcome difficulties. Our dream is to support such talents and given them an opportunity to live with dignity and a better tomorrow for themselves, their children and community. Many of us owe our rich and promising fortunes to numerous non profitable schools, collages and the hospitals back home, so let us pledge today to create the same for next generations. The best legacy that one can leave behind is a generous spirit of giving and sharing.
HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT TRUST
There are numerous brilliant children in rural parts of India, who have secured more than 70% marks by studying under street lights and night schools. However, their journeys are cut short due to lack of financial resources. Our Higher Education Support Trust (HEST) – caters to this vital need.
Statistics
Since 2006, we have been able to support 278 students, with your generous contribution. However, we had the potential to reach out to 400 students this year but could not do so because of lack of funds. Currently the scholars we support belong from homes with a yearly income of $1,000 or less. Despite their challenges, they have managed to stay focussed on their studies and topped at high school level.
Why this needs to be addressed?
Every year more than 500,000 students take the high school exam, in the fields of science, commerce and arts. Presently our focus is on the science stream, because the courses for science students – Medicine, Engineering etc are extremely expensive. About 90,000 students take the Gujarat Board Exams, of which 25,000 (27%) students pass with distinction. Our study suggests that approx 4% of these students and their parents have an annual income lesser than $1,000 per year. Therefore, every year about 1,000 talented and hard-working students are unable to go to college though they secure admissions in science stream. In 2009, after high school results were declared, we asked a large number of schools to identify their brilliant but needy students. We got numerous applications but unfortunately, unable to accommodate everyone and had to raise the eligibility bar by 5% to 75%. Because of the constraint of funds and commitment to four years of studies, we accepted only 93 new students Analysis of these students will help you to understand their predicament to progress.
A Unique Initiative in Education – Science on Wheels
Rudabhai, a thin, bespectacled little boy from a small village named Valadar in rural Gujarat, was mesmerized by looking at the internal organs of a human body projected on the screen. He had only heard about it from his teachers but these images enthused in him a new desire to learn more. Rudabhai went on to study Veterinary science and is a successful Vet today. Says Rudabhai “My parents were farm labourers and I never ever dreamt of going to college, let alone becoming a doctor,” he credits his success to the Science on Wheels project. Creating a science lab is a distant dream for most rural schools, and most educators agree that hands-on learning is the best way to learn science. The Science on Wheels is essentially a travelling school lab capable of visiting dozens of remote rural schools and giving them practical knowledge. The cost to equip one such bus is $20,000 and since its inception, it has been educating over 5,000 children every year for last several years.Maintenance and operating cost of the program are the responsibilities of the local NGO and the community.
What We Do
In our everyday life we often take a lot of things such as food, water, electricity, education and awareness for granted, but little do we know that despite all the development there are still rural areas in India where these things are a luxury. At SCF, we are able to connect you with a wide array of non-profit groups to work within a variety of fields. All of them have proven success record and have made a great impact in their communities. We don’t believe in bandaging the problems of rural people by offering a chance to adopt an orphan or provide a handout to a NGO. We strongly believe in the old adage “it takes a village to raise a child”. SCF’s value system dictates the local communities and NGO partners to be self reliant in three to five years after receiving our grants. We feel that empowering and making them responsible is the ultimate solution.
Vision for 2010
This year we begin with a new purpose and a new vision. We will attempt to integrate sustainable rural empowerment programs in areas where needs are greater. We have established an incredible network of closely monitored organizations dedicated to the goal of empowering rural areas. We measure, evaluate and assess the progress of each program. Success of each initiative will enable us to replicate it other areas. However, we cannot do this alone and invite you to become a part of this process to realize some of your own dreams. During these challenging economic times, non-profit organizations greatly rely on the support from donors. Our Board ensures that charitable donations are managed properly with donors’ best interests in mind while promoting transparency in all activities. It is also our sincere desire to show compassion and to respond to pressing needs by innovation that would allow us providing better and more efficient services. The need for such social services has never been higher. In that spirit, we are collaborating with even more non-profits, providing more services and tracking progress region by region, not person by person. To date, in this endeavour SCF has committed more than $62 million to catalyze social and economic change. The foundation’s planners believe in, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” To learn more about the Foundation, please visit www.shareandcare.org
