THE BACKDROP
Pic: A glimpse into the daily work in the beedi industry in the Sundarbans.
In the villages of the Sundarbans (located in West Bengal), families are mostly "beedi” workers. Labour in this industry primarily comprises women and children, who have no access to a safe work environment or regulated minimum wages. More importantly, this livelihood steals a child's right to education and good health.
The consequence is stark—a theft of children's rights to education and well-being. In these villages, education, a basic right, remains a distant dream for most.
They live in poverty and find it difficult to provide their families with 3 meals a day. EDUCATION IS A LUXURY FOR THEM. A majority of these children have never gone to school and will be first-generation learners who will be the ones to break their families out of the vicious cycle of poverty.
Supporting these children would certainly bring about a meaningful change in their lives and in the lives of their parents. The Swapnopuron Welfare Society, founded in 2012, focuses on this through Swapnopuron Shiksha Niketan schools, which provide education at no cost.
These schools provide quality English education with extracurricular activities that boost the child's confidence. The local community believes that an English education will give their children better opportunities and a ticket out of poverty.
THE INITIATIVE
The Swapnopuron Welfare Society currently runs 6 schools in the Sundarbans to bring these children into the light of education. The schools are English-medium and follow a syllabus that is in line with the CBSE curriculum. Currently, the schools are not affiliated with the CBSE board. Swapnopuran Shiksha Niketan provides education up to Grade 9, after which students are placed in other private schools in the Sundarbans with the help of Swapnopuron. From its modest beginnings with just 25 students in 2012, Swapnopuron has blossomed into an institution with over 850 active students and 37 dedicated teachers by the year 2023. Over the past 12 years, 1,721 children have completed their schooling through Swapnopuron.
INR 12000 WILL EDUCATE A CHILD FOR A YEAR.
(includes fees, books, uniform, transport, school bag, and more).
850 students are currently enrolled across the main school in Hingalganj (400+ students) and five branch schools on the five islands of the Sunderbans:
Bena: 75 students
Choto Shahebkhali: 78 students
Kalitala: 135 students
Ganesh Mondal: 105 students
Shamshernagar: 55 students
300 of these students require financial support to continue their education.
The students at the school are not only given education. They are also provided with uniforms, books, stationery, transport, and a lot more.
School timings are from 9:15 am to 3:30 pm approx. The teachers are well qualified and ensure 1-on-1 attention.
A situation is deliberately created to redirect the child's energy away from roaming the streets to a system of coming together through counselling, fun learning and other activities. Late starters are given personalized attention to catch up to their age-appropriate classes before joining the mainstream. Other vocational classes, sports training and value education programs are conducted to ensure well-rounded growth for the child.
Apart from textbook learning, Swapnopuron focuses on innovative teaching methods, compassionate educators, and a multi-faceted approach to transform first-generation learners into confident individuals. Music, dance, drama, karate, and storytelling enrich their learning experience.
IF YOU FUND,
INR 6000, you will impact a child for 6 months.
INR 12000, you will impact a child for a year.
INR 24000, you will impact a child for 2 years.
All funding has 80G tax benefits.
FEES BREAKDOWN
THE IMPACT
ABOUT ME AND THIS CAMPAIGN
My name is Dr. NAVANITA LAHIRI. I am a concerned citizen who wants to make a difference in the lives of these children.
I have undertaken this campaign because I think it is incredible to impact the life of a child from the Sundarbans who does not have access to education. Many of these parents are unaware of the importance of schooling in a child's life. They prefer to send their child to work and earn money for the family. The fact that Swapnopuron Shiksha Niketan, run by Swapnopuron Welfare Society, provides education, uniforms, books, transport, etc. for free makes it impossible for parents to NOT send their children to school. This allows these not-so-fortunate kids to experience school life. They are often the first ones to be educated in their entire family.
The cost of educating them is just INR 6000 for 6 months. INR 12000 will support them for an entire year. Educating a child holds the promise of getting them a job once they grow up. This will help them get their family out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Please fund my campaign, as a simple act of kindness can have a profound impact on a child's life.
Let us together transform the lives of many underprivileged children and their families.
MORE PICTURES
LOCATION MAP
The main school is located in Hingalganj and five branch schools are on the five islands of the Sunderbans: Bena, Choto Shahebkhali, Kalitola, Ganesh Mondal and Malekanagumti.
TAX BENEFITS
Funding for this campaign is eligible for tax breaks as SWAPNOPURON WELFARE SOCIETY is a registered NGO and you can avail of benefits under section 80G of the IT act. Foreign funding is not accepted.
FEEDBACK FORMAT THAT YOU GET
To ensure that there is complete transparency I shall get a report from the NGO (this takes between 2 to 3 months usually after the funds are raised and transferred to them) telling me who benefitted from the funding. The details will then be posted on the UPDATES section of my campaign. As soon as an update is posted, the platform will send an EMAIL alert to all the funders - i.e. to you. Click on the link on the email and you can read about which person has benefitted. That's transparent right.
FAQs
Will we get to know the details of who benefitted?
Yes. After the money has been collected it will be transferred by Fueladream to SWAPNOPURON WELFARE SOCIETY. It will take from 2 to 3 months after that to get details of fund use. Once I get this information from them I shall upload this on the UPDATES section of this campaign. You will then get an alert and can read details about the beneficiaries.
When do I get the receipts?
It takes up to 2-weeks after the campaign is closed for the monies to be transferred to NGO. The receipts will start getting processed about 4 to 6 weeks AFTER the campaign is closed and will be sent to you directly.
How can we fund this campaign with a Cheque?
Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd account details are as below:
BANK NAME: HDFC Bank Limited.
BRANCH: Koramangala( Main Branch). City: Bengaluru - 560095.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 50200013106778
IFSC CODE: HDFC0000053
Please draw a cheque in favour of "Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd", and deposit the cheque into the Fueladream Online Ventures Pvt Ltd HDFC Bank account (any branch across INDIA). After you deposit the cheque, please send an email to prasad@fueladream.com AND getintouch@fueladream.com with the following funder information.
1) Name of Funder:
2) Full address with Pin code:
3) Telephone/Mobile no and Email ID:
4) PAN of funder:
5) Cheque number:
6) Amount funded:
7) Whose campaign are you funding. (Name of the person OR campaign number/ID):
After the funds are received and the above details are verified, the fund amount will be transferred to the respective campaign. This can take from 1-3 working days.
How does crowdfunding work?
Crowdfunding in India is a relatively new concept and is growing very quickly.
It’s a concept that allows a large number of funders (like you) to fund an idea or a cause or event by giving small amounts of money online. Fueladream.com is a crowdfunding platform in India that allows for such pooling of funds. You can fund innovations and ideas on FuelADream and be the first to get these products or make them come true. You can also do a good turn by funding charities and causes through crowdfunding.
