Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti

by Environmental SustainabilityHealthNgo's

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti

Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti (MSS) is a non-government, social-service organization that started its work in 2003 and is committed to the empowerment of women in rural communities in Seloo Block, Wardha district, Maharashtra. Over the years MSS has supported several women’s self-help groups and helped in starting up various eco-friendly micro enterprises run by women in their own villages.  Some of these enterprises like handmade soaps, candles, herbal products, fruit jam-making, gur (jaggery-organic brown sugar) production, bakery, and an organic cafeteria, etc. have become very successful and led to few more subsidiary units and boosted the employment opportunities in the villages considerably.

IDRF partner since: 2007

  • Focus Area:  Women Empowerment, Health and Eco-friendly Development .
  • Location: Maharashtra
  • Project Title: Economic self-reliance through eco-friendly development
  • Details:  The villages in Seloo Block were once famous for their banana and orange orchards. However, due to changes in climatic conditions, the fruit production started dwindling and poor villagers who were working on these horticulture farms started losing their source of livelihood. At that time Magan Sagrahalaya Samiti formed 1000 self-help groups in 100 villages and helped poor women in starting up eco-friendly micro-enterprises in their villages.

    Due to lack of proper infrastructure facilities like bad roads, irregular electricity, dearth of water, and disagreeable conditions with the landlords in renting their spaces for setting up production units, led to a drain on the Samiti’s resources and spirits. In 2007 IDRF joined hands with Magan Sangrahalaya to purchase a spacious building along with a small well, adjacent to the main road. IDRF grant enabled the Samiti to carry out extensive repairs, extensions and installations in the building and house seven enterprises. These eco-friendly enterprises like solar processed food products, small utility items, spices, pickles, papad, waste paper products and school bags manufacturing provided direct employment to 30 rural women.

    Next came the establishment of a rural bakery, gur production and few more subsidiary units that provided livelihood to women, youth and poor farmers in the areas. At present these rural enterprises are providing sustainable livelihood to around 500 poor rural women and reaching out to thousands of women of 100 villages of Seloo block.

    IDRF has also funded a mini truck that facilitates transportation of women workers, raw material, machinery and finished products to remote villages. When MSS started the movement of Natural/Organic Farming, by mobilizing thousands of farmers to shift from chemical to natural farming techniques, IDRF funded the construction of a building and setting up the first Natural Farming Center in Wardha. This Center for Organic Farmers runs a training center, farm produce processing unit, workshop to repair and manufacture improved farm tools, an indigenous seed bank and organic cafeteria.

    In a time span of ten years, more than 10,000 farmers have been trained in organic farming technology at this center. As the demand for training in organic farming grew, the center started attracting farmers from other states as well and the lack of space at the center could not accommodate the growing number of farmers interested in getting trained. Once again IDRF stepped in and funded the construction of the first Organic Farmers School in this region in the year 2016. The Farmers School is a “green building” constructed by local artisans using mud and terracotta and powered by solar energy. While the construction of the building was still underway, the Government of India chose this center as the Nodal Training Center for Natural Farming.

    With IDRF’s support, what started as an experiment has turned into organized structures where local people, especially rural women are designing, planning and executing their dreams for a better world!

IDRF supported eco-friendly economic activities at Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti

Construction of Organic Farmers’ School

Please click on the link to learn more about the various eco-friendly programs run by Magan Sangrahalaya Samiti.

http://www.gandhifootprints.org.in/

NGO: Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy

Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy (IAMD) is working since 1992 to provide relief and rehabilitation to the people afflicted with Muscular Dystrophy in India and also to create public awareness. Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive neuromuscular genetic disorder wherein the muscles gradually loose strength and results in immobility and dependence on others for everyday activities. It can occur at any age and affect more than one sibling in the family. In India, 4,000+ children are born with Muscular Dystrophy each year.

IDRF partner since: 2015

  • Focus Area: Health
  • Location: Himachal Pradesh
  • Project Title:  Integrated Muscular Dystrophy Rehabilitation Centre -“Manav Mandir”
  • Details:  IAMD received tremendous accolades from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 02 in his ’Man ki Baat’ broadcast IAMD is coming up with an Apex Centre at Solan, for complete care management including DNA and carrier testing, diagnosis, rehabilitation, orientation, rejuvenation, research and all therapies for the muscular dystrophy patients. After hearing about this rehabilitation center called “Manav Mandir” that will provide a wide range of services required to the patients under one roof, the Government of Himachal Pradesh took a proactive stance towards setting-up a central facility for dealing with muscular dystrophy, by providing 20,900 square feet of land to IAMD on a very nominal lease in 2009. Manav Mandir has received wide recognition and acclaim for treatment and rehabilitation of patients suffering from muscular dystrophy into society’s mainstream.
    IDRF has partnered with IAMD to support the construction of this 7-storied building which is earthquake resistant and incorporates many features of a “Green Building”. This eco-friendly building is about 75% completed and will reduce environmental impacts by using less energy, water, and natural gas, provide rainwater harvesting and use solar panels to reduce power consumption.
    At present it provides on-site residential care for 25 patients through physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, genetic and psychological counselling, diet plans and recreational activities. Health care and wheel chair support are provided at nominal or no cost to financially week patients. The institution plans to expand these facilities and accommodate at least 50 patients on-site, offer training to physiotherapists, volunteers and an advanced diagnostic and testing facility.
    We are seeking your generous help in raising the much needed funds for the construction of an auditorium, lecture hall and activity center for patients on the fourth floor. Funds are needed urgently to provide equipment and furnishings for the treatment of the patients on the second, third and fourth floors. In addition to the construction, it takes about $7-8,000 per month recurring expenses to run the institute for which we are seeking support too.

Existing/Proposed Services Floor-wise at Manav Mandir

Services OfferedLocationStatus
Alternative TherapiesGround Zero FloorConstruction completed
ParkingParking LevelConstruction completed
Multi-therapy Unit: Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, Hydrotherapy, OPD, Doctors’ Rooms, Admin Block, CafeteriaGround FloorConstruction completed
Patient Ward-1 Unit: Male and Female Dormitories, Kitchen, Dining Hall, Multi-purpose HallFirst FloorConstruction completed
Special Ward and Dormitory UnitSecond FloorUnder construction
Diagnosis and Research Unit and Residential area for ResearchersThird FloorUnder Construction
Auditorium, Lecture Hall and Activity AreaFourth FloorNeed Funds

Once all the facilities are established at Manav Mandir, this institution will not only be a first rate center for mitigating the sufferings of muscular dystrophy patients, but also provide guidance and understanding of the disease to the patients and their families and, help them to find courage and strength to uplift themselves mentally, emotionally and physically in order to lead a more normal life.

Manav Mandir– a 7-storied, earthquake resistant and “Green” Building

State of the art physical therapy using special gadgets is offered for patients

Hydrotherapy in an indoor heated pool and steam facility is available for patients

Psychological counselling is an important part of rehabilitation

Outdoor picnics and recreational activities are regularly held to bridge the social gap and help the patients and families bond with each other

Please click on the link to learn more about Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy.

http://www.iamd.in/

NGO: Sri Ram Grameen Kshetra Vikas Samiti

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Sri Ram Grameen Kshetra Vikas Samiti

Sri Ram Grameen Kshetra Vikas Samiti provides a hospital with low-cost but- quality medical access for the population of villages around Nagauri, Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh.

IDRF partner since: 2008

  • Focus Area: Health
  • Location: Uttar Pradesh
  • Project Title: Smt Laxmi Todi Hospital (Nagauri Hospital)
  • Details:  The hospital is currently operating with the medical staff in the following fields: allopathy, Ayurveda, homeopathy, eye care and pharmacy. The number of patients coming daily is about 50 on an average. Monthly eye-camps are being organized for the past several years. The cataract patients are examined and taken by buses to Meerut city for eye-operations done free of cost. This Hospital provides post-operative care to these patients on a regular basis. This program has been successful and effective in controlling the blindness in the rural population of the area.

    Despite its success, there are many challenges that are making it difficult for the hospital to treat many more patients than they are able to do so. Lack of roads, transportation facilities, unawareness among the rural people, are to name a few.

    IDRF is helping in not only the running of the hospital, but also in the construction of road, that will allow villagers from nearby communities to gain direct access to the quality medical-personnel and facilities available at this hospital. Additionally, IDRF funds were used to maintain various facilities, construction of staff residences and a separate wing for women patients in the hospital.

Mrs. Saraswati Jain attending to a leprosy patient

NGO: Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service (SISS)

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service (SISS)

Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service (SISS), is a non-profit voluntary social service and research institute established in 1999. SISS has been devising and successfully implementing programs for encouraging rural population to develop independent thinking and mutual cooperation. The organization is also committed to the holistic development of tribal villages, with a specific focus on eco-friendly development and healthcare

IDRF partner since: 2013

  • Focus Area:  Health
  • Location: Telangana
  • Project Title: Arogya Dhara
  • Details:  Private-Public partnerships remain the secret of successful development-bringing a host of skills as well as financial, technical and operative know-how for efficient and effective implementation and sustained operation. IDRF’s exemplary partnership with SISS implemented the Arogya Dhara project from April 2013 – March 2016. On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, SISS had started ‘Arogya Dhara Initiative’ in 2013, to promote sanitation, health and livelihood activities in the tribal areas of Adilabad district, Telangana. Their work targeted improvements in health and environmental aspects of the entire village.

    Arogya Dhara was started in 162 villages and 50,000 people from 10,000 families have taken part and benefitted from this initiative. IDRF acted as a catalyst by meeting the critical requirement of 7.5% funding. The ultimate beneficiaries contributed 8.6% through labor (Shramdan), the partner-NGO raised 2.9% locally and the remaining 81% was financed by the central and state governments.

Village Committees were constituted in every village, and development activities were carried out through them. Some of these activities are as follows:

  • People have been encouraged to construct toilets, soak pits and motivated to adhere to maintain clean surroundings (3,205 soak pits have been completed in 25 villages).
  • Horticulture and backyard plantation has been propagated in 4,500 households.
  • Health awareness programs for women and young girls have been organized in villages and schools.
  • Eye checkup camps have also been conducted in villages and various schools.
  • Vocational training camps for unemployed youth have been organized.
  • Homeopathic medicines have been distributed to 9,500 households to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

SISS also works closely with local government bodies through co-financing and capacity building, to ensure that governments will continue this work long after SISS has left. This ensures a major multiplier effect, and sustainability of this project into the long-term.

Villagers digging soak pits

Toilets in Mutnuru village

Please click to know more about Shyamprasad Institute for Social Service’s various programs.

NGO: Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti

Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti, was established in 2002 by Late Shri C.L. Jain and his wife Smt. Saraswati Jain. The Sewa Samiti is a non-governmental organization based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, with a mission of helping the most impoverished and ailing members of the society, especially leprosy patients who have been shunned by the society for ages. This NGO has two distinct objectives: (i) medical help for leprosy patients, mostly abandoned by their families, at the Mahatma Gandhi Kushtha Ashram located on the outskirts of Jaipur (ii) provides food, medications, blankets and other daily items to poor patients admitted to the local government hospital (Sawai Mansingh Hospital).

IDRF partner since: 2004

  • Focus Area: Health
  • Location: Rajasthan
  • Project Title: Mahatma Gandhi Kushtha (Leprosy) Ashram and Sawai Mansingh Hospital
  • Details:  A very unique feature of Saraswati Jain Sewa Samiti, is that, it has no overheads of any kind or employee salaries as all involved are volunteers. IDRF’s fund have played a pivotal role in upgrading the dilapidated building of Mahatma Gandhi Kushtha Ashram. IDRF has also helped procure medical supplies and the services of a local surgeon, who attends to the acutely ill and convalescing leprosy patients on a regular basis. In Sawai Mansingh Hospital Jaipur, IDRF is supporting the needs of poor patients admitted primarily to the Neurosurgery ward as well as other support areas such as the outpatient clinics, operation theaters and blood banks.

Donor Testimonial:

Dr. Lucky Jain says: “Few organizations, Shabnam and I know are so steeped in caring for others as is the India Development Relief Fund. Guided by the singular vision and dedication of Mr. Vinod Prakash, IDRF has created uncountable opportunities for the less fortunate. My own association with IDRF goes back for more than a decade and has steadily grown over time. IDRF has helped bring much-needed resources for sick patients at the Sawai Mansingh Hospital in Jaipur India and leprosy patients at the Mahatma Gandhi Leprosy Ashram in Jaipur……”

Mrs. Saraswati Jain visiting patients at the general ward in the hospital

Mrs. Saraswati Jain attending to a leprosy patient

Read more 
https://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/india-development-and-relief-fund-inc/324216

NGO: Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan

Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan (MBUP) is a social service organization dedicated to promoting the advancement of rural women and families through education, health, justice, and economic empowerment. The educated women of Sangola, led by the town’s first woman doctor Dr. Sanjeevani Kelkar , formed Mata Balak Utkarsh Pratishthan in 1978. MBUP employed a multi thronged approach to address the problems faced by rural women, and therefore, since inception, it worked in every possible area that could be used to reach and address the plight of these women. For example, it started pre-primary school, Self Help Groups, conducted myriad programs to create conducive environment on educational and cultural fronts

IDRF partner since: 2001

  • Focus Area: Health
  • Location: Solapur District,Maharashtra
  • Project Title: Mobile Medical Care
  • Details:  Since 2009, MBUP has been operating the project “Arogyadoot” (health worker) in the rural areas of Sangola Taluka. IDRF has been supporting “Arogyadoot Mobile Medical Care project” that aims to reduce the mortality rate of expectant mothers and infants by providing medical care and prenatal health education. The project has treated more than 2,000 women and children each year since 2009. From time to time, they also organize check-up camps for assessing hemoglobin levels in blood, blood sugar, skin diseases and hearing for the poor population.
    Arogyadoot Mobile Medical Care program has also been providing the following aid to the rural families in the area: distribution of First-Aid boxes to the health workers, midwife training, distribution of free medicines, training programs for health workers, providing funds for emergency, Self-Help Groups for providing financial assistance to families, awareness and use of toilets and smoke-less stoves (chulhas), personality development programs for students and kitchen gardening programs. Recently, IDRF has funded a medical camp for Hemoglobin checkup conducted in March 2018 and the construction of the school building (2 classrooms) that will be completed over the summer break by the end of June 2018.

Free prenatal checkup of an expectant mother

Arogyadoot: Mobile Medical Care Project’s free checkup camp

Mobile Medical Clinic

Please click on the link to know more about Mata Balak Utkarsha Pratishathan’s programs.

http://www.matabalak.org/

NGO: Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan Trust

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan Trust

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan is a charitable trust registered in 1988, by few motivated doctors who came together to bring a social change through healthcare. They started Dr. Hedgewar Rugnalaya (Hospital) at Aurangabad in 1989 and since then it is running many social activities apart from excellent patient carethrough several network of hospitals, mobile clinic and Slum Health Centers. It has achieved high level of faith & love amongst poor people of Marathwada region. In addition to providing health services to more than 4.5 million patients at affordable rates, the trust also provides Holistic Development programs such as Pre-Primary Education, and Skill-Development, etc. aimed at uplifting these communities.

IDRF partner since: 1998

  • Focus Area: Health
  • Location: Gujarat and Maharashtra
  • Project Title: Mobile medical clinics for urban slums in Aurangabad (April 2018-March 2021), BHIM -Better Health Intervention for Reducing Morbidity & Mortality in Malnutrition (June 2017 –May 2018), Dr. Hedgewar Hospital and Shri Guruji Rugnalaya.
  • Details:  After the success of IDRF-supported mobile clinics in other parts of India, we have expanded our program for three years (April 2018-March 2021) to the six slums in Aurangabad. This health care project has been successfully running for more than 21 years and provides three permanent health centers and one mobile clinic benefitting more than 125,000 slum dwellers, which is almost 40% of the population of the slums in Aurangabad.

    This project makes use of medical services as a tool for social development of the underserved. Millions live in densely populated urban slums in abject poverty under unhygienic conditions and lacking proper health and social awareness. Various diseases caused by unhygienic living conditions like water borne diseases, infectious skin diseases, T.B. and AIDs etc. are quite prevalent here. IDRF sent a grant to replace the existing old medical van with a new one. IDRF also supports various holistic preventive health activities that focus on education and neighborhood participation in community development, as the cost of curative treatment is lot higher than prevention. The unique feature of this project is that the doctor along his family resides among the slum dwellers and leads the program.

Services provided by the mobile clinic:

  • Primary health care (with nominal token fees)
  • Community health services (Free health camps incl. Eye and ENT)
  • Training of community health volunteers (Arogya Mitra Yojna)
  • Safe drinking water awareness
  • Health education and awareness programs (poster exhibitions, presentations, video shows, de-addiction programs, and personal hygiene awareness, etc.)
  • Community development programs (children development programs-jeevan drops distribution, women’s Self-Help Groups, and vocational trainings for youth)

Project Evaluation and Monitoring:

A project monitoring committee comprised of few trustees of organization, project coordinator, funding agency representative, etc., implements the smooth running of this project. They are responsible for periodic meetings, technical and financial reports and the maintenance of systematic patient records to evaluate the success of various programs.

Our partner organization has also trained and appointed health volunteers and people participation in every project area. Various events like health awareness exhibitions, poster exhibitions for school students, and video shows on healthy habits for children and adults, etc. are also organized on a regular basis.

Health Beneficiaries of Mobile Medical Clinics in 2019

Types of ActivitiesJanuary-MarchApril-JuneJuly-SeptemberOctober-DecemberTotal Beneficiaries
OPD patients examined7,0004,2496,1817,66425,094
Preventive Health Programs: health-exhibitions, video-shows, Jeevan-Drops distribution, anemia and de-addiction clinics1,0486941,4993183,559
Free Health Camps: ENT, Eye and Free Cataract Surgeries45143607181,272
Training & Appointment of Health-Volunteers (Arogya Mitra)200300730
Total8,5194,9897,7408,70729,955

Outcomes of the project:

  • Primary health care facilities are availed by more than 24,000 slum dwellers per year.
  • Cataract and micro-ear surgeries performed free of cost for poor and needy.
  • Health volunteers selected and trained to carry out various health awareness camps leading to a healthier lifestyle among the slum-dwellers
  • Increased economic productivity due to improvement in poor people’s health.

BHIM -Better Health Intervention for Reducing Morbidity & Mortality in Malnutrition (June 2017 –May 2018): Malnutrition is one of the most common causes of increased mortality and morbidity in children under 5 years, especially in developing countries like India.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan has started a community health research project with IDRF’s support, under which it is being studied whether small doses of antibiotics over a long term will be effective in reducing mortality and morbidity in malnourished children. This study is being done on about 5000 children living in 110 tribal villages in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The research team comprises of pediatricians, nutritionists, physicians, medical social workers and statisticians. This study will also help in improving the quality of life and survival of children with malnutrition.

Dr. Hedgewar Hospital: With IDRF’s continuous support and commitment for a noble cause, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan has been able to spread healing touch through Dr. Hedgewar Hospital, a multi-specialty hospital in Aurangabad. This hospital serves the underprivileged with quality care that is easily accessible. The hospital has all the modern facilities and is at par with leading hospitals of the country in terms of latest technology and human resources.  IDRF has been supporting a variety of their programs from time to time.

Shri Guruji Rugnalaya: 

A program was started about 12 years ago, to sensitize and foster medical students while at medical colleges to work for the well-being of the poor and needy. At the Shri Guruji Rugnalaya in Nashik several such doctors are working who have given their lifetime commitment for this project. This hospital has achieved good faith and confidence amongst masses in providing excellent medical care at an affordable cost. More than 40, 000 patients in OPD, and more than 8,000 patients on In-patient basis have been treated here and more than 1,500 surgeries have been performed. Medical services are provided either free of cost or at subsidized rates to the poor people. With the support of IDRF, the hospital was able to buy equipment for the oncology laboratory.

Mobile clinic 

Patients at the mobile clinic

Health awareness exhibitions for the slum-dwellers

Dr. Hedgewar Hospital

Please click to learn more about Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan.

NGO: Health Aid Trust

by HealthNgo's

NGO: Health Aid Trust

Health Aid Trust (HAT) is a nonprofit organization, established in 1999, committed to providing advancement of health related issues without discriminating on the basis of cast, creed, religion or gender. HAT also provides relief in accidents and natural calamities, such as drought, floods and other natural disasters. They also provide medical activities and organize treatment camps for the needy from time to time.

IDRF partner since: 2014

  • Focus Area: Health
  • Location: Chaparda, Gujarat
  • Project Title: Chaparda Hospital (Jay Ambe Hospital)
  • Details:  In 2009, HAT started building a 172 bed hospital in Chaparda, in Junagarh district of Gujarat. Chaparda is a hamlet situated on the foothills of Girnar Mountains and is more than 20 miles from Junagarh city. The hospital is very crucial for medical care of 600,000 people, mostly Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, residing in 250 villages. These people have very limited access to medical services and in case of an emergency, have to travel for more than 60 miles to the nearest city of Junagarh. Furthermore, the medical facilities provided in the city are expensive for these BPL families.
    IDRF succeeded in fulfilling the keen desire of a native of Chaparda by supporting HAT. IDRF has been regularly sending grants, for meeting the critical needs of expansion and modernization of the hospital facilities, besides supporting the unavoidable operational deficit. The HAT managed “Jayambe Hospital” at Brahmanand Vidhya Dham, Chaparda, since April 2012 has become the center of health services for rural areas of Saurashtra. Recently, the Managing Trustee Mahant Muktanand Bapu -Guru Shri Bhagavatinand Bapu, has decided to provide free medical services to the poor people of the area. Patients belonging to BPL families get free treatments, room facility, food, laboratory and MRI services, while at the hospital.
    About 500-600 patients get Outpatient health care in one day at this hospital and about 50-60 patients are admitted to the hospital daily. The proposed facilities at the Hospital will provide services in the following medical fields: Pediatrics, Orthopedics, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Dental & Ortho-dentistry, ENT, Pathology, Dermatology and Gynecology.

OPD at Jay Ambe Hospital

Operating Room at Jay Ambe Hospital

Jay Ambe Hospital

Please click on the link to know more about Health Aid Trust’s hospital project.
http://betindia.org/hat/

NGO: Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS)

by EducationHealthNgo's

NGO: Economic Rural Development Society

Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS) is an NGO established in 1982 in a village in West Bengal. ERDS owes its existence to the dedication and hard work of Mr. Madhu Basu, who wanted to combat the growing poverty in villages and urban areas. It is a non-profit, secular and non-political organization dedicated to the mitigation of misery and poverty, and upliftment of the impoverished.

The primary objective of the organization is to engage in sustainable development techniques to empower the local rural communities, especially women and children. In the initial years it concentrated on non-formal and adult education. Gradually ERDS has diversified its activities in other fields such as women and child development, child education, child sponsorship, health & nutrition, low cost sanitation, care & rehabilitation of the elderly.

IDRF partner since: 2005

  • Focus Area:  Education Health and Women Empowerment
  • Location: West Bengal
  • Project Title: Kesarben Memorial School, Gajole, Dist. Malda, and Primary School for Hindi Speaking Children, Boral, Dist. 24-Parganas
  • Kesarben Memorial School (KMS):
    Started in 2013 with support from IDRF, to ensure the overall holistic development of students hailing from poverty stricken background. Apart from providing quality education, extracurricular activities like sports, physical education and self-development are also encouraged. KMS has reached a new height in standard of education due to a dedicated team of qualified teachers and efficient management of ERDS.

    Hindi Primary School, Boral:

    IDRF came across a unique situation wherein, the future of Hindi speaking migrant laborers in West Bengal was bleak because of their inability to study in Govt. schools, where the medium of instruction is Bengali. Being cognizant of this situation, ERDS succeeded in securing 100% tax exemption under Indian Income Tax Section 35AC- rarity in INDIA, which allowed them to meet IDRF’s requirement of 50% co-financing. Thereby IDRF succeeded in establishing ‘Velji Vishram Popat Primary School’ in Boral, District South 24 Parganas.

    All 300 students that attend this school are from below poverty line families (BPL). In order to accommodate all the students and due to shortage of school rooms, the school is run in two shifts. To reduce the rate of drop-outs incentives in the form of toys, occasional tiffin are given to the children. As an integral part of imparting education, school creates awareness about health, hygiene and environmental sanitation so that the children can cultivate good habits from their childhood. The curriculum also includes teaching Bengali, computer, drawing, dance & music.

Students at Kesarben Memorial School, Gajole

Please click on the following link to find more information about Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS).
http://erds.in/