Blogs

‘Pate Bhar’ is the name of the midday meal program our partner, Milaan, has created at the Swarachna school in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Here's a report from local co-ordinator Dhirendra Pratap Singh:

A socio-economic survey of our school showed that more than about 85% of children come from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

As a result most children could not bring lunch boxes for the afternoon meal. The few who did mostly brought last night’s roti and sugar.

A health checkup brought to attention the fact that most of our children were underweight and malnourished. The problem was a serious one and had to be addressed. Children cannot be expected to study or pay attention in classes on a hungry stomach. 

In June of 2011, Milaan began the midday meal program to provide at least one nutritionally complete meal as part of the school day. Currently the Swarachna Learning and Resource Centre located in rural UP, caters for meals for around 300 children on an average. 

The two instant and visible impacts of the midday meal programme are,

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers Priti, Milli, Pampa, Paromita, Debanjana and Susmita in northern California, Foundation for Freedom has launched a new program of teaching English online through Skype.

Our young students at Shiksha Mandir school in Gurup, India and their local teachers are very excited and appreciative of this much needed help in English teaching. Very soon we will expand the project to another two schools in India.

Watch a recording of the session below: 

Wonderful news and photos from Gazipur Free Primary School, Gurup, India. The latest project which Foundation for Freedom funded at the end of 2011 has been completed.

The contrast between the 'before' and 'after' is quite remarkable. It really shows the incredible results your support and donations can produce! Thank you!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Please share this news with your friends and family, and consider donating so Foundation for Freedom can continue to change more young lives!

We're delighted to bring you the Foundation for Freedom Winter Newsletter 2011!

• View here or download a PDF

We held a fantastic fund raising event in early December, the generous guests, great food, camaraderie and a wonderful entertainment program enabled us to raise good funds.

As the year comes to a close we'd like to put out an appeal for your donations, please download and share our appeal flyer:

DONATE ONLINE - THANK YOU!

We're proud to share the Foundation for Freedom Annual Report 2011, click below to download as a PDF:

Download PDF (14mb)

Join us for our "Celebrate for Literacy" Annual Benefit Evening!

When? 6pm Sunday December 4th, 2011

Where? New Delhi Restaurant, 160 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

What? Dinner, Entertainment, Good Friends, Great Cause!

• 6pm - Social Hour
• 7pm - Dinner
• 8pm - Entertainment

RSVP by November 25, 2011 to Sakti Das, sakti@saktidas.com or call (925) 639 5707

Tickets

• Students - $35
• General - $100
• Table for ten - $1000

A report from Milaan, our local NGO partner, on the progress at the Swarachna School, Uttar Pradesh, India:

Utilization of Funds from Foundation for Freedom [PDF]

"Completion report and a thank you note" - General Secretary, Milaan Be The Change

Introduction

Milaan started its journey in 2007 from Kantain Village, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, where we initiated the Swarachna Project with only 10 students and one volunteer teacher. On that journey, we have had our share of good times and not so good times. But our perseverance has never wavered and we have gone from strength to strength.

Along the way we have found steadfast friends who have helped us in immeasurable ways not only to grow but also to better understand our own beliefs, and causes, and therefore to better serve them. Foundation for Freedom has been amongst the foremost of these and we are proud indeed to have their continual support in almost all our endevours.

Funding Support and Utilization

In January of 2010, we submitted a proposal to the Foundation for Freedom requesting support towards increasing the accessibility of quality education in Sitapur. Our partnership with Foundation for Freedom began with financial support to the amount of $ 10200. Of this amount $ 8500 was used for the construction of new classrooms, toilets and a boundary wall for the Swarachna Learning and Resource Centre.

These classrooms are being used to teach children from class 5th to class 10th. The remaining $ 1700 was utilized for purchasing school books and study materials for the students of the centre.

Some wonderful pictures of the new uniforms at Zahir Uddin Gono Vidyapith, Khulna, Bangladesh.

Click to see more...