sakti's blog

‘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

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

Click to see more...

Daulotabad is one of the most impoverished amongst the cluster of villages in Gazipur area about 60 kilometers south of the metropolis of Kolkata in India. Vast majority of the population in this village are uneducated Muslims. Their own lack of education coupled with chronic poverty make them less interested in the education of their off springs.

About 244 students at age range of 6 to 11 including 48% female students attend this school. This year with funding from Foundation for Freedom, the school has been completely refurbished with cemented walls, floors, new windows, doors, furniture and toilets. The children are happy and excited to come to school in their new uniforms provided by our foundation.

Read more and see pictures of the renovation...