Transparency Data

Project Info

Below you will find fully detailed information about the project:

1. What is the actual local situation you are addressing?

According to UNESCO, 80% of India’s 1.1bn population lives below the poverty line, a line that equates to surviving on less than US$2 a day. In Delhi, it is estimated that 30% of the 14 million inhabitants live in slums. While many dwellings here have attained an ‘official’ status and an address (allowing voting rights), the right of ownership will never be theirs; many slums are under the threat of being raised to make way for new urban projects.

However, if one takes the time to visit the slums they will receive a remarkably warm reception. Amongst the temporary structures live generous and kind people. Within the debris there is order and pride in the home and a remarkably strong spirit. The communities that live here make the best of what they have, but they know the best chance for their children to beat the poverty cycle is to get a good education.

As a result there is a thirst for knowledge and schooling. Gross enrollment for primary school education is 115%, but net enrolment is 85%. The children of India want to learn, but the education system cannot support them all. Project Why was started with a view to arrest drop out rates in India’s capital city. It aimed at being a community steered and driven program and thus only employed local talent, thereby creating over 50 jobs. Being rooted in the community the project had to be flexible and able to listen to the problems within the community society. It is the many Whys of the community with so many left out slum and handicapped children together with their mothers, who have crafted what Project Why is today.

2. What has led you (or the organisation) to start the project?

Having witnessed the enormous transformation of a street boy called Manu, who lived in dirty lonely streets and who became kind, social and confident after having received the care and nurture of Anou, made her realise the importance of care, shelter and education for both slum children and their mothers.

The Project Why (or Sri Ram Goburdhun Charitable Trust SRGCT) is now engaged in education, support and life skill enhancement for slum children and their families. It opened its first education center in 2000 with a small spoken English class for 40 children.

Today its programmes include:

After school support centres, teaching more than 700 children in 7 locations in New Delhi
Women’s Center, nurturing and supporting disadvantaged local women and their children. It imparts vocational skills to over 70 women and after school support to 300 children
Children with special needs, a day care centre for 20 children and young adults with disabilities
Heart Fix Hotel, sponsoring heart surgeries for those most in need (15 to date).

Project Why also addresses and finds solutions to crisis situations: To date it has sponsored 15 open heart surgeries and addressed many medical and other emergencies. It is also the boarding school education of 5 children from very poor families who may have otherwise dropped out of school and become child laborers.

3. What do you want to achieve?

The women's centre is providing a space for women who are trying to rebuild their lives. Here our approach is simple and flexible. We provide the space needed for women who lack skills, shelter and additional resources. They may at a later stage find their wings and move on, or chose to stay with us and be integrated in the team. A pre-school daycare center for working slum mothers - mostly domestic workers - has opened its gates, as well as a primary support outreach where we have almost 300 children.

In the women’s center, we are teaching the women practical skills to generate extra income to support themselves and their families such as stitching, tailoring and beauty classes. 60 women are attending our 6 month courses and we have long waiting lists!

An evening adult education class has also begun and we will soon begin English conversation classes which is in popular demand. All these activities enhance the confidence and trust of local women. Our main objective remains to raise awareness on issues we feel are important such as hygiene, nutrition, gender equality, domestic violence, legal rights and HIV AIDS. We plan to introduce these slowly and gently as the social fabric of the area is very conventional and highly charged. At a later stage we also plan to address issues such as budget management, saving and micro finance.

At this moment, the women’s center also offers permanent shelter to a limited number of women (max 10) who live in distress (violence, physical weakness) and need further care before they can be integrated in society.

4. How are you going to achieve it?

The women’s center is already operational but we need further support and resources to maintain and expand its current activities. The challenge lies in setting up a sustainability model while continuing our on going activities. For this reason, we are planning to build a guest house called Planet Why in the near future, which will help us become more self-sufficient while offering local employment opportunities. Our efforts have been slowed down because of the present economic crisis, but we hope to be able to garner the needed support by 2011. Till then we need external support to continue our activities.

5. What is your long term vision for the project?

Our long term vision is to see our guest house fully operational and thus able to fund all our activities. This will enable us to continue our work without being hampered by lack of funds and free us of a fragile and tenuous funding model. Once our guesthouse is in place we will be able to continue our work with the children and the community.

This will enable us to secure the future of our (disabled) students who have nowhere to go after the demise of their parents and often find themsleves on the street, and will allow us to continue the work we are doing for women and mothers.

It will also enable us to address a platform to impart a wide range of skills to those who have completed their schooling.

6. How is your idea/project going to benefit the community or the situation?

Gives shelter, hands-on practical skills programmes to marginalised women
Offers mothers the possibility to leave their children at the center while working
Enables the children to remain in school and complete their education
Generates employment for the local community
Imparts vocational skills to women
Gives one time support in case of medical or other emergencies
Once our sustainability plans are realised we will be able to provide long time support to Empower the women and (special) children in our local community

7. Which results do you expect?

We expect to expand the number women and mothers in distress (domestic violence, substance abuse, HIV etc) and help in their rehabilitation
We expect to continue to provide school support to a minimum of 500 children
Run early education progammes for 100 children
Provide life long shelter for a maximum of 10 children with special needs

8. How can you measure those results (quantifying)?

All the women in our center are being registered and we follow their progress and rehabilitation closely. The same applies to the children in our education program. The school children’s success is validated by the school results and final examinatins result (class XII). In the past 9 years all Project Why children have passed their examinations and hence not dropped out. Every year our class X and XII students have taken their Boards, some with top grades in their school, and are now pursuing higher studies.

9. Communication, visits and feedback

How often will you be able to inform about progress and developments?
We will be able to inform about progress and developments on a monthly basis.

Who is the person responsible for communication?
Project Coordinator - Anouradha Bakshi

When is the best time in the day/week for participants to contact you?
Monday to Friday

What is the best way to communicate (email, skype or other)?
By Email

Do you accept participants visiting the project?
Yes

Which it is the best time?
Anytime suitable

Any requirements for visitors?
No.

Are you planning to participate in any event(s) in the next year?
No.

10. What do you expect from the Uniting People community?

To raise awareness about our work to enable us to get the support we need.