Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.Rabindranath Tagore
The Support A Child (SAC) program at Asha-Bangalore was started as a means to involve sponsors directly in the welfare of a child. Our mission is to connect sponsors with selected projects in India to provide for an underprivileged child’s education, nutrition, healthcare and other living expenses based on the child’s needs. Sponsors will receive regular updates on the activities of the children at the project. They will also receive yearly updates specifically regarding their child. Sponsors are encouraged to visit projects and directly interact with the children as well.
Our goal is to keep the child in the program until he or she completes schooling or training in the project. In cases where the child is pursuing higher (college) education, our goal is to assist them through graduation. Asha supports over a 1000 children across the nation through the SAC program.
We at SAC believe that we are part of something remarkable and enduring. We hope that you enjoy learning about our program and look forward to welcoming you into our community of sponsors. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Asha Bangalore presently supports one project – Prakruti Badi – through the Support A Child (SAC) programme
Prakruti Badi
Rural Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh
Prakruti Badi, near C.K.Palli village, Ananthapur Dist, Andhra Pradesh Timbaktu Collective is a rural development organization working in the three mandals – Chennekotha Palli (C.K.Palli), Ramgiri and Roddam of India’s second most drought prone district, Ananthapur in Andhra Pradesh. For over 20 years they have been working on issues of rural development through Eco-restoration, Child rights, Youth development, Disability rights, Alternative banking with women, Organic farming and producer owned business enterprise development. During the course of their work they came across children from difficult family circumstances, orphans, and neglected children from poor households. Prakruti Badi a residential alternative school was established for these children in 1994. The school enables them to enjoy childhood and blossom in a free, joyful and open environment of learning in nature’s lap. Prakruti Badi provides free food, all round education and caters to health needs of these 65 children. The children explore the world through the use of all their faculties. Arts and crafts, dance, drama are not considered extra-curricular, but are an imperitive part of the learning process. Asha has been partnering with Timbaktu Collective since 1995 through various initiatives including school infrastructure and support, children’s rights programs, even organic farming. Asha-Bangalore also supports the children’s outreach program – Children’s Resource Center (CRC) run in C.K.Palli village that allows village children access to library, computers, arts and crafts (screen printing, woodwork, etc), science labs, etc. The SAC program meets all living expenses of the residential children at Prakruti Badi. Prakruti Badi runs up to grade 10 and also keeps its facilities open for village children to access as day scholars. Learn more about Prakruti Badi.
Click here to sponsor a child from this project.
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- I. About Support A Child (SAC)
- What is Support A Child?
- Are the children who have sponsors treated differently from children who do not?
- What benefits will the child I sponsor receive?
- Will I be the only sponsor for the child?
- How long should my sponsorship last?
- If I discontinue my sponsorship what happens to the child I am helping?
- How long is a child in the sponsorship program?
- How are children chosen for sponsorship?
- How does Asha start a SAC project?
- When or how often will I receive a progress report on my sponsored child?
- When will I receive a photograph of my sponsored child?
- How will most of the correspondence be carried out?
- Why is most of the correspondence over email?
- Can I send money and gifts directly to my sponsored child?
- Can I bring my sponsored child to the U.S. for a visit?
- Can I visit my sponsored child?
- What opportunities will I have to learn about the child I am helping?
- Can I send packages/money to my sponsored child?
- What about gifts for birthdays and other occasions?
- What about the privacy of my sponsored child?
- II. Management Of Funds
- III. Become A Sponsor Today
- I would like to support a child. What should I do?
- What are the payment options?
- Do you accept credit cards?
- Can I donate with a credit card issued outside the U.S.?
- Can I donate in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using my credit card?
- Is the contribution tax-deductible?
- Will I receive a reminder to send my sponsorship amount?
- How can I raise funds for Asha?
- I. About Support A Child (SAC)
Support A Child (SAC) is a program in which Asha, Bangalore partners with a grassroots project in India to provide for an underprivileged child’s education and living expense. However SAC is more than funding a child in need. It is an opportunity for you as a sponsor to learn about a child and track his/her progress.
The SAC program supports all the children in a project. There is no discrimination between the children who are and who are not supported. If we are unable to find a sponsor for a child we will support the child through Asha’s funds.
- What benefits will the child I sponsor receive?Depending on the project the child may be supported either for education or for all living expenses including food, shelter, healthcare and nutrition. In case of Prakruti Badi support will go towards entire living expenses.
- Will I be the only sponsor for the child?In general, the answer is yes. In certain cases where the child may be pursuing college education, the cost of one sponsor supporting him/her financially may be difficult. In such situations we will ask more than one sponsor to support the child.
- How long should my sponsorship last?We request your sponsorship for at least 1 year but we would appreciate your continued support.
- If I discontinue my sponsorship what happens to the child I am helping?We look for another sponsor. Meanwhile the sponsorship will be continued from Asha’s funds.
- How long is a child in the sponsorship program?It is expected that the child will remain part of the sponsorship program till she/he completes his schooling/training in the project.
In case of Prakruti Badi it will be at least till 10th grade. If the child stays with Timbaktu for further education they can be supported through this period as well. - How are children chosen for sponsorship?In most cases all the children in a project are included in the sponsorship program.
All the day-scholars and children living at Prakruti Badi are part of the SAC program since Academic Year 2013-14. - How does Asha start a SAC project?Asha starts a SAC project with organizations it has been closely working with for some time. This involves an Asha volunteer visiting the project at least once a year, frequent communications with the project and an analysis of the present situation of the project by the projects group of the chapter.
Asha has been working closely with Timbaktu since 1995. - When or how often will I receive a progress report on my sponsored child?You will receive progress reports of the child once a year.
- When will I receive a photograph of my sponsored child?We will email you the photograph of the child as soon as you become a sponsor.
- How will most of the correspondence be carried out?We hope to carry out most of the correspondence over email.
- Why is most of the correspondence over email?Our registration for the program is on-line and most of our donors have net access.From previous experience in Asha with SAC programs we have found that the overhead costs of postage of this kind of program on the partner organizations is high. In an effort to minimize this overhead we have all documentation available in softcopy and mail this information to you.
- Can I send money directly to my sponsored child?Asha requests that monetary gifts not be sent to your sponsored child. There are several reasons for this:
– It is often difficult for other families in the community to understand why a child or the family received money from the sponsor. This can cause jealousy and divisiveness in the community.
– Also, some postal systems are unreliable and there is no guarantee that the monetary gifts will reach the project offices.
Thank you for understanding. - Can I bring my sponsored child to the U.S. for a visit?We appreciate your interest in having your sponsored child visit the United States. There are several reasons why Asha does not permit visits of sponsored children to the United States: – The safety and well-being of the child.
– The child’s readjustment to his or her own lifestyle can be difficult.
– Consent of the child’s family. - Can I visit my sponsored child?Yes ofcourse! We encourage you to visit and spend time with the children at Prakruti Badi. More information on how to reach the project is available at the project page.
- What opportunities will I have to learn about the child I am helping?The activities and progress the project will be conveyed to you every month through a newsletter. In addition a yearly annual report and an update of your child will also be sent to you.
Please take a look at the Prakruti Badi newsletters from Jan 2011. - Can I send packages/money to my sponsored child?We understand your desire to send packages to your sponsored child. However we would prefer that you not send packages or money to your child because of the following reasons: – Possibility of loss, theft, or damage.
– Possibility of tension created in the community by one child receiving numerous or expensive gifts.If you would like to remember your child in a special way you may enclose small items in letters to your child or in an envelope no larger than 6×9 inches and send it to the address of the project. Some items which children will enjoy for many months are: ribbons, bookmarks, picture postcards, and other flat, inexpensive items . Sending money to your sponsored child is not encouraged. Any money sent will be used at the project coordinator’s discretion. - What about gifts for birthdays and other occasions?Again we request that you send small gifts that will fit into an envelope. It may also be possible to send a small amount to the NGO/Project ($10) who will then buy gifts for your sponsored child as well as other children in the project and organize a celebration. Please contact us for more details.
- What about the privacy of my sponsored child?At Asha for Education we are concerned about the privacy of our supported projects and their children. We request sponsors not to publish personal information of their sponsored child at online resources such as web pages, blogs and social networks.
- II. Management Of Funds
- How does Asha ensure that my support actually benefits the child I sponsor?We only work with trusted non-government organizations (our projects) with which at least one of our volunteers has developed a sense of ownership and the rest of the group is always in the process of monitoring the progress of the project.We also visit our projects frequently and will send you the reports of the same.
- How are my contributions used?All contributions are used for the children in the project. We hope to ensure no overheads by keeping most of the communication on email.
- Where can I learn more about the supported project including looking at a detailed budget?A summary of the activities of the project can be found at the project page. Further information including visit reports, discussions, budgets, financial statements can be found at the Timbaktu project page.
- III. Become A Sponsor Today
- I would like to support a child. What should I do?Please take a look at the children requiring sponsorship and follow the instructions on the page. We will contact you to confirm your preference once you complete the sign up form.
- What are the payment options?Please take a look at the payment options and instructions.
Broadly, if you are outside India you can make payments through credit card donations.
If you donate from India you can use online bank transfers and checks.The annual sponsorship amount must be made at the beginning of your support period. - Do you accept credit cards?Yes, credit card payments are welcome and preferred.
- Can I donate with a credit card issued outside the U.S.?Yes. We accept credit cards (Visa/MasterCard) as long as the bank issuing the card allows transactions in U.S. Dollars. Tax deduction will, however, only be applicable for the US.
- Can I donate in currencies other than U.S. Dollars using my credit card?Yes, it is possible to do so if your credit card allows transactions in USD. However, you will need to convert the amount you are donating to USD and enter it in the amount field. Your credit card company will bill you in your local currency.
- Is the contribution tax-deductible?If you donate by international credit card, it is 501(c)3 tax deductible only in the US. You will receive an e-reciept of your donation immediately after the transaction. A printout of the e-reciept is sufficient for tax purposes.
Please note that while you can make a donation from India using an international credit card you will not be able to use the reciept for tax deductions in India.Donation in India by bank transfers or checks are tax deductible in India under 80(g). You will receive the receipt of the same in Jan of the year following the donation. - Will I receive a reminder to send my sponsorship amount?Yes, we will send you a reminder 15 days before the due date.
- How can I raise funds for Asha?You could donate, publicize and participate in Asha’s fund raising activities. Please visit our website for more details.