Light the Fires of Progress- Donate to the Cause of Children’s Education

Prakash, a child from Udayan Care, recently flew to Scotland to do an M.Sc. in Finance at the University of St. Andrews with a full scholarship. Shraddha, a recipient of the Udayan Shalini Fellowship, took a step closer to her dream of pursuing a career in robotics by securing a place in Mechanical Engineering at VIT Pune. Rayees, a LIFT (Learning In Fellowship Together) fellow, is working to improve the mental health of Care Leavers in J&K by forming an association of Care Leavers.

Prakash, Shraddha, and Rayees received the greatest gift of education and now they are productive members of society enlightening others after them. Many children like them grow up in disadvantaged backgrounds and education is the only way to make their lives shine. It opens multiple paths of opportunities for them following which they can lead a stable life. However, not everyone gets the gift of education, which is why supporting the cause of children’s education is crucial to our society.

Why should you donate to educate children?

If you are thinking about giving back to society, sponsoring a child’s education is the best way to do it. Children are the future of this country and proper education can transform them into enlightened citizens. Moreover, the National Statistical Commission surveyed literacy in India to be 77.7% in 2017–18. The literacy rate in urban areas was higher at 87.7% than in rural areas at 73.5%. According to the Annual Status of Education Report, the percentage of children aged 6 to 14 years not enrolled in any school rose from 2.5% in 2018 to 4.6% in 2021.

Rural areas face many difficulties in maintaining the proper infrastructure and facilities in school resulting in children dropping out. Shortage of classrooms and qualified teachers, no proper sanitation and drinking facilities, and caste and gender disparities are among many other causes which lead to a significant number of children staying out of school. While deciding where to donate, you should look for such schools that are in dire need of proper funding to alleviate the barriers on the road to children’s education.

The pandemic has exacerbated the alarming situation of education in our country. A significant number of children were left without any parental care and the depleting economy stopped many children from attending school. A report by Oxfam India indicated that children studying in government schools were hit particularly hard, with more than 80% of them not receiving any educational materials during the lockdown. You can contribute to the future of such children by donating to the cause of their education.

Udayan Care supports the education of children through its varied programs. The children in Udayan Ghars (childcare homes) receive quality education and proper training for their future. Our girl leadership program Udayan Shalini Fellowship provides monetary and mentoring support to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our alternative care programs have children and youth education at their core. You can donate to our causes to help us educate more and more children and secure their futures.

The famous Irish poet W.B Yeats says, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”. Let us all light these fires in the lives of the children of our country!