Resident Homes & Schools Odisha, India
Located near Puri, this primary school for grades 1-5 serves 30 children from surrounding villages. The schoolhouse is a small building with no furnishings and the children's families cannot afford basic educational supplies. Grassroots Asia re-constructed their roof after it was destroyed several years ago and has contributed school textbooks and other supplies.
The Hariharananda Balashram is managed by Prajnana Mission and has been established as a resident home and school for destitute children from Odisha. The Balashram accepts 40 nursery age children each year and offers free education and quality care. Their holistic approach to development (physical, emotional, mental and spiritual) blends the best of the east and west. The school curriculum is a CBSE (Certified Board of Secondary Education) English medium education. Grassroots Asia has funded general operating costs, a dairy, capital equipment, tube wells, generators, solar energy, and construction for this well managed project. There are now 500 children residing at the school.
Grassroots Asia initiated a Rotary International matching grant with the Kendrapara Rotary in Odisha and the Snowmass Village Rotary in Colorado when we found 70 children in dire need of food, furnishings, clothing, educational materials and construction. The grant added sanitation, beds and other furnishings to the two schools. This solid infrastructure helps to insure the basic supplies & equipment needed for the children's continued care. Grassroots Asia continues to visit these schools to deliver food and gifts.
Scholarship funds were provided through a donor-directed fund at Mahu High School in the remote village near Ali, Kendrapara District, Odisha. Meritorious students, 10 boys and 10 girls, whose families could not afford the textbooks or school admission fees, were selected each year. Due to the donor expiring and the family unwilling to continue the program, this fund is currently seeking a new sponsor.
25 children reside at Odisha Children's Orphanage, a very poor orphanage located in Cuttack, Orissa. Grassroots Asia offers limited support on an on-going basis to supplement their meager existence. We purchased a cycle rickshaw for them so that they would have transport to school and to the doctor. Occasional food deliveries and medications for the children are provided.
Grassroots Asia developed the Prajnana Library and Community Reading Room at Patitapaban High School in Ambery, Odisha. The thousands of books donated included locally bought Odia books and donated English books shipped from Colorado. Six toilets were also constructed at the school to serve the 400 children in Std. 1-10. Grassroots Asia has also donated science & sports equipment and incremental honorariums for teachers.
Ruchika Sraddha Bhawan:
Grassroots Asia initiated Ruchika Shraddha Bhaban in 2004 and funded the project until 2007. Women and children remained in residence and received education, training and basic care. The home was unique, providing a nursery that allowed mothers to keep infant children with them and stay for longer periods of time. Many of these women Came from abusive environments, were abandoned or left destitute by unforeseen circumstances. The home provided food, shelter, clothing, music and dance classes, educational and vocational training opportunities, counseling, repatriation assistance, basic medical care and a loving and safe environment for the women. Several of the women enrolled in home nursing and tailoring courses or were placed in good jobs. In 2007, Grassroots Asia began funding a similar project through Grassroots India called W.I.S.H. Network which addresses more progressive women’s issues in Odisha.
More than 100 handicapped children live and study at this resident school outside Puri, Odisha. Grassroots Asia has contributed ceiling fans and lighting for the school as well as 5 cows to start their dairy. The cows now total 20 and the dairy is turning a 50% profit! It will supply the children with milk and subsidize school operating expenses. Grassroots Asia has also made periodic contributions to their vocational training programs.
This Cuttack, Odisha home houses more than 60 abandoned children in its three small rooms. Grassroots Asia makes donations for the children's medications and for food supplies. We have also donated three sewing machines for a small wholesale clothing business so that the nine oldest daughters can contribute to expenses.
The Women's Independent Self-Help Network (W.I.S.H.) has been developed by Grassroots India to help women become personally, socially and economically independent. We are helping to develop housing projects cum vocational training centers and small businesses for women from rural areas that need housing, economic assistance, and income generation. Our resident homes offer counseling, medical aid, vocational training and enhancement of life skills. We seek to establish a solid foundation for each woman to develop a peaceful inner life and a successful outer life. Social service is also emphasized and there are opportunities to also give back to society.
