We wish the OPEN community a happy summer, and are glad to bring you this update on our activities for the first half of 2019.
Fundraising concert by Rasika
The fundraiser by Rasika in Maywas a great success. We thank the hundreds of repeat concert-goers who keep our spirits high by supporting our cause, and our gratitude to Rasika for their tireless rehearsals that led to a smashing show. Our thanks also to Anu Hasan for compering the event and peppering the songs with her anecdotes from showbiz, and to our sponsors for supporting this charitable cause.
The video that we played at the concert highlights some of OPEN's beneficiaries and programs.
Post-secondary education: Ignite scholarship program
We supported 107 students through this scholarship program for academic year 2018-19. Students are predominantly in college for B.Com., B.Sc., 3 year Polytechnic, or 4-year Engineering degrees. Most students in this program are poor, with average family income of Rs. 8000 per month, and we only admit new students to this program after income verification and house visits. Our spend for the 2018-2019 academic year was $13,375, and we have a similar budget for the next year.
We are happy to announce that S.Neelavathi, a B.Tech. Information Technology graduate, has secured a job as software developer with Siemens Ltd, at a salary of INR 5L per year. S.Santhosh Kumar and R.Kowsthuba also got software engineering jobs paying over INR 5L per year. Approx 72% of the final year students have graduated on time, as against a historical average of 85%. 15% have jobs or have been admitted to higher studies programs.
In the meantime, we held a counseling session for new applicants on June 30, 2019, and are now vetting applications from around 30 new students. Selvamohan Neethiraj, a long-standing supporter of OPEN, addressed the incoming students with some of his own personal journey from Polytechnic to BITS Pilani to a technical career in the US. Recent graduates Santhosh Kumar and Madhavan also spoke to the students.
Supplemental education: English classes by Vidyarambam
We continue working with Vidyarambam Trust to bring their Easy Learning English supplemental program to partner schools in Chennai. 1000 students from 7 schools were coached in English (classes 6-8) during academic year 2018-19.
Our budget for academic year 2018-19 was $21,100 for 1000 children in 7 Chennai schools, covering English only. Our budget for academic year 2019-2020 is similar.
Right now, children in classes 6-8 are being taught. We are piloting the ELE method for children in classes 1-8 at one school.
The Easy Learning English coaching pre-post comparisons below show the great improvement in performance of the children from the diagnostic phase to the final test phase, with an explanation of the grades.
The video shows a 2nd standard student leading the English class at Chennai Middle School, Gandhigramam.
Renovation of toilets and bathrooms at Maharshi Shinde Tribal Residential School, rural Maharashtra
We were approached by Rotary Club, Thane district, whom we have supported in the past with textbooks and infrastructure, for the renovation and repair of 19 toilets and 19 bathrooms at Maharshi Shinde Tribal Residential School in Mokhada, Maharashtra.
The project benefits 696 children, of whom 302 are girls and 394 boys. The project was complete in a month after approval, and sample photos are shown before and after. The total cost was $7,955. We believe that minor amounts may be needed to continue maintenance and repair of these toilets in the coming years, and have been assured that staff exist to ensure daily cleaning and maintenance.
In general, the buildings at this school are in poor state, and point to the desperate need for infrastructure in rural India.
Supplemental education: Ashraya libraries, Book of the Month, Arts and Science, Computer clubs
The Ashraya Foundation runs libraries and Science and Arts clubs at 9 schools in rural Karnataka. We support librarian salaries and salaries for Arts and Science teachers at 6 of these schools. The reading program is open to all students in classes 4-8, and the Arts and Science clubs are open to the best 20 students in classes 6-8 from each school. Science experiments from the 1-minute Gupta set are translated into Kannada and taught to the students.
Some key Ashraya statistics are shown in the table below. A complete report for the academic year 2018-19, and a plan for the year 2019-2020, is available at this link. Our budget for academic year 2019-2020 is $8200, and we support 700 children in 6 schools, at an annual cost/student of approx $12.
Ongoing projects
We continue our support of Ganapathy Iyer Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, with tuition scholarships for poor children, and operating expenses for after-school classes (chess, karate) and breakfast/evening snacks. This program benefits 170 children.
The Turning Point Trust aims to keep children of slum dwellers in Rotary Nagar, Chennai, in school. A new after-school center for 60 children is being supported by OPEN.
We sponsor 10 children from the Malleswaram Shishu Vihar, Bangalore, with scholarships for school. We are also sponsoring the school education of 7 children, selected by Samridhdhi, an NGO that focuses on educating migrant laborers' children inBangalore.
OPEN welcomes new India trustees
OPEN is registered both in the US and in India. We welcome Sashikala Krishna, Sridhar Sockalingam, and Meenakshi Sudarshan as OPEN India trustees. Meena, Sridhar, and Sashi were already heavily involved in the Ignite scholarship program's students' selection and counseling, and with increasing involvement in other OPEN projects, took on the formal responsibility of OPEN trusteeship in India.
OPEN key statistics, 2003 - July 2019
The OPEN community has supported over 34,000 students in the past 15 years with over $975,000 in grants. A breakdown of grants is shown in the chart above.
OPEN needs you
OPEN has been registered as a non-profit charitable foundation in India and in the U.S. Contributions in both countries are tax-deductible. As always, our ability to fund these projects depends on your generosity.
Contributions in USD may be made online or by check.
Checks payable to OPEN Inc. may be sent to one of:
Kumar Thiagarajan, 25470 Gimbel Dr, South Riding, VA 20152
Rajesh Ramadoss, 38 Ocean St, Millburn, NJ 07041
Cheques in INR may be sent in favor of:
Open India Charitable Trust # 26/91, 3rd Street, Karpagam Avenue, R.A.Puram, Chennai - 600028 Phone : +91 77086-79797.
You may also donate online in INR thru NEFT/IMPS:
Bank: Canara Bank Branch: St. Mary’s Road, Chennai Account Number: 1 2871 01 01 8901 MICR Number: 60001 5037 IFSC Code Number: CNRB0001287
Please consider investing in India's future. To delay may mean to forget.
