AIM for Seva USA, NJ Chapter

ing education, food and infrastructure and medical assistance, to people living in the most remote areas of India. Educating the needy youth has been a clear thrust area from day one as that is alone the key to a lot of societal evils and the only way to approach progress. Poverty and Illiteracy remain India’s biggest challenge as it moves up gradually from Third world status - with 22% of the world’s population, but 46% of the world’s illiterates. This can change only with better primary education. However, millions of young children in lower income groups, especially rural and girl children, comprising nearly 40% of first grade entrants’ never complete primary school. The reasons are multi-fold : economically backward parents who struggle for a square meal a day, access to education, given the remote rural tribal areas, a suitable environment for the child to learn etc. AIM for Seva has successfully broken the barriers with an innovative program design, Student Homes, which addresses the above issues effectively, with holistic intervention. The organization identifies needy children from the Tribal/ Rural areas, and provides them a home like ambience in a student home or Chatralaya where the child is given all basic needs- wholesome food and nutrition, shelter and clothes. Medical aid is available to all the children, but the accent is on preventive care. Hence regular medical camps are held and a high degree of health & hygiene awareness in inculcated in the children. The student home activates include Yoga to condition the body and mind, and fun and recreational activities, encouraging the children, who are mostly from dysfunctional homes with abusive parents to leave their scars behind and grown up into normal healthy individuals. They learn traditional Performing arts, Music and Team sports. The Children are enrolled in a good school in the vicinity and get access to regular K- 12 schooling. The wardens and local volunteers provide after school support through a unique concept of “Sandhya Gurukulams”, to help the students with their academics. The Student homes are managed by care givers who double as their parents, counselling them, teaching them Values, traditions and mores prevalent in their culture , ensuring all round development of the child, Mental, Physical, Social and Cultural spheres , whereby the Child is a moulded into a well balanced individual who has confidence to venture into the world. This has resulted in bringing down the school dropout rate to less than 1% in the areas where AIM for Seva is working, as against the national average of 61%. The AIM for Seva student home program helps bring about a complete inner transformation through quality living and education. You can join hands with us in giving these children a better tomorrow. To sponsor a child visit http://www.aimforseva.org/donate/