Bringing the Magic of Books to Children from Vulnerable Backgrounds in Jalgaon

by Vardhishnu Social Research & Development Society

  • 700

    Books Goal
  • 709

    Books Received
  • 0

    Days to go
Raised Percent :
100%
The campaign is successful.
Jalgaon, India

Know more about us

Who we are

A 6-year-old whose day begins at 5 in the morning, accompanying her mother to a dumping ground to collect 'valuable waste.' She works for more than 8 hours before returning home. Cuts and bruises on her hands and legs are an everyday part of her life. Sometimes, she has to run before a dog could bite her or someone abuses her verbally. She is destined to be married at the age of 13 and give birth to her first child even before turning 18.

She is not alone. She is one of 125 children working as waste pickers in Jalgaon. She is also among the 10.5 million children across India and 160 million worldwide trapped in the vicious cycle of child labour, with no access to education or healthcare, experiencing violence at home, in the community, at workplaces, and from society at large.

Vardhishnu is a Jalgaon-based non-profit established in 2014 with the aim of creating an ecosystem of safe and joyful learning spaces and support for children from vulnerable backgrounds, especially child waste pickers and child labourers.


Our work and its impact

Anandghar (A Home of Happiness): The idea is to create an ecosystem of learning and support for street children, especially child waste pickers and child labourers. This is achieved through Community Learning Centers called 'Anandghar.' Based on the core values of Love, Compassion, and Respect, Anandghar aims to nurture reading and writing comprehension, inculcate age-appropriate life skills, and work on health and hygiene. This is done while involving parents, community members, schools, government institutions, and society at large in the well-being of children.
Currently, there are 5 Community Learning Centers in Jalgaon, Chopada, and Amalner, with over 300 children.

Anandghar Community Collectives: A unique 1-year support program designed to share our learning with early-stage organisations or individuals willing to work with children from vulnerable backgrounds. We specifically work with early-stage initiatives and individuals in the field of education with children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, from lower-tier cities/villages with limited or no exposure to the modern-day development sector ecosystem.
As of now, there are 21 initiatives operating across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka, collaborating with 27 educators and positively impacting over 4000 children.


How we will utilise these books

Every Anandghar has a dedicated library. We are using books to nurture the reading and writing comprehension of children, creating a space to encourage creativity, expression, teamwork, and cultivate a reading habit.

We are continuously striving to add a diverse range of books to our library. As we scale up our operations, there is a need to have multiple copies of books to distribute among all the centres so that every child can experience the joy of reading. This campaign will help us raise funds for children's storybooks from Pratham Books to add to our library.



Supporters

Name Donate Amount Date
Anonymous 16,886 February 16, 2024
Premdaya Kasdekar 150 February 15, 2024
vikas saluja 1,100 February 15, 2024
Anonymous 1,500 February 14, 2024
Anonymous 501 February 14, 2024
harak soni 375 February 13, 2024
Mayuresh and Shilpa 5,000 February 07, 2024
Anonymous 1,500 January 29, 2024
Vedd Andhorilar 750 January 24, 2024
Tushar Patil 500 January 20, 2024
Sachin Gulhane 1,500 January 20, 2024
Sarita Jare 750 January 20, 2024
Anonymous 13,200 January 19, 2024
Anil Bhokare 7,500 January 19, 2024
Anonymous 1,500 January 18, 2024
Anonymous 500 January 18, 2024
Name Donate Amount Date
16,886 February 16, 2024
Premdaya Kasdekar 150 February 15, 2024
vikas saluja 1,100 February 15, 2024
Dipak Shimpi 1,500 February 14, 2024
ANKIT LALIT 501 February 14, 2024
harak soni 375 February 13, 2024
5,000 February 07, 2024
Meenakshi Pandey 1,500 January 29, 2024
Vedd Andhorilar 750 January 24, 2024
Tushar Patil 500 January 20, 2024
Sachin Gulhane 1,500 January 20, 2024
Sarita Jare 750 January 20, 2024
niranjan joshi 13,200 January 19, 2024
Anil Bhokare 7,500 January 19, 2024
Shivani Bajaj 1,500 January 18, 2024
Adwait Dandwate 500 January 18, 2024