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21st July 2018
Dear Supporters,
I am delighted to inform you all regarding the Matriculation (Grade 10 / GCSE Equivalent) results of girls from Nari Gunjan Prerna Hostel. Seven (7) girls from Prerna hostel have successfully passed the exam out of which four have secured the first division ( 60 % +) and rest three, second division ( 50-59 %). Nari Gunjan’s Prerna hostels prevented these girls from the discriminated social environment, malnutrition and poor schooling. Proper guidance, resources, environment and teaching, has helped them to achieve this feat.
A pivotal role in their success has been played by team Aavishkaar ( a non-profit organisation which works in the education sector with a motto: shifting the focus from teaching to learning).
Moreover, Nari Gunjan also runs coaching centres for class 9th and 10th in the districts of PunPun and Bihta in Bihar. Fifteen (15) students got the first division, and eleven (11) secured third division. This number is remarkable as it shows that boys and girls which can’t avail the facilities provided in Prerna hostel can also perform better with a little help.



Prize distribution ceremony for the successful students in the Matriculation exam 2018.


The money raised by our fundraiser will support the seven girls of the 2017-18 batch to pursue further studies.  Sudha Ma’am conveys her thanks to every donor who helped to promote the cause of upliftment of Mushahar community.
Another great news is that now after the success of fundraising, big online news platforms like The Better India and MGChangemaker are coming together to support the cause of Sudha Ma’am. If you would like to donate to her cause again, you can visit the following links:
https://www.thebetterindia.com/151294/sudha-verghese-bihar-musahars-kerala-caste-system/



Sincerely,

Mayank Shreshtha
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”   -  James Baldwin


Dear Supporters,
I am delighted to inform you all regarding the Matriculation (Grade 10 / GCSE Equivalent) results of girls from Nari Gunjan Prerna Hostel. Seven (7) girls from Prerna hostel have successfully passed the exam out of which four have secured the first division ( 60 % +) and rest three, second division ( 50-59 %). Nari Gunjan’s Prerna hostels prevented these girls from the discriminated social environment, malnutrition and poor schooling. Proper guidance, resources, environment and teaching, has helped them to achieve this feat.
A pivotal role in their success has been played by team Aavishkaar ( a non-profit organisation which works in the education sector with a motto: shifting the focus from teaching to learning).
Moreover, Nari Gunjan also runs coaching centres for class 9th and 10th in the districts of PunPun and Bihta in Bihar. Fifteen (15) students got the first division, and eleven (11) secured third division. This number is remarkable as it shows that boys and girls which can’t avail the facilities provided in Prerna hostel can also perform better with a little help.



Prize distribution ceremony for the successful students in the Matriculation exam 2018.


The money raised by our fundraiser will support the seven girls of the 2017-18 batch to pursue further studies.  Sudha Ma’am conveys her thanks to every donor who helped to promote the cause of upliftment of Mushahar community.
Another great news is that now after the success of fundraising, big online news platforms like The Better India and MGChangemaker are coming together to support the cause of Sudha Ma’am. If you would like to donate to her cause again, you can visit the following links:
https://www.thebetterindia.com/151294/sudha-verghese-bihar-musahars-kerala-caste-system/



Sincerely,

Mayank Shreshtha
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”   -  James Baldwin


10th April 2018
I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”                                                                                                                       - Dr B.R.Ambedkar

Dear Supporters,

Thank you very much for the incredible support that you have shown towards helping the teenage girls of Musahar community. The campaign has ended, and we raised a total of 3,67,238 INR. This enables a total of 10 girls to complete high school (A-Levels) with full resources.

As I mentioned in my previous message, the case of two brilliant girls, Asha and Sanju who have managed to score very high marks in tenth board exams (GCSE) despite lack of proper resources. The first batch of the scholarship will be for them, and it will help them to at least complete high school education and hopefully, they continue for further education. Sudha Ma’am had already arranged the educational resources (school, extra coaching, books) for both as soon as the fundraising began and I am delighted to say that recently the same facility has been extended to few more students.
Asha and Sanju both have been enrolled in Intermediate of Science (I.Sc) courses with Physics, Chemistry and Maths (PCM) combination.

                                         
                                                                    Asha Kumari

                                             
                                                                         Sanju Kumari
These girls are the first generation to receive education and will face discrimination at every step due to their caste and gender. There is a long way ahead of them before they will be able to stand on their feet but because of the generous support of you all, they have taken the first step. We will try to establish a proper system of sponsorship through collaboration with organisations like Nanhi Kali and Magic Bus to help other children of marginalised communities.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP: 
You can contribute to the upliftment of Musahar girls by providing them resources directly. You can send (direct online order through Amazon or Flipkart is the best way) books (academic or non-academic), educational toys/puzzles, drawing kits, Quality stationaries etc. to the following address:
Sudha Varghese,
Nari Gunjan, Prerana Hostel, Lal Kothi, Danapur, Patna – 801503, Bihar, India
Phone number/ Mobile Number : 06115-224448/ +91-9431025201

Note: Please make sure to inform the Nari Gunjan team about your package before delivery through a mail to narigunjan@gmail.com.

One of the most significant problems plaguing India is a large number of school dropouts from marginalised communities. The denial of education to the children of marginalised communities (Dalits (SCs), Tribals (STs) and minority Muslims) is the bitter truth. In particular, as per NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) survey, the enrollment statistics show a very concerning picture.  The share of school enrollment among Dalit students drops from 81% in 6-14 years age group to 60% in 15-19 group. In the 20-24 group in higher education, this further plummets to 11%.  The leading causes are poverty and social discrimination (which even continues to haunt Dalit students in universities and even in IITs). The school exclusion (This identifies children who are not allowed to attend school because of social reasons.) rate is highest among Dalit girls and situation gets worse as we move from urban to rural areas. These statistics shed light on the main reasons why affirmative-action policies (reservation policy) have not been able to uplift the historically oppressed community even after 70 years of implementation.
Lastly, I would like to say our duties are not finished by contributing to any campaign; if one wants to demolish this oppressive social structure of caste, they must start with acknowledging their privileges, stop using casteist slurs and destroy the caste-pride which is inculcated in many of us since childhood.

Sincerely,
Mayank Shreshtha
“Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.” - Dr B.R.Ambedkar


I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”                                                                                                                       - Dr B.R.Ambedkar

Dear Supporters,

Thank you very much for the incredible support that you have shown towards helping the teenage girls of Musahar community. The campaign has ended, and we raised a total of 3,67,238 INR. This enables a total of 10 girls to complete high school (A-Levels) with full resources.

As I mentioned in my previous message, the case of two brilliant girls, Asha and Sanju who have managed to score very high marks in tenth board exams (GCSE) despite lack of proper resources. The first batch of the scholarship will be for them, and it will help them to at least complete high school education and hopefully, they continue for further education. Sudha Ma’am had already arranged the educational resources (school, extra coaching, books) for both as soon as the fundraising began and I am delighted to say that recently the same facility has been extended to few more students.
Asha and Sanju both have been enrolled in Intermediate of Science (I.Sc) courses with Physics, Chemistry and Maths (PCM) combination.

                                         
                                                                    Asha Kumari

                                             
                                                                         Sanju Kumari
These girls are the first generation to receive education and will face discrimination at every step due to their caste and gender. There is a long way ahead of them before they will be able to stand on their feet but because of the generous support of you all, they have taken the first step. We will try to establish a proper system of sponsorship through collaboration with organisations like Nanhi Kali and Magic Bus to help other children of marginalised communities.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP: 
You can contribute to the upliftment of Musahar girls by providing them resources directly. You can send (direct online order through Amazon or Flipkart is the best way) books (academic or non-academic), educational toys/puzzles, drawing kits, Quality stationaries etc. to the following address:
Sudha Varghese,
Nari Gunjan, Prerana Hostel, Lal Kothi, Danapur, Patna – 801503, Bihar, India
Phone number/ Mobile Number : 06115-224448/ +91-9431025201

Note: Please make sure to inform the Nari Gunjan team about your package before delivery through a mail to narigunjan@gmail.com.

One of the most significant problems plaguing India is a large number of school dropouts from marginalised communities. The denial of education to the children of marginalised communities (Dalits (SCs), Tribals (STs) and minority Muslims) is the bitter truth. In particular, as per NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) survey, the enrollment statistics show a very concerning picture.  The share of school enrollment among Dalit students drops from 81% in 6-14 years age group to 60% in 15-19 group. In the 20-24 group in higher education, this further plummets to 11%.  The leading causes are poverty and social discrimination (which even continues to haunt Dalit students in universities and even in IITs). The school exclusion (This identifies children who are not allowed to attend school because of social reasons.) rate is highest among Dalit girls and situation gets worse as we move from urban to rural areas. These statistics shed light on the main reasons why affirmative-action policies (reservation policy) have not been able to uplift the historically oppressed community even after 70 years of implementation.
Lastly, I would like to say our duties are not finished by contributing to any campaign; if one wants to demolish this oppressive social structure of caste, they must start with acknowledging their privileges, stop using casteist slurs and destroy the caste-pride which is inculcated in many of us since childhood.

Sincerely,
Mayank Shreshtha
“Indifferentism is the worst kind of disease that can affect people.” - Dr B.R.Ambedkar


14th February 2018
Dear Supporters,
First of all a big THANK YOU to all of you for supporting this campaign and with all of your help, with all the funds we have raised we would be able to fund the senior secondary (Grade XI-XII) school education of 7 adolescent girls. The campaign will be still running for next 30 days, and hopefully, this number will increase.

I. OBJECTIVE OF THE CAMPAIGN
There is one point, I would like to clarify the purpose of the fundraising campaign. Musahar girls are the primary target of sexual abuse and rape on an everyday basis. In case they are raped, even their community consider them unmarriageable and this thought forces parents to marry girls at an early age before they are attacked, and their reputation is tarnished.  Unfortunately, this kind of atrocities on Dalit women and girls is prevalent in rural India, and the mainstream electronic and print media reports very few incidents as in India some human lives are less important than others.

The Prerna residential schools are a safe shelter for the girls, and it helps them to escape this fate for few years mainly till class 10th. Many adolescent girls when return home for holidays are forced to marry because according to elders they look big enough to marry and never go back to school again. Sudha Ma'am has implemented many solutions to stop this exodus, but the success rate is still low.

A) CASE OF TWO BRILLIANT GIRLS - ASHA & SANJU

Unfortunately, we all can't do much to stop the exodus of girls after completing class 10th. However, we can support those who are willing to continue their education. The inception of fundraising came into place during my last visit to Prerna when I got to know about the extraordinary case of two girls. In the year 2016-2017, a total of 35 students from Musahar community. Given all the problems which I have listed, only 15 of them were able to qualify. Out of these 15,  two girls Asha and Sanju secured first division ( more than 60% which is a very good score in Bihar Board examinations). This result is remarkable because academic merit is nothing but a result of privilege and opportunity. These girls achieved that merit despite any proper training and resources. These two girls will be the first recipient of the scholarship funded by this fundraiser. If enough funds are generated, then we will also fix some deposit for their undergraduate studies. The education in Bihar is free for girls till post-graduation, and we can help them to provide a maintenance grant in future.
I had never thought that we would able to raise more than 50,000 INR. The support from all of you and Team Milaap has made it possible to extend this system to other motivated girls in future.

B) FUTURE PLANS: 
These funds will help us to provide a temporary solution to permanent problem. Every time, one can't resort to the method of crowdfunding. There are few charities which specialise in girl education like Nanhi Kali, Magic Bus etc. We will try to collaborate with these agencies so that these girls could be sponsored through a proper channel and a formal system is established in future.

II. HOW CAN YOU HELP NOW?
You have done your part, but still, there are many ways which you can help this campaign. It is my observation that if only share the campaign link on Facebook, it gets very little attention. The better way is to share with some text and an appeal. The much more efficient technique will be to email or personal messages highlighting the importance of this issue. Thus, I appeal, please share among your social circle, so that the impact can be increased. 

The next update will be at the end of the campaign, and I will also let you know about other ways by which you can help the girls.

With Kind Regards,
Mayank Shreshtha






Dear Supporters,
First of all a big THANK YOU to all of you for supporting this campaign and with all of your help, with all the funds we have raised we would be able to fund the senior secondary (Grade XI-XII) school education of 7 adolescent girls. The campaign will be still running for next 30 days, and hopefully, this number will increase.

I. OBJECTIVE OF THE CAMPAIGN
There is one point, I would like to clarify the purpose of the fundraising campaign. Musahar girls are the primary target of sexual abuse and rape on an everyday basis. In case they are raped, even their community consider them unmarriageable and this thought forces parents to marry girls at an early age before they are attacked, and their reputation is tarnished.  Unfortunately, this kind of atrocities on Dalit women and girls is prevalent in rural India, and the mainstream electronic and print media reports very few incidents as in India some human lives are less important than others.

The Prerna residential schools are a safe shelter for the girls, and it helps them to escape this fate for few years mainly till class 10th. Many adolescent girls when return home for holidays are forced to marry because according to elders they look big enough to marry and never go back to school again. Sudha Ma'am has implemented many solutions to stop this exodus, but the success rate is still low.

A) CASE OF TWO BRILLIANT GIRLS - ASHA & SANJU

Unfortunately, we all can't do much to stop the exodus of girls after completing class 10th. However, we can support those who are willing to continue their education. The inception of fundraising came into place during my last visit to Prerna when I got to know about the extraordinary case of two girls. In the year 2016-2017, a total of 35 students from Musahar community. Given all the problems which I have listed, only 15 of them were able to qualify. Out of these 15,  two girls Asha and Sanju secured first division ( more than 60% which is a very good score in Bihar Board examinations). This result is remarkable because academic merit is nothing but a result of privilege and opportunity. These girls achieved that merit despite any proper training and resources. These two girls will be the first recipient of the scholarship funded by this fundraiser. If enough funds are generated, then we will also fix some deposit for their undergraduate studies. The education in Bihar is free for girls till post-graduation, and we can help them to provide a maintenance grant in future.
I had never thought that we would able to raise more than 50,000 INR. The support from all of you and Team Milaap has made it possible to extend this system to other motivated girls in future.

B) FUTURE PLANS: 
These funds will help us to provide a temporary solution to permanent problem. Every time, one can't resort to the method of crowdfunding. There are few charities which specialise in girl education like Nanhi Kali, Magic Bus etc. We will try to collaborate with these agencies so that these girls could be sponsored through a proper channel and a formal system is established in future.

II. HOW CAN YOU HELP NOW?
You have done your part, but still, there are many ways which you can help this campaign. It is my observation that if only share the campaign link on Facebook, it gets very little attention. The better way is to share with some text and an appeal. The much more efficient technique will be to email or personal messages highlighting the importance of this issue. Thus, I appeal, please share among your social circle, so that the impact can be increased. 

The next update will be at the end of the campaign, and I will also let you know about other ways by which you can help the girls.

With Kind Regards,
Mayank Shreshtha