Computer Training Center in India

Hello, we are Amanda Aldridge and Kevin Coughlin.

This is our wordpress !

Kevin and I are working on a project through the Kenosis Foudation. Kenosis has been working for several years to deveolp empowerment programs for women and girls in Bangalore and the the rural region of the state of Tamilnandu. These programs include everything from teaching English skills to hygiene awarness. Kevin and I will be working to create a computer skills center with a group of volunteers from all over the world.

We will be traveling to Bangalore, India this October to establish a computer skills center under the guidence and supervision of Issac Rayappan, director and founder of the Kenosis Foundation. I met Issac through the head of my anthropology department at Bridgewater State University, Diana Fox the founder of the "Journal of International Woman's Studies." I was conducting a directed study on women's issues in India at the time and she believed that this alliance would prove beneficial to my research.

According to USAID, South Asia holds one quarter of the world’s uneducated girls. What can we do to change the world? Educate these women. One investment causes an avalanche of change.

A recent statistic which I encountered in the documentary “The Beginning of Life” states that for every dollar invested in a child, one receives an 8-10 percent return on your investment. Anyone who is business minded knows that this is an extremely favorable outcome.

What does this mean?

By donating just 5 dollars you can have a resounding impact on a woman’s life that will cause change in the life of her children and for generations to come.

All of the money raised will be used by Kevin and I to directly fund the establishment of this center. We will be documenting it's progress on our wordpress!

This computer skills training has the potential to benefit over 2,500 women and children from 48 villages. Every year this center will also bestow 650 dropout youths with employment skills training that at the culmination awards a certificate at will place individuals in a full-time salaried position. 90% of girls that participat in training recieve employment and continue  on to higher levels of education.

What we need to put our plan into action:

·      15 computers ($299)

·      15 desks

·      transportation of equiptment from Bangalore to Sesurajapuram (project area),

·      rental of the building at which the comptuer center will be located

·      wiring the facility to have electricity

·      white board & markers and basic office supplies

·      lesson books,  

·      tutor's fee at least for a year

If you donate over $50, we will send you a print of one of the photos we take during our project. 

With your help, we can benifit woman and children, who live in severely impoverished conditions. With skills attained thanks to Kenosis, they may achieve their goals and dreams, as well as put an end to generational poverty. Each donation helps to change a child's life for the better in poor villages in southern India.

What happens when you educate a women?

Let’s look to some facts from USAID:

When girls are educated… 

their families are healthier 
they have fewer children
they wed later
they have more opportunities to generate income 
One extra year of primary school boosts a girl’s future wage 10 to 20 percent 
An extra year of secondary school increases that earning potential by 15 to 25 percent
Education also helps moms take better care of their kids. 
According to the World Bank (PDF) , each additional year of female education reduces child mortality by 18 per thousand births

What does this all mean? This means less births and those who are born are more likely to survive and thrive. An investment in one woman has a ripple effect that changes the social reality of the world as we know it. The more women we educate, the less children suffer and die. These women are our sisters. These children are our children.

Who we are:

Kevin and I are photographers from the East coast of the United States. Kevin studied photgraphy at the New England School of Photography. Since then he has been displaying and selling his photography at an array of venues and offering his services for events such as festivals, concerts, and benefits. Currently he is working as a landscaper and mason.

My love of photography comes from a journalistic point of view. I have always loved documenting events via script and photo. I have combined my passion for photography with a career in anthropogical research. I am passionate about making this world a better place for the next generation both socially and environmentally. We have spent the time since my graduation living on farms and learning about sustainable living. We are currently settled in Montpelier, VT.
 

Thank you all for your support.

- Amanda Aldridge and Kevin Coughlin

Help spread the word!

Anyone passionate about this project or that needs information, or that is interested volunteering, can contact me (Amanda) at [email redacted]


Do you want to contact Issac, the director; you may reach him at [email redacted]


For more information on the Kenosis Foundation (KF) in India, please visit http://www.kenosisfoundation.org/computer-skills-center/4592853049