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My name is Amelia and I am recent graduate of Florida State University. In April, I won the Samuel Huntington Public Service Award , a nationally competitive scholarship, to start a program that will give some of the most disadvantaged youth (ages 15-20) in Pune, India an opportunity to pursue job skills training at the city's top vocational training institutes. To make sure that the scholarship funds go directly to the program, I am raising funds to cover my living expenses during the 12 months I will be in Pune working on this project. That is why I need your help!
Why am I doing this?
There are 18 million street children in India. Among them are the children of marginalized tribal communities who were persecuted under the British government and continue to live on the fringes of society without access to even the most basic resources.
Two such tribes live in the Yerwada slums of Pune amid the hustle and bustle of the city's wealthiest business district. Largely ignored by the daily commuters, children hock newspapers on the street. Teens pick up trash or sell firewood from small makeshift stands. Their families survive on less than $1.25 per day, per household, well below the global poverty threshold of $1.90 (World Bank, 2015).
A job for these young men and women is not just a job.
It is a ticket out.
Ashraya Initiative for Children is a community based NGO which has been providing educational opportunities for street children in the Yerwada slums for more than 10 years. I have been working with AIC since Sept., 2014 to develop a sustainable, impact driven program that will help our kids lift themselves (and their communities) out of poverty and establish self-sufficiency. Our program will take a holistic approach, not only enrolling students in vocational training courses and paying their fees, but also providing counseling, financial literacy training, and small living stipends to help them support themselves while they work toward a better life for them and their families.
How you can help
The $3,000 I hope to raise through GoFundMe will go toward housing, food, transportation, and other necessities. Raising my own funds will allow the scholarship generously provided by the Samual Huntington Foundation to go directly to connecting Pune's poorest youth with resources that will help them break the vicious cycle of marginalization and poverty by providing scholarships, living stipends, and program expenses.
But it doesn't end there. EVERY dollar donated beyond the $3000 goal will go to providing scholarships for students in 2016-2017.
Every contribution is appreciated -- there is no amount too small. Thank you for helping me take the last step toward making this dream a reality!
Together we can help Sahil grow up to be whoever he wants to be.
Why am I doing this?
There are 18 million street children in India. Among them are the children of marginalized tribal communities who were persecuted under the British government and continue to live on the fringes of society without access to even the most basic resources.
Two such tribes live in the Yerwada slums of Pune amid the hustle and bustle of the city's wealthiest business district. Largely ignored by the daily commuters, children hock newspapers on the street. Teens pick up trash or sell firewood from small makeshift stands. Their families survive on less than $1.25 per day, per household, well below the global poverty threshold of $1.90 (World Bank, 2015).
A job for these young men and women is not just a job.
It is a ticket out.
Ashraya Initiative for Children is a community based NGO which has been providing educational opportunities for street children in the Yerwada slums for more than 10 years. I have been working with AIC since Sept., 2014 to develop a sustainable, impact driven program that will help our kids lift themselves (and their communities) out of poverty and establish self-sufficiency. Our program will take a holistic approach, not only enrolling students in vocational training courses and paying their fees, but also providing counseling, financial literacy training, and small living stipends to help them support themselves while they work toward a better life for them and their families.
How you can help
The $3,000 I hope to raise through GoFundMe will go toward housing, food, transportation, and other necessities. Raising my own funds will allow the scholarship generously provided by the Samual Huntington Foundation to go directly to connecting Pune's poorest youth with resources that will help them break the vicious cycle of marginalization and poverty by providing scholarships, living stipends, and program expenses.
But it doesn't end there. EVERY dollar donated beyond the $3000 goal will go to providing scholarships for students in 2016-2017.
Every contribution is appreciated -- there is no amount too small. Thank you for helping me take the last step toward making this dream a reality!
Together we can help Sahil grow up to be whoever he wants to be.