To Empower through Education:
An old Tibetan proverb says that “A child without education is like a bird without wings”. How true that is! In a world that is competitive, ever changing, ever developing and fast paced, these children have had absolutely no chance to even fight for survival let alone development. Countless dreams have perished even before they had a chance to bud. Most of these children fail before they even had a chance to try. One important factor that makes them fall prey to the cycle of poverty is lack of education.Rakshaktherefore, seeks to empower the young minds by providing educational support through the Afterschool Program.
To Counter Malnutrition and Hunger:
Hunger is a reality for most who are underprivileged. Sadly, we find that it is the children who are worst hit by this evil. Vulnerable as they are already, many children don’t have a chance to survive their fight against malnutrition and hunger. In an attempt to end hunger, many a times people tend to focus on ensuring that the children are provided with some kind of food. This is where Malnutrition gains ground and has many children in its clutches. We at Rakshak, believe in putting an end to both malnutrition and hunger by providing the children with a nutritious meal.
To Provide Psycho-social Support:
Children coming from economically struggling communities do not just deal with hunger, malnutrition and lack of education, but also with broken households, physical, verbal and sexual abuse, abandonment and neglection by parents. To be loved and wanted, is every child’s deepest longing. And at Rakshak, we believe, that every child must have someone to turn to when their world turns chaotic. Our hope is to build a community where no child goes to bed thinking that he or she is fighting the world on their own.
Aishwarya joined Rakshak in her 1st std. Both her parents were woodcutters and came from a tribal community called the Irulas. Aishwarya was just like any other 1st grader, a cheerful child with an infectious smile and a thirst to learn more. As years went by, we found Aishwarya to be determined and focused in her academics.