providing that one fair opportunity

Asha, a five year-old girl, would sell flowers in a train in Mumbai. Thin and frail with long dark hair tied up neatly in a plait, she kept her balance nimbly as she went from one person to another in the moving train selling bright orange dandelions strung together as garlands. With a voice too tiny to be heard over the rush of the train; she would look up imploringly at each passenger hoping to make a sale.

Little children like Asha are a common sight on the hundreds of commuter trains that move people across the length and breath of Mumbai city. Too poor to afford to go to school; in the harsh world of the poor and impoverished, little children like Asha have to bravely shoulder their part in supporting the family’s household expenses in everyway possible.
They help their parents by selling home made trinkets or by working on construction sites carrying bricks, like Kartik; a 4-year old boy. And then there are thousands of other children like Divya and Madhu who beg for alms at major crossroads. Such are the children of the slums in India who are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty, hardship and illiteracy. A 2001 national census reported that there are an estimated 78 million people who live without a home in India. These millions live either on the streets or in the most dismal forms of slums. Living in appalling conditions, these people are extremely vulnerable to the ravages of poverty. Children in these conditions are the most vulnerable to grave risk of death, disease and abuse. Infant mortality in these slums is close to 50%.

It is the mission of Kripa Connection International to help such children at risk.

We do this by operating pre-schools for the children of the poor. We currently operate three pre-schools catering to children of ages 3 to 5-years. In these pre-school, the children receive junior nursery level education, two nutritious meals, medical care though regular visits from a medical practitioner, school supplies and toys. This project helps children’s health, reduces child mortality, prepares the children for formal primary education, provides proper nourishment to under-nourished children, provides the opportunity for children to receive immunization and related medical care, and serves as the building block for the child’s physical, mental and social development.

The pre-schools in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Delhi benefit a hundred and five children, which in turn impacts their families from the slums. Each pre-school is under the direct supervision of an Administrator. Each pre-school has a Teacher and an Assistant. Together they care for the children, teach them, serve them meals, where required provide the children a clean bath and oversee the medical check-ups of the children.

The Pre-schools project provides these children the opportunity they need to come out of the vicious cycle of poverty and grow up to be contributing members of society.

Kripa Connection International invites to you to make a difference in the lives of these children. We are looking for individuals who are willing to make a positive impact in the lives of these children from the slums of Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. This is not an invitation to be part of a ‘rags-to-riches’ script of a Slumdog Millionaire story. This is the call to partner with us in providing that one fair opportunity to the children of the slum to get access to education, medical aid and nourishing meals. Do consider making a single one-time donation or monthly donations that fund this pre-schools project.