 About Ankur
‘Ankur’, meaning sapling, is the name of the children’s comprehensive residential education programme set up by the Advaith Foundation in 2004.
For the children of the underprivileged sections of society, education has historically been neither a priority nor a pleasure. The harsh realities of inaccessibility, lack of facilities, poor teaching, inability to assimilate what is taught, disconnect between their books and their home conditions, lack of educational support at home, and the need to contribute to the family exchequer from a young age have made it almost impossible for such children to succeed.
Ankur aims at bridging this gap, translating into reality the constitutional right to education, and providing equal opportunity to children from the underprivileged sections of society. It aims at ending the vicious circle of deprivation, failure and dropping out, and creating in its stead a virtuous circle of care, attention, encouragement and support through a holistic education aimed at overall development, which will restore human dignity to their lives and enable them to find suitably rewarding positions in their professional and social lives.
In order to achieve this aim, we have evolved a novel method, where we take in children at a very young age and assume complete responsibility for their physical and emotional well being as well as their education. The parent-child bond is nurtured through regular visits, however, the future of the child is essentially moulded and secured by Ankur. The children are housed in a campus in clean, airy, comfortable hostels, with house-mothers to look after them. They attend the Samhita Academy, a quality English medium school set up by the Advaith Foundation in the same campus, along with children from upper middle class families. They are provided with the same kind of opportunities and extra-curricular activities that are available to the fee-paying students. As they grow up, they will also be guided to make appropriate choices based on their talents and aspirations, ensuring that they lead happy and fulfilling lives.
The Mission
To help underprivileged children overcome the handicaps they face in the educational system by providing a comfortable and hygienic home, a nurturing and character building environment, and quality education from kindergarten through high school and beyond, based on individual interests and capabilities.
Our Dream
To transform the lives of thousands of poor and deprived
children in to lives filled with health, happiness, promise
and achievement. |
Ankur admits children from among those referred to it who
· are between 3 - 4.5 years of age
· come from poor socio-economic backgrounds and
· have potential
A physical and psychological assessment of the children is done to identify areas of care required.
A home visit and background check is done to ascertain the reality of the children's backgrounds. The children are only admitted upon the parent or the referring guardian signing an undertaking sealing the commitment to have the child enrolled in the program in a continuous, uninterrupted and supportive manner. |
How Ankur makes a difference?
Ankur makes a difference by being a professionally run organization with regular meetings to plan ahead. All processes are well documented with charts, forms and checklists and all monetary transactions audited. Detailed files are maintained for the academic, medical and extra-curricular records of each child, along with behavioral patterns, photographs and dashboard reports.
The selection process for staff is a rigorous one, with a thorough initial screening that evaluates their temperament, attitude to service, love for children, values and basic education levels. After selection, they undergo training in the basics of child psychology, nutrition and first aid. Regular appraisals are held, and suggested improvements are augmented with training programs. All staff are resident, and are also provided food and clothing.
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