The Kushi Center 

The children of Rishikesh spend their school day at the government run primary school.  The schools are plagued with overcrowded classrooms and too few teachers.  These schools simply do not have the resources to provide the kind of education the children need and deserve.  We believe that to improve education in the area, we need to intervene and provide more – and this starts with a welcoming place for the children to get the attention they need.  This is where our Kushi Center comes in. 

The Kushi Center is a community educational center.  It will be the new home of the existing Kushi Project – the after school educational program currently housed at the Government run primary school.   Each day after school, the children who participate in The Kushi Project will be provided transportation from their primary school to the Kushi Center for an afternoon of reading, computers, and extracurricular activities that teach the children to grow into conscious, caring contributors to their families and their communities. 

The children live, go to school, and attend the Kushi after school project in Seesam Jhari - an extremely impoverished section of Rishikesh.  We have picked a different geographic location in Rishikesh to set up The Kushi Center.  Our locale is closer to nature and more in tune with the growth of the children.  This will help nurture a shift in consciousness of the children.

The Kushi Center will be home to a children’s library, a computer and language lab, comfortable places to sit and read, and outdoor areas for sports and recreation.  The Center will be staffed throughout the day with trained, qualified teachers and librarians.  We’ve formed partnerships with two organizations in Delhi to facilitate this:  

(1)  AWIC – The Association of Artists and Writer’s for Children - will create our children’s library, including both English and local language titles.  They also provide librarian training and proper set up of the library to maximize the children’s interest.

(2) Literacy India – India’s leading Non-Government educational organization.  Representatives from Literacy India will make the trip to Rishikesh to provide additional training for our Kushi Center staff. 

The Kushi Center will be available to not only the children of The Kushi Project, but also to the community as a whole.  Anyone who respectfully wants to use the center to further their education will be able to do so. 

THE KUSHI PROJECT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM   

The Kushi Project, our after school program in Rishikesh, provides for the children until they complete their primary school education (5^th grade).  At this time they leave primary school and head off to various secondary schools in the area.  As the numbers indicate below, many of them will soon be forced to leave school and start working. 

School Attendance Ratio in India (1996-2005)[1]

Primary School                       Male 79%  Female 72%

Secondary School                    Male 54%  Female 46%
 

 In India, approximately 40% of students, mostly girls, drop out of school by the 6^th grade.

The above chart shows a major drop off after grade 5 is finished.  The government of India maintains that all children are enrolled in 5 years of schooling. This has been somewhat effective, but obviously the issue is the 6^th and following years.  That’s where our scholarship program comes in. 

By easing the financial burden felt by parents and by promoting the importance of education and personal development throughout the community, our program will shift the consciousness of the entire community towards education and social awareness.   

School in India is not free.  The financial burden placed on the parents ultimately leads them to pull their child out of school and put them to work to support the family.   If the parent's didn't have to pay for school, the numbers of children who stay in school will dramatically increase.   

Simply showing up to school is not enough, however.  The secondary schools often cannot provide them with a lasting, quality education.  Resources are scarce and classrooms are overcrowded.  The students receive very little individual attention.  This leaves the child with an overall attitude of unimportance and irrelevance towards education.  

Our program puts an incentive in both the child and the parent to place more emphasis on a quality education.   

To be eligible for the scholarship, a child must participate in the many extracurricular activities offered at our Kushi Center.  The children will continue to have access to the center, and their use of the computer learning lab, language lab and library will be monitored.  The child will be enrolled in classes designed by Rishikesh’s top spiritual leaders and educated community leaders to build character and awareness in the child.  In addition, each child will have weekly “chores” to complete at the center – things like cleaning or reorganizing the library.  This will create in the child a sense of ownership – of the Kushi Center, and of their own educational growth. 

As long as the child continues to show strong participation in their education, we’ll continue to fund it.  The child is more likely to continue on the path of education and enlightenment, and their family is more likely to support them through the process. 

What the scholarship covers:  

Yearly cost of sending a child to secondary school

Item                               Cost (Indian rupees)

Tuition	300
admission fee	150
exam fee	50
uniform	350
books/supplies	300
Total	1150

That's a grand total of 33 US Dollars per year per student.

[1] UNICEF