Thank you for visiting this page in support of the BBK DAV High School in Amritsar, Punjab! 

Background:

Our family visited the school on 11th January 2019. Principal Indu Arora, and her father Baldev Raj Chaman showed us around. We were immediately amazed by the way Mrs. Arora was running a school with around 400 students without any steady source of income, basically running on donations and poor government funding for teacher salaries only. We observed that while the infrastructure is present, with a small classroom and furniture for each grade (primary to 12th), the upkeep is below average due to lack of steady funding. Hiring teachers is also a struggle due to monetary constraints. 

The students come from low-income families – children of rickshaw drivers, truck drivers, fruit vendors, cleaners and so on – who do not necessarily understand the importance of education, and cannot support any educational fees. Mrs. Arora goes out of her way to bring needy children into the school. The teachers are basically working as social workers, earning nominal salaries of Rs. 6,000 (less than $100) per month on average. 

What Mrs. Arora and her team are doing is heartwarming, their relentless passion and drive to help these children is clearly evident. As a family, we believed that supporting this school in any way, would be a great way to support education of some of the poorest children in the country. 

What we are doing as a family:

• Financially supporting the school with a Math teacher, which they said was their most urgent requirement
• Starting a scholarship program, which would pay for the admission fees and 3 years of college education for 8 children per batch. This, with the intention of increasing the conversion of children dropping out after 12th grade due to the lack of funds
• Mentoring the school on how to improve their standards of education

Why we are raising funds:

In addition to our contribution, we would like to introduce more significant upgrades to the school to make it more attractive for these children to attend and see their education through. We will utilize the funds raised to:

• Plaster & paint all 10 class rooms, redo the flooring, windows and provide better lighting 
• Improve basic infrastructure, including revamping the toilets
• Provide better classroom furniture 
• Provide free books to the children
• Use any balance toward hiring more teachers as required

Use of Funds: 

We will be overseeing the project in terms of evaluating options, getting the work done and disbursing the funds. We will provide an update on the use of funds, along with photos. Any money raised will be put to the best possible use, and help make a difference in the lives of these children and any future aspirants; a small step towards a better future. 

Thank you in advance for your support!