Pudami's - Dr. Reddy's Foundation

Volume 9 Issue 1 2010
Pudami’s
journey towards
e(Q)uality in education
A Quarterly Newsletter of Initiatives by Dr. Reddy’s Foundation

Editorial
In this issue, we celebrate three years of
Pudami Neighbourhood Schools, DRF’s
unique initiative to make high quality
English medium education available to
children from all walks of life. We trace
the evolution of the Pudami model and its
tremendous growth over a short period of
time — and most importantly, how these
schools are bringing joy and the hope for
a better future to thousands of children
and families. Today, there are 29 Pudami
primary schools and four spacious
neighbourhood schools which are
adopting a number of exciting teachinglearning
methods to ensure that children,
regardless of their previous educational
background and experiences, succeed in
school and enjoy learning.
DRF’s flagship livelihoods program LABS
continues to introduce new domains to
give youth better and more varied job
opportunities. Recently, DRF piloted
the Pharma Retail domain, which we
have featured in this issue, to meet the
growing demand for skilled workers in
this fast growing sector.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach out to rural
youth are picking up pace. We take a
look at the new developments in DRF’s
program, ‘Skilling Rural India’, including
some promising collaborations with
corporate organizations to provide
training and placements to youth around
the country.
We also bring you a moving piece on the
good work being done at the Residential
Bridge Center at Dulapally to help
runaway children transition into regular
schools and make sure they are not
deprived of their rights to freedom and
education as a result of child labour.
We hope you will find this issue both
interesting and informative.
Happy reading!
Volume 9 Issue 1 2010
Pudami’s
journey towards
e(Q)uality in education
Editorial Team
Supriya Sahu
Kalyani
Madhusree Vemuru
Madhuri Rao Dempsey
A Quarterly Newsletter of Initiatives by Dr. Reddy’s Foundation
Contributors
Bhaskar Babu Boda L&D, Head Office
C Raghavendra Rao CC, MSDF LABS, Amberpet
Devendra Patel CC, Grameen LABS, Vadodara
Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Mir MSDF LABS, Dehradun
Falguni Chaudhari CC, Grameen LABS, Vyara-Surat
Harikrishna Principal, Pudami Neighbourhood School, Yacharam
Jobin P George
Anoop Viswanathan
Facilitators, Grameen LABS, Kottayam
K Jagan SCOPE Project Coordinator
K Ramchandra Rural Initiatives, Head Office
L Adinarayanamma SCOPE Project
M Madhuri Principal, Pudami Neighbourhood School, Hayathnagar
Muralikrishna CNE – South Zone
N Madan Mohan Senior Coordinator, SCOPE Project
Nitya Bhavani Principal, Pudami Neighbourhood School, Nagaram
Prabhakar Principal, Pudami Neighbourhood School, Kondapur
Rami Reddy MIS Department, Head Office
Rani Sunil CC, Grameen LABS, Alapuzha
Sampath Kalavendi Communications & Partnerships, Education
Sandhya Damodar Education Resource Centre
Sanjeev Rao Pudami Primaries
Srikanth Boya Education Resource Centre
Trupti Kanungo CC, MSDF LABS, Bhubaneswar

Cover Story 2
New‘Pharma Retail’ domain 10
C o n t e n t s
New Rural Initiatives 11
LABS News 8
LABS Centers 12
Special Feature 14
Employerspeak 15
Education 16
DRF in the News 19
NGO Spotlight 20

Cover Story
Pudami’s journey
towards e(Q)uality in education
The concept of starting Pudami schools began as a modest dream to provide high quality
English medium education to children, primarily from underprivileged backgrounds, in
four schools in 2006. Today, the Pudami model has considerably evolved and expanded,
reaching out to nearly 6,000 children through 29 primary schools and four large
neighbourhood schools. New Horizons decided to trace Pudami’s journey so far and find
out what lies at the heart of its stupendous success.
2

3
Living the dream
My child is a bright student and wants to study in an English medium high
school. But if we shift her from a Telugu to English medium school now, she will
lose an academic year!
I am sending my daughters to a school where there are only two teachers, the
syllabus is never completed, and their reading writing skills are close to nil
though they are in Class III. If I change their school now, they will fail in the entrance
test and be put in Class 1 again!
My husband has deserted me and I am a single parent, but I want to give my
child a good English medium education. Is this possible at an affordable cost?
You may have very often heard
parents make one or more of these
anxious statements about their children’s
education. These are some of the several
important and varied education needs of
children – from not just underprivileged
families but also the middle and lower
middle classes – that are not met by
schools. There is a huge demand for
quality English medium education, a
school within easy reach of the foot and
the pocket of every family that has a child
requiring education.
“There are simply not enough schools,
and definitely not enough schools of the
right kind”, says Usha Raman, a member
of the Pudami Education Society,
which was formed in 2006 to realize
the education vision of Dr. Reddy’s
Foundation. “And given the diversity
and size of the country’s population,
the government alone has not been able
to cater to the education needs of our
children. Pudami Neighbourhood Schools
were our answer to the problems faced
by children and parents who desired
quality and affordable English medium
education”, she adds.
“A large mass of students are not able
to receive quality education as do their
privileged peers in private schools”,
observed Dhananjay, also a member of
Pudami Education Society and Director,
Education Resource Center, “because of
issues of grade specific competency and
efficient accountable curricular delivery
not being addressed in government
schools. Also the huge demand for
English medium education is not being
met by government schools”. He adds
the quintessence thus, “our campaign
is that civil society, community and
parents must take up the responsibility
of investing in education”.

The beginnings
Dr. Reddy’s Foundation through the
Pudami Education Society decided to set
up four Pudami Neighbourhood Schools
which would take in children right from
pre-primary and would go up to Class X.
Four locations were selected in Ranga
Reddy district, where children were
in need of affordable, quality English
medium education. The schools were
slated to start from the academic year
2008-09.
Four Pudami – The Neighbourhood
Schools – were established in the
academic year 2008-09 at Hayathnagar,
Yacharam, Kondapur and Nagaram.
When a field study was being done to set
up the Pudami Neighbourhood Schools,
a need in several villages for quality
English medium primary schools was
identified. The parents were keen on
having accessible schools to which their
younger ones could easily walk. Thus
started Pudami – The English Primaries
– as satellite schools for the proposed
Pudami Neighbourhood Schools.
Fourteen primaries were established in
the academic year 07-08 in six mandals
– Yacharam, Manchala, Hayathnagar,
Saroornagar, Keesara and Ghatkesar
– all in the Ranga Reddy district. These
primaries started off in rented premises,
with a total strength of 1,400 students,
providing education up to Class III and
subsequently going up to Class VIII.
All children were admitted into age-wise
eligible classes, but three months into the
academic year, a huge hurdle presented
itself. Members of the in-house Education
Resource Center visited the schools and
came back with the observation that
more than 90 percent of the children
did not have basic reading writing
competencies. An assessment test was
done to evaluate the competencies of the
children, and in order to bring up these
levels, various preparatory and remedial
methods were put in action. In several
cases, individual child monitoring also
had to be taken up to overcome this
hurdle. Running this intensive remedial
course alongside the regular system of
unit tests and half-yearly exams was not
possible. Hence, a bold decision was
taken to introduce a weekly assessment
system of the remedial process to
improve the children’s competencies.
When the annual exams were over,
teachers decided to get parents’ feedback
on their child's academic improvement
and their satisfaction level with the
school. Teachers came back from these
interactions smiling (and many were
moved to tears) because they had not
anticipated that parents would be so
amazed and thrilled with their children’s
progress.
Reaching out to more children
and communities
In the next academic year, 15 more
schools were added by public demand.
Villagers who had heard of the
great success of the first 14 schools
approached DRF through their elected
representatives to set up more schools.
In the academic year 08-09, there were
29 Pudami primaries with 3,400 children.
The good work continued and there was
a further increase in strength in the year
2009-10, with enrollment going up to
4,700 children.
The 2009-10 academic year was spent
on consolidating the academic quality of
the schools with an improvement in the
academics of all new admissions. Children
4

What makes Pudami Primary
and Neighbourhood schools
different?
Pudami Primary and Neighbourhood
Schools were constituted with certain salient
features that are not just uncommon but also
extremely difficult to achieve. Some of them
are:
life living in the neighbourhood.
admit children without conducting any
entrance examination and place them in a
class suitable to their age.
achieving grade specific competencies
through a special remedial course after
assessing the learning levels of the child.
from vernacular medium schools via a
special transition course running parallel to
their studies.
through subsidies and additional subsidies
in fees, as the case demands.
constituting the Education Resource Center
to provide training, guidance and support in
all academic activities.
optimal pressure that should be put on a
child by way of studies and marks so that
the child finds joy in coming to school.
Other features are:
classrooms, playgrounds and labs.
sports and cultural activities.
through parent teacher committees.
11 UK schools) and youth organizations like
AIESEC
5

Cover Story
It happens in a Pudami
Swathi is good at academics and always
scores above 90 percent. She studies in
a Telugu medium government school and
wants to become a software engineer.
She knows an English medium education
will provide her a platform to realize her
dreams. But can this girl, one of the three
children of a bus conductor in the state run
transport service, fulfil her desires without
burdening the limited resources of her
family?
Ram and Lakhan are twins who are studying
in Class II in a regional medium school.
Lakhan possesses good analytical skills,
and Ram, excellent language skills. Their
parents recognize their potential and want a
quality English medium education for them,
but are apprehensive about medium transition,
losing an academic year and coping
with the transition.
Deserted by her husband, Muskaan’s
mother took refuge at her brother’s house
in Kondapur and today works as a daily
wage labourer. Aishwaria’s parents work
at blasting sites. It was at one of those
sites that Aishwaria met with an accident
at the age of two and sustained permanent
damage to three of her fingers. Muskaan is
five and Aishwaria, around four and a half.
The girls are bright, but mired as they are
in poverty, education for them is a difficult
proposition.
Anand is notorious! He was thrown out
of his earlier school. No school is ready to
admit him. Even his mother is convinced
that her unmanageable son is growing up
into an anti-social element.
But nothing stops the parents from dreaming
of a better tomorrow for their children.
The dreams of Muskaan and Aishwaria and
their parents have come true today. They
have received a waiver of fees at Pudami.
Ram and Lakhan are doing exceptionally
well in Class III at PNS Nagaram, and didn’t
lose an academic year during transition.
Anand is in Class IV at PNS Kondapur
and is a disciplined boy today, much to his
parents’ delight. Swathi’s fears of losing a
year were also unfounded, and she even
received a good subsidy on fees.
who did not even know the alphabet when
they joined Pudami, attained a vocabulary
of 1,000 words in year one, and went on
to read sentences and paragraphs with
reasonable comprehension by the end of
year two. Their handwriting skills also
greatly improved in the second year.
These children will soon be improving
their written and spoken English skills
through various activities like elocution,
drama and a unique concept called a
school wall magazine. The academic
year 10-11 is expected to see a further
rise in enrollment by 30-35 percent,
which translates to more than 6,000
children.
Lessons learned: The evolution
of the Pudami model
Says Sanjeev, who heads the program,
“We have learnt several valuable lessons
in these three years. We have seen again
and again that even the low income
groups do not want to have education for
free but they hugely appreciate ‘value for
The Pudami Neighbourhood Schools: A bright start
The four Pudami Neighbourhood Schools have now completed their second academic
year with a student body strength of 1,438, a significant increase from 982 students
in 08-09. In 08-09 14% of the students needed to transition into English medium
education, whereas in 09-10, the number was about 5%. Grade specific competency
was found wanting in about 26% of the students in 08-09, whereas in 09-10 it stood
at 16%.
This academic year will see the first batch of students appearing for their Class X
Board examinations. The teams at these schools are working at increasing their
enrollment strength to 2,500. Be it the excellent relationship maintained with the
community and parents, individual attention paid to the students, administrative skills
invested in managing the staff, enterprise shown in establishing global partnerships or
extra-curricular activities, all the principals of these schools - Nitya Bhavani, Madhuri,
Prabhakar and Harikrishna - have shown great leadership in bringing the schools to
their current level.
6

money’. Our fee structure is reasonable
for low income groups who can afford
to pay (though perhaps less) but have
aspirations of a quality English medium
education”. He adds, “We also extend
further subsidies to the underprivileged,
sometimes completely waiving the
fees. The community fully supports our
model. We have children from middle
class families attending our school too.
Except for a couple of stray cases, they
were not uncomfortable about their
7
children sharing a classroom with the
underprivileged”.
It may still be early in the journey, but
there is no question that the Pudami
model has made a strong impact in a
relatively short time. As Sanjeev reveals,
“The school can be established as a
central point of community involvement
to bring quality education to children
from all walks of life, ensuring that no
child is denied equity in education.”
- Madhusree Vemuru
Laying the foundations for
academic excellence
“The students become bored and inattentive
in class, they do poorly in tests and get
discouraged, and finally, in the worst cases,
they even drop out of school. Similarly,
teachers too are confronted with their own
set of problems – how to grade students’
performance, how to handle an indifferent
or even hostile class, how to deal with
poor attendance, and finally, how to arrest
dropout rates”, says Sandhya Damodar.
She is the resource person for Mathematics
with the Education Resource Center at DRF.
Sandhya has seen the full range of problems
that crop up at the Pudami schools and
been a huge support – to both teachers and
students – in solving them.
Her job profile includes preparation of study
and assessment materials, conducting
workshops and designing training modules
for teachers. She visits the schools regularly
to interact with teachers and students. On
most occasions, she is a silent observer of
classroom activities, which she believes is
the key to understanding and giving the right
advice on instructional methods.
“Did you know that each student has a
different learning preference?” Sandhya
asks. “Some may find a long monologue
a visual identification is a must and still
others can learn only with a practical
demonstration,” she explains.
The primary function of the ERC is to
support teaching by providing resources and
materials for students and teachers. The
team at ERC strives continuously to develop
resources on teaching methods to best fit
the learning needs of the students and to
help teachers adapt their classroom methods
to give the needed individual attention to
students.

LABS News
DRF bags ‘Best CSR Initiative’ award
Team DRF, Global Medical Affairs (Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories) and Team India (Dr. Reddy’s
Laboratories) received the Chairman’s Spirit of Excellence Awards from Dr. Reddy’s
Laboratories for ‘Best CSR Initiative’ on 23 January for their joint approach to alleviate
the suffering of flood-affected communities of Andhra Pradesh in October 2009.
During the recovery phase for the flood victims, the teams organized mobile health camps
which provided immediate health services to many – children, the aged, pregnant and
lactating women in particular. Free treatments, essential medicines and technical advisers
were made available by Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, while DRF carried out the community
mobilization and camp management activities. In the week-long operation from the
13-19 October, about 5,800 patients (from 30,000 families) were treated in 38 villages
and 21 urban slums.
Parents get a taste of LABS
MSDF LABS Dehradun organized its first ever Parents Meet
on 4 February. More than 35 proud parents attended the meet.
Led by Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, the session gave parents a clear
understanding of the LABS program, the types of livelihood
opportunities available to their children and progress updates.
They were taken around the classrooms, and many parents
became very emotional when they saw the charts and posters
made by their children.
As a special touch, the hospitality/ refreshment portion of the
program was conducted entirely by the hospitality aspirants,
while aspirants from the BSPA domain demonstrated their
training by checking the BP of the visitors! All in all, the meet
was a very successful event, leaving parents with a sense of
pride and hope in their children and the future.
Empowering women on
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day was celebrated
on 8 March at the Vyara center with a
special session conducted by advocates
Sonal Gamit and Sarojna Chaudhari on
women’s empowerment and laws relating
to women.
Ms Gamit inspired female aspirants by
describing the achievements of great
women in different fields. Ms Chaudhari
discussed various laws relating to women,
such as protection against harassment
at the workplace, the Dowry Act and
marriage laws. The informative session
was well appreciated.
LABS alumni share experiences
at grand meet
Team Alapuzha held a grand alumni meet at their center on
26 March. As many as 120 alumni representing all the batches
starting from the very first batch, participated in the event. The
alumni meet was also attended by Sameer Chandra, V Hemanthan,
Rajeev Nambiar, Muralikrishna and Radhakrishnan.
The aspirants shared their experiences with the group and
described how LABS had changed their lives for the better.
Prasanth, who completed the CRS program, spoke of how he
became a Medical Executive and recently got promoted to Brand
Manager with a salary of Rs 12,000 pm. Viji, an MST graduate of
the first batch, shared that she is now working on a project by
the Kerala government and earning Rs 7,000 pm. Many similar
success stories were exchanged among the alumni, who were
thrilled to get together for a day of fun and nostalgia. Vimala
summed up the feelings of many at the meet, saying: “Before I
joined LABS, I used to wonder how I would survive in the fast
growing corporate world. LABS has boosted my confidence
and now I I find it easier to face challenges”.
8

Making the world a
healthier place
The Bhubaneshwar MSDF LABS joined
forces with WHO and the Bhubaneswar
Municipal Corporation to observe World
Health Day on 7 April by participating in
a rally to spread awareness about health
issues. They were motivated by the fact
that the underprivileged in our country
have poor access to healthcare and a
lower lifespan. Since LABS is indirectly
helping to improve the health of rural
and urban youth by providing them
with livelihoods, the team embraced
the opportunity to spread the word on
good health further. The rally wound its
way from Kalinga Stadium to Governor
House. On the way, the aspirants urged
the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
A ‘green’ beginning
to the New Year
The team at Grameen LABS, Vadodara
took the initiative to spread awareness
about environmental protection and global
warming by conducting a rally early in
the New Year. The ‘Go Green’ campaign
began with aspirants and facilitators
planting trees at the center, after which
they embarked on their rally through
parts of the city. Carrying banners with
slogans about environmental protection,
the group spoke to members of the public
about the threats to the environment and
how they could help to preserve it.
9
Foreign delegates visit Amberpet MSDF LABS
Two foreign delegates visited the MSDF LABS center at Amberpet in February.
The team made a detailed presentation about the LABS program, its methodology
and the employment opportunities available to BPL graduates. The delegates
were interested in learning about the training methodology and the quality of the
livelihoods created by LABS. They also visited a nearby slum, Batukammakunta,
from where many of the aspirants were mobilized to join the program. Describing
the visit as a “wonderful experience”, one of the visitors, Dawn Maldia Madson,
a systems analyst at IBM, said, “We were both impressed by the intensity of the
facilitators and the enthusiasm of all aspirants. The facility is at a great location and
this must help attract aspirants”.
Celebrating the
spirit of Holi
The facilitators and aspirants of MSDF
LABS Dehradun, celebrated the festival
of Holi on 28 February at the center. The
aspirants left their serious side behind and
joyously plunged into the celebrations,
showcasing their talents with a singing
competition and playing with colours. It
was a welcome opportunity for all to bond
with their fellow aspirants and facilitators
and enjoy the festive spirit of Holi.
Spreading joy at Christmas
For aspirants of the Kottayam center, the
spirit of Christmas took on a special meaning
with the batch deciding to celebrate the
holiday by helping the less fortunate. They
paid a visit to Santhwanam, a well-known
orphanage and shelter in Kottayam district
where more than 100 orphans and elderly
people live. The aspirants and facilitators
provided a grand lunch for the residents of
Santhwanam, while fasting themselves as a
way to better understand the hunger of the
poor. Cake cutting, singing of carols and entertainment followed, along with a special
appearance by Santa Claus, much to the delight of the young ones.

L & D
Pharma Retail:
Livelihoods in healthcare services
The retail revolution sweeping across
the country has brought about
changes in the way average urban
Indians shop for a host of products
and services — from routine groceries
to clothing, from petrol to magazines.
But a majority of Indians still visit the
crowded neighbourhood pharmaceutical
store to buy a vitamin pill or a painkiller,
and in some of the smaller cities, they
have to double-check to ensure that
the medicines comply with the doctor's
prescription or that cosmetics are
genuine. India has 5.5 million chemists
and druggists, and the organized retail
market accounts for just two percent of
the industry. However, in recent years, a
large number of business houses have
invested in setting up stores/ malls
and have built businesses within retail.
Many corporate houses have already
announced their retail plans, which
include many pharma companies too.
The Indian pharmaceutical industry will
be witnessing significant growth in the
near future as spending on healthcare
is spiralling like never before. Consumer
spending on healthcare is estimated to
increase from seven percent in 2007 to
13 percent by 2015.
However, the two major problems
confronting the industry are an
inadequate number of skilled pharma
retail workers to meet the demand and
high attrition rates (30% to 40%) at the
field level. To address these problems
and to provide sustainable livelihoods
for unemployed youth, DRF piloted the
Pharma Retail domain with 16 aspirants.
The response from employers was
heartening, with aspirants securing
placements at major pharma retail
chains like Apollo Pharmacy, Medplus
and Vasu group with an average salary
of Rs 4,500. In fact, the employers are
looking forward to have more similarly
trained aspirants whom they can place
directly in their outlets, saving valuable
time and money.
Aspirants likewise are glad to have
the opportunity to build a career in the
recession proof healthcare industry. The
course is currently being conducted in
five cities: Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Chennai,
Bangalore and Hyderabad.
A life transformed
At 25, Srinivas found himself working
in a small workshop, a job that left him
dissatisfied and drained. Srinivas had to
quit school after his metric due to his
family’s poor financial situation. He envied
other boys his age who were employed in
various corporate sectors and were highly
respected in the local community. His
father, a farmer, struggled to provide for
his family of four. Thus, the responsibility
of supporting his family fell on Srinivas’s
shoulders.
His life changed one day when he
spotted a DRF pamphlet with information
about the LABS program’s new pharma
retail course. The center was close to
his house and he immediately signed
up. This was his first exposure to any
kind of formal training and though he
was not a very quick learner, he rapidly
adapted himself to the new environment.
He actively participated in class, picked
up medical terminology quickly and
overcame his fear of public speaking.
Srinivas did well in his very first interview
and was placed in Apollo Pharmacy with
a salary of Rs 4,500 + ESI. He called his
facilitator after a week of working at the
pharmacy and poured out his feelings of
joy, saying, “A complete transformation
has occurred in my life. I can see the
respect in the eyes of my family members
and walk with my head held high in the
community. I have a dignified job, which
pays me well enough to give a helping
hand to my aging father”.
10

Extending opportunities to rural youth
DRF’s new ‘Skilling Rural India’
program, a variant of the LABS
program that specifically targets rural
youth and helps them acquire skills to
secure gainful employment, is already
showing promising results and has
begun to gain the interest of corporate
organizations.
Skilling Rural India, a modified version of
the LABS program, is aimed at providing
sustainable livelihoods to rural youth
and making them part of India’s growth
picture, while reducing the need for them
to migrate from their villages and towns
for work. The pilot program, which was
initiated in 20 villages – 10 in Daund
Taluka in Pune (Maharashtra) and 10 in
Sadshivpet Mandal in Medak (Andhra
Pradesh) – is having a positive impact.
To date, 261 aspirants have been placed
in local jobs and very few have migrated.
An additional 19 aspirants are awaiting
placement. Currently, 242 aspirants are
undergoing training and are at different
stages of the program.
Training in a large number of domains
is being offered, of which a few are:
Security Guard, Computer Operator, Two
Wheeler Mechanic, Electrician, Nursing
Assistant, Sales and Marketing, Tailoring,
Fitter, Drip Irrigation Technician,
Plumber, Dress Making and Printing
Press Operator. Life Skills training is
provided by DRF while technical training
in the respective domains is provided
either by local training institutions or
prospective employers, who offer the
aspirants essential ‘On the Job Training’
(OJT). In some cases, trained aspirants
are helped to obtain jobs through direct
placement.
New collaborations
Based on the encouraging results of
the pilot projects, the Rural Livelihoods
team has embarked on scaling up this
program by tying up with other corporate
organizations. Three cement companies
– Lafarge India, ACC and Dalmia Cements
– have entered into a collaboration with
DRF to implement this program in and
around their existing/ proposed plants
and mines.
11
The Lafarge-sponsored projects are
coming up in Himachal Pradesh and
Rajasthan. The diagnostic study for
this project is currently underway. The
project sponsored by Dalmia Cements
is coming up in North Karnataka and
aims to train and place 250 youth in both
wage and self employment. The ACCsponsored
project will be taken up in
Chhattisgarh and is targeting 50 youth
for training and placement.
DRF has also tied up with an NGO in
Pune (Ashta No Kai) to train and place
100 youth in and around Pune city. This
project is on 50% cost sharing basis.
Apart from these three companies, DRF
is actively pursuing collaborations with
other major corporate players in rural
areas near Pune, Mumbai and Goa.
Promoting self-employment
Apart from the SRI program, the Rural
Livelihoods team is also actively looking
at promoting micro-enterprises (to
create sustainable livelihoods through
New Initiatives
self employment) in rural areas. In
an earlier effort, the team at Daund
was successful in promoting around
30 poultry enterprises, each with an
investment of around Rs 4 lakhs. In the
current initiative, the aim is to look at
promoting enterprises which require a
lower level of starting capital, but which
are still economically viable.
The team has already identified 42
aspirants and is looking for microenterprise
opportunities both in the
farm and non-farm sectors, such as
dairy farming, small poultry farming,
goat rearing, floriculture, construction
work and agro processing. Here too,
collaborations are proving very valuable.
For example, in a pilot project in
Sadshivpet, six aspirants have enrolled
for training at the State Bank of India
Rural Self Employment Training Institute
(RUDSETI). SBI has agreed to provide
them with financial assistance in setting
up their micro-enterprises after they
complete training.

LABS Centers
16
15
9
18
10
13
4
3
19
5
12
1
6
21
2
17
14
8
20
11
7
16
2,07,141 youth trained so far…
12

1
13
Himachal Pradesh
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Solan, Kangra
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Shimla
2 Uttarakhand
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Dehradun, Haridwar, Doiwala
3 Haryana
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Sonepat, Yamunanagar, Ambala
4 Punjab
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar
5 Delhi
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Faridabad, Nangloi, Najafgarh, Tilak Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Badarpur,
Dakshinpuri, Kalyanpuri, Arthala
6 Madhya Pradesh
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Jabalpur, Bhopal
7 West Bengal
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
New Alipore, Garia, Barasat, Barrackpore, Santragachi, Dumdum, Bally
SHG LABS (With West Bengal State Rural Development Agency)
Goalpukur, Rajarhat
8
Orissa
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Puri
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Cuttack, Bhubaneswar
9 Rajasthan
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Jaipur
10 Maharashtra
CII-Yi LABS (with Confederation of Indian Industry-Young Indian)
Pune
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Sinner
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Pune, Nasik, Borivali, Airoli
11
Bihar
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Mithapur, Hanuman Nagar
BPCL LABS (With BPCL)
Muzaffarpur
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Tamil Nadu
Corporation LABS (with Corporation of Chennai)
Triplicane, Mint, Adayar
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Koyambedu, Velachery, Aynavaram, Tambaram
Kerala
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Alapuzha
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kochi
Chhattisgarh
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Korba
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Bilaspur, Raipur, Durg
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Silvasa
Gujarat
Grameen LABS (with Union Ministry of Rural Development)
Gondal, Vadodara, Vyara
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Surat, Rajkot, Ahmedabad
Uttar Pradesh
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Banaras, Kanpur
NABARD LABS (with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development)
(In Rae Bareli and Sultanpur Districts): Jagdishpur, Lambhua,
Lalganj, Kadipur, Maharajganj, Salon, Amethi
Karnataka
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Jayanagar, Mysore, Mangalore, Bommanahalli, Srirampuram
Jammu & Kashmir
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Jammu
Jharkhand
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Jamshedpur, Lalpur
Andhra Pradesh
EGMM LABS (with EGMM, Government of Andhra Pradesh)
Mahabubnagar, Eluru, Rajamundry, Karimnagar, Kodumuru,
Araku, Etur Nagaram
MEPMA LABS (with MEPMA)
Suryapeta, Warangal, Karimnagar, Adoni, Nellore,
Mahabubnagar, Vizag, Gudiwada, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada
MSDF LABS (with Michael & Susan Dell Foundation)
Guntur, Vijayawada, Vizag, Abids, Tirupati, Amberpeta,
Kakinada, Kurnool, Secunderabad

Special Feature
DRF has launched a
new 30-day induction
program for its facilitators
– one that promises to
significantly enhance
organizational quality and
its ability to generate more
sustainable livelihoods for
young people.
Giving new employees a roaring start
Recently, DRF took a long, hard look
at its existing induction program for
facilitators and decided that it needed to
be revamped and improved. The earlier
program was nine days long and was
more theoretical, rather than ‘hands on’,
whereas it was felt that a program that
offered more on-the-job training and a
better understanding of the organizational
processes, goals and systems would
considerably increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of new hires, particularly
facilitators, in promoting sustainable
livelihoods. A comprehensive induction
process would also help them align with
the organizational culture and work
atmosphere.
The new 30-day induction program
was launched in January 2010, and the
process of on-boarding a new recruit
differs primarily in that it provides a far
more detailed understanding of DRF’s
employment philosophy, physical work
environment, employee's responsibilities,
organization goals, culture and values
along with key operational activities
which were delivered concisely earlier.
The new program also offers new
employees opportunities for high quality,
interactions with senior leaders, as
well as a seven-day OJT (On-the job)
training, which gives them a sense of
connection with the LABS centers and
help understand how the center operates
on a day-to-day basis.
The former program comprised of a oneday
introduction, two days of learning
the process, four days of life skills
and domain orientation, one day for an
exposure visit, and finally, a day spent
interacting with support departments.
The new program, on the other hand, is
an intensive month-long program divided
into three distinct phases. The idea
is to give facilitators a deeper insight
into the functioning of the organization
and its various processes. Further, to
help the inductees experience the field
realities, various methodologies like
case study analysis, group discussions,
presentations, OJT are used during the
learning process.
The trainers feel that the new program
has several advantages over the
previous one. Bhaskar Babu Boda, Team
L&D of DRF says, “The current induction
program exposes the participants to the
real work environment and enables them
to cohesively work with the community
and the corporate world. Detailed
discussions on the LABS Process, best
practices and challenges ensure better
understanding and learning”.
During the first phase participants are
introduced to the organizational vision,
mission and values, HR policies, life
skills and the LABS process. In the
second phase of training, participants
are deputed for 10 days at ideal LABS
centers across the nation. During this
period, the concerned center team
mentors the participants by involving
them in each step of the process, so
that they can have direct exposure to the
actual working of the centers.
In the third phase, participants share key
learnings of their visit and discuss the
best practices and challenges of running
a LABS program. This is a critical part of
the training as the participants are able
to compare their theoretical knowledge
with the practical field reality. At this
point, the participant is job ready and
equipped to generate livelihoods through
the LABS Program.
The feedback from aspirants has been
promising so far. Saurabh Dave, an ITES
Facilitator at Grameen LABS in Jodhpur,
Rajasthan, feels that because “the
methods taught in the induction program
are so simple, realistic and clear, they
are easy to execute in practice”.
To further ensure that the new induction
program is effective and achieving
its goals, all participants undergo an
assessment at the end of the third phase,
followed by an interaction with the CEO.
14

‘LABS sharpens youngsters’ skills’
The MGM Group was established
in 1963 and has a diverse portfolio
that includes logistics, international
trading, distillery, manufacturing,
hospitality, entertainment and mining.
It has grown from 15 to 3,500
employees with around 700 MGM
personnel interacting with an average
of 20,000 customers per day in the
hospitality division. New Horizons spoke to Sreeniwasan
Jayaganapathy (Group GM - HR and Industrial Relations,
MGM Group) about his association with LABS and his
views of the training program.
NH: How long have you been associated
with LABS?
SJ: It’s been four years now that we have
been closely allied with LABS. We greatly
appreciate the way the youngsters are
motivated and formally trained to meet
the organization’s requirements. They
not only exhibit talent but demonstrate
high-potential competencies.
NH: What do you think of the LABS skillbased
training program?
SJ: LABS training is well designed
and rolled out in such a way that it
sharpens the youngsters’ skills to meet
the industry standards. It is easy for us
to employ them straight away, though of
course they must complete an in-house
orientation to suit our specific needs.
Over the years we have noticed that
the LABS aspirants are quick learners
and perform exceptionally well in the
customer service and counter sales
operations.
NH: In what aspects do you think LABS
aspirants require additional skills?
SJ: As LABS aspirants tend to hail
from modest economic backgrounds,
their communication skills need to be
honed as well as their body language.
The demand for candidates with strong
15
communication skills are the order of the
day and business thrives on this basis.
Shortfalls in customer service can
always be balanced with excellent and
persuasive communication. This will
definitely make the LABS aspirants gain
mileage or an edge in the competitive
market.
NH: Would you like to contribute anything
to the LABS Program?
SJ: Definitely, yes. Recruitment is just
a miniscule part. Given an opportunity,
we will not hesitate to exploit the chance
to impart training or share knowledge of
modern industry trends, concepts and
expectations so that the students are
well equipped to understand and meet
the modern day requirements of the
industry.
NH: What about the attrition rates of the
LABS aspirants?
SJ: Attrition is a global issue and no
one is exempt. One can be wedded to
the profession but not to an employer
(unless you opt out to!) So is the case
with any candidate – good or bad.
The only mantra that we preach is: Align
yourself to the business needs, be a
consistent learner and stay focused and
do not change jobs often unless it is
warranted. You will become successful.
‘LABS taught me to
believe in myself’
Employerspeak
After successfully
completing the
hospitality course from
MSDF LABS, Chennai,
Kavitha started
working as a customer
associate with Marry
Brown, a chain of family
restaurants promoted
by the MGM group.
She found fulfilment
and pride in her new role, saying, “The
LABS training program has worked
wonders for my career and has provided
me the opportunity to be recognized in the
corporate world. It has taught me to believe
in myself and provided me with additional
skills that I can use in the future”.
Carving out a bright future
Parameshwari is the mother of a twoyear-old
girl. She and her husband, a daily
labourer, struggled to make ends meet their
monthly earnings of Rs
3,500. Parameshwari
constantly worried
about the future and
found herself under a
lot of stress until she
heard about the MSDF
LABS program. She
decided to enroll in
the Hospitality course
and found herself
fascinated by such
subjects as Life Skills, Communicative
English and Basic Computers.
After successfully completing the
hospitality course from MSDF LABS-
Chennai, Parameshwari started working
with Marry Brown Restaurant as a Team
member with a monthly salary of Rs
5,000 plus incentives. The goal setting
lessons in LABS brought about a complete
transformation in her life and she decided
to study further and complete her degree
through correspondence. Today, she is full
of confidence and optimism. “LABS is the
place where I realized that I can make my
dream come true. I have realized that life
is a journey and not a destination. I thank
all my facilitators for their support and
encouragement,” she says.

Education
No longer alone:
A safe haven for runaways
When Parvati was about five years
old, her mother set herself ablaze.
Ten years later, Parvati is still trying
to gather all the pieces of her life and
cement them with education – she is
preparing for her Class X exams, helped
by the DRF instructors at the bridge
centre in the Juvenile Home for Girls at
Kachiguda in Hyderabad.
Why Does a Child Run Away?
Why does a child run away,
When all hope is gone and faith has left her
side,
When problems become unbearable and she
can no longer hide,
She runs when her family will no longer
listen,
Knowing that no one will care when she’s
gone missing,
Waiting for that someone to come and take
her away,
Why does a child run away?
- Jonay Lynn Buster
Parvati’s parents had a huge quarrel on
that fateful day, Parvati recalls, and in
a fit of uncontrollable rage her mother
went into the kitchen and set herself on
fire. Little Parvati was by her mother’s
side and was caught in the blaze too.
While the child’s burns were not lifethreatening,
she lost her mother and
soon afterward her father committed
suicide. Her paternal aunt took her
away from Nellore, her hometown, to
Venkatagiri. From this point, Parvati was
caught in a continuous cycle of running
away from her aunt’s clutches and being
brought back to her. In February 2010,
however, she managed to run away all
the way to Secunderabad where she
was approached by volunteers of Divya
Disha, an organization that provides help
and shelter to runaway children.
After following all due procedures,
Parvati was handed over to the
Residential Bridge Center at Dulapally
being run by Dr. Reddy’s Foundation
under the SCOPE initiative. As she
was being counseled and put into the
reading writing classes at the RBC, her
aunt was contacted and informed of her
whereabouts. The aunt flatly refused to
take her back saying, “She has run away
so many times that I cannot handle the
responsibility anymore. Her behavior
has caused a lot of turmoil in my family
– all my neighbours and even the media
have given me bad publicity because of
her tantrums”. With this, Parvati’s only
relative had severed links with her.
After spending a month at the RBC, the
DRF staff secured admission for her at
the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya at
Ibrahimpatnam, from where she once
again ran away after just five days, on
9 March 2010. With the help of the DRF
mobilizers, local volunteers and police,
she was traced on the very same day at
the Ibrahimpatnam Bus Depot. The Balika
Vidyalaya refused to take her in now on
a technical ground – they do not take in
orphans! Around the same time, DRF set
up a bridge center to provide education
to the children in the juvenile home. As
a last resort and of course to provide
sufficient security to a teenage girl, she
has now been lodged in the Juvenile
Home for Girls at Kachiguda.
16

Parvati has spent almost three months
now under the care of DRF staff – either
continuously or for a limited period of
time daily – and she has undergone a
visible attitude change. She has taken to
studies very seriously and has decided
that this is her only constant support
and companion for a lifetime. She has
expressed a desire to study well and
pass the Class X exam.
With a little help and constant support
and affection from people around her,
she is all set to return to a life as normal
as possible. Just as the scars from her
burn injuries are still visible on her
right arm but don’t really trouble her
anymore, Parvati has embarked on a
journey to heal the invisible injuries on
her personality – injuries that will soon
fade away into distant memories.
Residential Bridge Centers:
Helping vulnerable children
Dr. Reddy’s Foundation Education Vertical
under its SCOPE initiative runs Residential
Bridge Centers primarily for children who are
extremely susceptible to child labour – those
in the 9-16 age group.
The initiative provides for Non-Residential
Bridge Centers at construction sites for
younger children too. Other inmates of the
RBCs are children who need temporary
shelter for various reasons, such as children
who have run away from their homes, until
they can be placed in suitable government
hostels.
The RBCs impart reading writing skills in
order to enable the children to get enrolled
in regular schools while weaning them away
from child labour. In 2008-09, DRF ran five
RBCs around Hyderabad with an enrollment
of 547 children. Of these, as many as 452
were mainstreamed in regular government
schools.
The RBC at Dulapally has several children
who have run away from home as a
spontaneous reaction to situations. These
children are unable to give us the entire
address of their homes, but have expressed
the desire to at least visit – if not return to –
their loved ones.
17
Jyothi Nukala is a 12-year-old girl who
ran away from Nellore and arrived in
Hyderabad in September 2009. Originally
from Srikakulam, her parents migrated
to Nellore to take up a construction job.
Her parents separated after her mother
began an affair with the supervisor
at the construction site. Her father
attempted suicide by consuming poison
but was saved by her grandmother and
aunt who took him to the hospital in
the nick of time. Jyothi ran away from
home and boarded a train to Hyderabad.
She stayed on the train after it arrived
in Hyderabad, hoping that she could go
back on the same train to Nellore, but the
railway security staff handed her over
to the police. Jyothi says, “I think my
mother must have returned to my father
because I ran away. That’s why I ran
away”. She also says she can, if taken
to either Nellore or Srikakulam, identify
where she lived. She hopes to return to
her united family soon.
Similarly, Sumera, who is also around
12 years old, ran away from her home in
Bhoipally Gate in Mahbubnagar District.
Her father Abdul Khader had three wives
– her mother being the second. When
he died, Anees, Sumera’s mother, went
to live with her mother and brothers
taking Sumera and her brother with
her. Sumera’s grandmother made her
do all the household work and also
used to beat her. So she ran away from
home only to land in the clutches of an
unscrupulous woman in Secunderabad.
This stranger promised to take her
back to Mahbubnagar and instead took
her to her house and made her do all
the household work. After almost two
months of this nightmare, she got a
chance to escape when she was sent
out on an errand. She has been with DRF
since March 2010. “I want my mother to
know that I am safe here, but I think I
am better off here than at home. I get to
study and play and above all I don’t need
to do any work”, says Sumera.
Aruna and Neela, both girls in the
same age group, from Khammam and
Berhampur respectively, ran away from
their homes for similar reasons. Their
mother passed away, and they were sent
to do household work in other people’s
houses. They prefer to study and play
and want their relatives to know that they
are safe, but they do not want to return
to the drudgery of hard work.
All legislations are, at the end of the day,
a reflection of just and natural human
urges or instincts – be it against child
labour or the right to education. It is a
pity that civil society needs not just
legislation but also stringent enforcement
and monitoring to give to children what
is theirs as a birthright.
- Madhusree Vemuru

Education
UK teachers visit ‘partner’ Pudami school
Dr. Reddy’s Foundation - Pudami Schools have entered into
partnerships with schools in the UK. One such partnership
has also received a Reciprocal Grant Visit which is
funded by UK Aid. Elaine Goff and Susan Johnson, both
teachers at the Westrise Community School at Eastbourne,
Sussex, were in Hyderabad for 10 days and visited various
Pudami Schools. They spent five days at the Pudami
Neighbourhood School in Hayathnagar, which is their
partner under the program, and interacted extensively with
the children and the teachers. The two partner schools
have decided to focus on two projects of global importance.
One is environmental protection, involving such activities
as recycling of old newspapers to make paper bags and
persuading the community to use paper bags instead of
plastic carry bags. The second project is aimed at bridging
the gender gap by motivating girl students and sensitizing
boys through various activities.
Kids shine on Annual Day
Pudami - The English Primaries celebrated their Annual
Day in March. The tiny tots performed a variety of dances,
skits, songs and much more. Entire villages turned out
to see the children’s performance. The children were
extremely well trained by their dance and music teachers
and received a huge applause for their performance. It was
also an occasion for the team at each of the schools to
interact with the villagers and spread the message of the
importance of early education.
Green Baton reaches out to children
Volunteers from Dr. Reddy’s have been visiting Pudami
schools to promote environmental awareness as part
of Green Baton, a joint initiative between the education
vertical of DRF and Dr. Reddy’s. Vijayalakshmi, Padma,
Srivalli and Prasad of Dr. Reddy’s interacted with Pudami
school children and sought to build awareness of climate
change and various other environmental issues by showing
them power point presentations, films and getting them to
discuss key issues.
Women’s Day celebrations
Women’s Day was celebrated in style at DRF’s education
vertical office in Hyderabad on 8 March. Padmashri Ananda
Shankar, a well known Bharatanatyam dancer was one of
the special invitees and spoke about how women tend to
neglect themselves on every count, irrespective of whether
they are rich or poor, educated or uneducated. She
emphasized the importance of undergoing regular health
check-ups to detect health problems in the early stages.
Her talk was followed by a sumptuous lunch and some
games. Ms Anuradha Prasad, Ms Usha Raman and Ms Latha
Mani were among those who attended the celebrations.
18

Sakshi, 25 March
19
Eenadu, 21 February
Dainik Bhaskar, 7 February
Eenadu, 20 February
Sakshi, 4 March
Andhra Bhoomi, 27 February
The Hindu, 18 February
Eenadu, 11 January
DRF in the News
Andhra Jyothi,
21 February
Rajasthan Patrika,
10 February

NGO Spotlight
Kusuma Foundation:
Helping the underprivileged reach their potential
The Kusuma Trust
Founded in 2007 by Dr. Soma Pujari
and her husband Anurag Dikshit, the
Kusuma Trust UK supports a variety
of educational initiatives and projects
aimed at improving the quality of life
of vulnerable and marginalized children
in India and Gibraltar. Explaining why
Kusuma Trust chose these particular
focus areas, Dr. Pujari says that her
family “highly values education and
sees that as the means of supporting an
individual to make informed decisions to
maximize their potential for employment
and a better quality of life and health”.
They believe that receiving a good
education in the formative phase of
life has far-reaching consequences – it
continues to benefit individuals as they
move on further in life and is more likely
to make them responsible citizens, which
ultimately contributes to the society’s
well being. What is more, an educated
individual not only improves his/ her
own life but also influences future
generations, especially so in the case
of an educated girl child. In Dr. Pujari’s
view, “In the current environment of
economic growth, we expect welleducated
youth to be one of nation’s
biggest assets”. Their educational
initiatives range from secondary school
learning right up to higher education and
advanced academia.
In the Trust’s view, the issue of at risk or
vulnerable children is one that overlaps
with the education of children and needs
to be tackled hand in hand although the
challenges may be quite different. The
condition of these children may be both
the cause and also partly the result of
a lack of education, apart from other
causes like poverty, disability, substance
abuse by parents, etc. Because this is
a complex issue, the Trust approaches
it in different ways – in some cases
by directly supporting the children and
in other cases, by supporting people
or institutions who deal with these
children.
Empowerment of individuals through
access to knowledge via the Internet
was among the early interests of the
Trust. It supports the Bangalore based
research and advocacy organization,
Center for Internet and Society (CIS),
which has effectively become the source
for independent opinion and research in
the Internet space from the consumer/
citizen perspective and which policy
makers can call upon not only in our
country but also in many other countries.
CIS is also involved in the ‘Right to Read’
campaign which will enable disabled
people to access to a wealth of knowledge
online.
Though it is just three years old, The
Kusuma Trust is supporting a number
of innovative interventions, many in
partnership with organizations around
the country. Last year, the Trust reached
out to as many as 37,547 children in
596 schools and institutions, primarily
through partnerships with development
organizations across the country.
Some of the key initiatives of the Trust
include:
Bringing relief to flood
victims
The Kusuma Trust partnered with DRF to
bring relief to victims of the devastating
floods that ravaged Andhra Pradesh in
October 2009. DRF’s initiative to provide
school going children in the flood affected
areas of Rajoli and Mahbubnagar districts
with relief packages, which included school
kits and engagement activities, resonated
with the Kusuma Trust. According to
Dr. Pujari, “DRFs request came to us very
soon after the floods broke. It was a request
to repatriate the children back to school
after the floods which was an intervention
at the right time. It is far more difficult
and expensive to bring a child back into
the education system once he or she has
dropped out and fallen prey to child labour
and lost time”. The flood rehabilitation effort
touched 1,500 school children.
20

Supporting education
The Trust funds a number of
fellowships and scholarships which
are aimed at giving bright students
from underprivileged backgrounds
an opportunity to pursue higher
education and serve as role models in
their communities.The trust supports
the Warangal (Andhra Pradesh)
based charity Pragathi Seva Samithi
by funding a three-year scholarship
program for impoverished and/
marginalized youth from Residential
Bridge Schools and other government
institutions. This year, 1,200 Young
Achievers received this award, which
provides both financial support and
career guidance counseling.
The Trust also partners with Udayan
Care, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and
Sambalpur Integrated Development
Institute (SIDI), Sambalpur (Orissa) to
provide 400 fellowships to students.
These constitute both financial and
non financial support as a means to
ensure the holistic development of
young aspirants.
Trust recently piloted a mobile
science laboratory in Hyderabad in
conjunction with Project 511. The
mobile lab provides equipment for
science experiments to students
in Classes 6-10 at 20 government
21
schools. As many as 3,000 students
are benefiting from this project.
supports a mid-day meal program
in partnership with Akshaya Patra,
an organization that provides
well-balanced, nutritious meals to
schoolchildren in Medak (Andhra
Pradesh) and Nayagarh (Orissa)
districts. The primary goal of this
program is to ensure that students
attend their afternoon classes and do
not lose out on their education due to
hunger.
Rehabilitating at risk children
partnership with the Tata Institute
of Social Sciences, Kusuma has
developed a manual to “train the
trainers” who work with children
in distress. This manual is aimed at
helping frontline workers who deal
with vulnerable children in the field to
improve their skills and services.
The trust works closely with the
charitable organization Sarvodaya
Ashram in Uttar Pradesh to improve
and enrich the lives of the poor and
marginalized. Among the projects
undertaken was a disability workshop
where more than 350 people were
fitted with prosthetic limbs and nearly
60 underwent corrective surgeries
for disabilities. The trust is now
piloting a bridge education curriculum
with Sarvodaya for upper primary
education (classes 6-8). It also
supports the existing bridge school
for primary students, from which 104
girls were mainstreamed into regular
schools last year.
The Trust worked with a Hyderabad
based children’s charity, Divya Disha,
to rehabilitate at risk children living
on the streets of the city.
Promoting academic excellence
recently established the ‘Kusuma
Young Researcher Award’, a national
award that carries a cash award of Rs.
2,00,000 for the winner and 1,00,000
for the runners up. The first young
researcher award was announced
this year in the field of development
studies. One of the goals of this
competition is to improve the content
and quality of research conducted in
the country.
faculty at IIT, Delhi with travel grants
and awards 10 fellowships to young
teachers at IIT to improve retention of
excellent staff.
For more information, please visit:
www.kusumatrust.org and
www.kusumafoundation.in.

Reach out to the less privileged.
And give them wings to fly.
* Join hands with us
Counsel our LABS aspirants
Participate as a guest faculty
6-3-655/12, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082.
Ph: +91-40-65343424, 23304199 / 1868 Fax: +91-40-23301085
Email: info@drreddysfoundation.org www.drreddysfoundation.org
Prepare our aspirants to join the workforce
Provide placement support to our aspirants
Do post-placement mentoring
Conduct recreational activities
Assist in Market Scan
Build Capacities
Counsel the Aspirants’ Parents
Help in Skilling Rural India
Contact us: www.drreddysfoundation.org
or
mail us at: volunteering@drreddysfoundation.org