The Winning Entry in Drawing Competition "A Healthy Life" at the Sakshi Girls Health Camp held on World Health Day. Sunita, a pupil at one of Sakshi's Remedial Education Centres, drew how small things like standing water can cause big diseases like dengue. See the Photo Story

Sakshi marked World Health Day on Saturday, April 7, with a Health and Hygiene Camp for girl pupils from our Remedial Education Centres. Activities included:

• Health check-up with provision of medicines.
• Drawing competition on "A Healthy Life. This is an example of our "Joyful Learning" approach to teaching. We teach students health and hygiene through interesting acitivites like role play, song, drawing etc, so pupils engage with the subject and truly internalize the learning. They also realize learning can be fun and develop a lifelong instinct for it.
• Talk on Health, Hygiene & Sanitation: its importance and how to maintain it in slums.

Our holistic development model: The Health & Hygiene Camp was attended by girl pupils from our Remedial Education Centres. This exemplifies Sakshi's holistic development model and our core belief that Education, Health and Community Development are together needed for sustainable development.

Through our various projects, we map out a comprehensive path from poverty to prosperity and make sure a child that has once come into our fold has everything he or she needs to lead a successful life including education, health, employable skills, values and life skills, motivation and parental and community support.  

Learn more about our Education Model and Joyful Learning, our Remedial Centres, our Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Project and our Health Services Project. Click here for a comprehensive list of our projects.                              

Harvard Serves is an initiative by Harvard University to connect its students and alumni with opportunities to give back. April is observed as a "Global Month of Service" where Harvard Clubs identify public service opportunities for Harvard alumni around the world.

This year Sakshi NGO, sponsored by the Harvard Club of New York and the Harvard Club of India, is also participating in the effort, the only NGO from India to do so. 

We believe "Everyone has something to give". We believe people with different skills can get involved with our work whether they are in India, around the world or virtually. Please see our listing for New Delhi and virtual volunteer opportunities by skill/expertise on the Harvard Serves website here and here, and for New York here and here.

Read more on How You Can Get Involved. 

Last year, Mona and Rehanna, 12 year old girls in Jasola village, Delhi, were about to drop out of school because their parents were not able to afford it. This year, both girls can be sure they will complete their schooling. They are enrolled in Sakshi Girls Education project which will support them financially and educationally till graduation. To celebrate the achievements of girls like Mona and Rehanna and mark International Women's Day, Sakshi organized a festive celebration at one of its education centres on March 9. The Chief Guest was the First Lady of Arunachal Pradesh Mrs. Anupama Singh.

An enjoyable program: Sakshi Girls Education Project pupils put on an entertaining and informative performance including a Group Song on "Values", a Role Play on the "Importance of Girls' Education" and a graceful Dance with catchy lyrics (cycle tyre puncture kar lo!).

The audience clapped and cheered the girls on heartily. Sakshi President Dr. Mridula Tandon then talked about the importance of a girls education noting, for example, that educated mothers were twice as likely to have a healthy child. Chief Guest Mrs. Anupama Singh shared inspiring personal examples motivating the students to complete their studies. She also asked the girls to stay grounded and close to their cultures. 

"I wish my parents had enrolled in Sakshi as children": Mrs. Anupama Singh asked the girls to come up and share their experiences with education. Completely impromptu, girls shared how Sakshi classes had helped them excel at school to the amazement of their school teachers. One girl mentioned she had won a dance contest and how proud she was to attend a tuition (Sakshi) where she learnt so many different things. One girl shyly shared an anecdote about a recent Sakshi trip to the Book Fair where a famous writer Manoj Das clapped for her when she answered his question!

Read the Vice-President of India's message of support to Sakshi on International Women's Day 

Prize Giving: Last but not least was the prize-giving ceremony. Chief Guest Mrs. Anupama Singh and Sakshi President Dr. Mridula Tandon gave out prizes, a set of notebooks and pencils, to this term's winners of the Sakshi Girls Education Project song, dance and GK quiz contests. Finally, everyone moved about talking, laughing and interacting with each other. The event went much over time but then, time flies when you are having fun!

Sakshi organized a trip to Adventure Island for some of our children from the Remedial Centre program. It was a day filled with love and laughter. The children and even the teachers were left round-eyed at all the colorful exhibits and different rides in the amusement park. Everyone had a great time, riding the trains, go-karting, going on the ferris wheel.

A day of joy was rounded off with a lovely picnic meal. And then, it was time for the children to go home, relive the happy moments by sharing them with their family, and go to sleep in time to be able to attend school bright and early the next morning! Photo Gallery  

The Government has hundreds of programs for the upliftment of the poor and marginalized esp. women which have been only marginally effective because of poor delivery mechanism. To address this, the Govt's recent Mission Convergence mega-initiative seeks to leverage the strength of the best grassroots NGOs.

Sakshi was selected as the MC partner in areas it operates in and is now responsible for building awareness and filtering government programs to the needy. Learn More

Sakshi was honored to host Ms. Melanne Verveer, US Global Ambassador for Women's Issues and member of the contingent of US Secretary of State Ms. Hillary Clinton on her India visit.

Ms. Verveer heard the children read, recite and sing with great delight. The children were equally happy to display their talents before such an appreciative audience. Ms. Verveer appreciated the work Sakshi was doing in the Library Program where we build libraries in slum schools and the Girls Education Project where we support needy girls with financial assistance and educational coaching till they graduate.

The children were inspired by the Ambassador's achievements and the Ambassador was inspired by the difficulties the children had overcome and their dedication to make something of themselves. It was a productive and fun-filled day on both sides. Photo Gallery

The Sakshi Gender Resource Centre was designated as the issuer of the new GoI Universal-ID: Smart Card (AADHAR Number), in the slums it covers.

It is very important for residents that they enroll. From the GoI Website: Aadhar is an ID "linked to the resident's demographic and biometric information, which they can use to identify themselves anywhere in India, and to access a host of benefits and services."

Sakshi is building awareness and enrolling residents who being uneducated would not have known about this otherwise.