About the Foundation
The ING Vysya Foundation is the charity wing born out of the three ING business entities in India – ING Vysya Bank, ING Life Insurance and ING Investment Management. It helps promote and coordinate corporate social responsibility projects among the three organisations. The singular focus and mission of the ING Vysya Foundation is to ‘promote primary education to under-served children’. With this in mind, it partners with NGOs involved in educating, giving shelter and rehabilitating under-privileged children. The partnership doesn’t just entail ING Vysya Foundation investing money into the NGOs, but it also involves the Foundation conducting fundraisers and volunteer initiatives for the benefit of the NGOs.
Currently, the Foundation works with the following organisations
A dream is powerful. It drives man to achieve much. But perhaps more importantly, it signifies hope. A hope that tomorrow can be different, better. In the next few pages you will read stories. Stories of poor children rich with hopes and dreams. And of how their hopes have been given a chance. Of how their dreams have been given wings.
Akshara Foundation, Bangalore, Karnataka - Christel House, Bangalore, Karnataka - Sukrupa, Bangalore, Karnataka - Makkala Jagriti, Bangalore, Karnataka - Pratham, Mumbai, Maharashtra SUPPORT, Mumbai, Maharashtra - ACM Great Indian Dream Foundation, New Delhi - IIMPACT, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh - Hamari Muskaan, Kolkata, West Bengal - ARDAR, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh - SOS Children’s Village in India, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu - UNICEF Chances for Children Global Partnership - Samarthanam Trust, Bangalore, Karnataka.
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SUPPORT aims I was 8 years old
to eradicate substance abuse among children through a process of detoxification and rehabilitation. The
when I was brought to SUPPORT. I was addicted to sniffing glue, a practice I picked up on the streets. I was put through rehabilitation here, and was encouraged to open up and share my heart with others like me. I went on to complete school and then opted for vocational training. SUPPORT sponsored my vocational training in repairing air conditioners and refrigerators.
rehabilitation programme for child drug users began in 1993 with 5 children. Today, almost 200 children go through our rehabilitation facilities annually. Among the few in India to offer a residential programme, SUPPORT also runs a day care centre for street children and a vocational training centre. The ING Vysya Foundation supports the rehabilitation programme of 25 girls.
Today, I work as an apprentice with an authorised dealer of air conditioners.
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Hamari Muskaan works with the vulnerable children living in
Priya is the 6 year old
the Bowbazar red light area. These children,
daughter of an alcoholic prostitute. She never attended school or had access to any support systems. She spent the days roaming aimlessly in the narrow lanes of the Bowbazaar red light area. When we, Hamari Muskaan, started working in this area, we discovered that Priya was by far one of the most vulnerable children identified by our outreach workers. Brash and aggressive, Priya rarely paid attention in classes and proved to be extremely difficult. But with patient and gentle counselling, we started to turn the corner. To make certain the overall improvement of her situation, we began to include her mother in the counselling sessions. Soon enough, Priya’s streak of stubborn behaviour began to wane. Before long, she began taking responsibility by helping the teachers manage the class and take care of the younger children. Today, Priya is a bright student wholeheartedly preparing for her
living in dingy rooms which they share with others are exposed to sexual exploitation, physical and mental abuse and gross violence. As a result, they develop a strong negative self-image and poor self-esteem from a very early age. Therefore, they start dropping out of school, even if admitted, due to lack of any caregiver to follow up their cases. Most of them take recourse to substance abuse including drugs. Both boys and girls are sexually abused, and the girls are trapped in the vicious cycle of sex-trafficking without having a chance to explore other life options. The ING Vysya Foundation supports Hamari Muskaan’s endeavours to provide a protective mechanism by using education as a tool for the overall development of children in the age group of 3 - 6 years.
entrance exam in to Standard 1 of formal school.
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My name is
Pratham Mumbai
Somnath ,
but my friends call my Pintya. I am 10 years old. I ran away from my home in Pune and came to Mumbai. I stayed on the streets and a few shelter homes here and there. One night, the people from Pratham found me at the railway station. I did not want to go with them, but they told me that the new shelter home would be fun. So I came here in April 2008. In the beginning I did not like all the rules and regulations and I was always getting into trouble. But the people here were very nice to me. I saw the other children trying hard to learn to read and write, and I didn’t want to be left behind. So I decided to study hard too. Two months after I joined the centre, I was admitted in to Standard 1 at a government school. I studied hard and got promoted to
has been working since 1994 with a mission of having ‘every child in school and learning well’. Our focus is on making quality educations accessible to all children. In April 2001, we launched Pratham Council for Vulnerable Children (PCVC) with the vision of ‘no child working and every child in school’. Today, PCVC operates across 8 different states in India, reaching out to child labourers, street children and children in government institutions. The ING Vysya Foundation supports the residential rehabilitation programme for 40 boys at the Pratham shelter in Panvel, Mumbai.
Standard 2. This made me happy. This year, I stood second in my class and got promoted to Standard 3. Next year, I want to stand first in my class.
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The philosophy of the
Great Indian Dream
Khushi is a 4 year old girl who
Foundation (GIDF)
lives in a village called Mandi with her parents and grandparents. Her father is an alcoholic and compulsive gambler. Her mother works as a domestic help and is the sole earning member of the family. Khushi joined the Mandi Education Centre in 2009. A bright and attractive child, she showed interest in all activities of the centre. Initially, her parents never paid the fees and on repeated request by the centre to pay the fees, her parents discontinued her playschool. The centre workers persuaded Khushi’s parents to resume their daughter’s playschool, but her parents refused, stating that they did not see the benefits of educating her. Over a period of two months, Great Indian Dream Foundation (GDIF) educators continued to counsel Khushi’s parents on the benefits of education; the hard work paid off and Khushi’s parents resumed their child’s playschool.
is based on the belief that each child deserves an opportunity for total development. Through the pre-school programme, we aim to expand and reinforce the child’s innate strengths. GIDF aims to ensure that the early years of children in learning and gaining a good foundation in the basic skills required throughout life. Underprivileged children, who have no hope of an education, let alone quality education, will be given an opportunity to learn, grow and achieve through our pre –school programme and then be sent to mainstream schools. The ING Vysya Foundation supports 50 children under GIDF’s Early Childhood are programme in the slums of Delhi.
Khushi is 5 today and doing very well in her studies. She is very excited about joining a formal school next year.
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My name is
Sony.
I came to Sukrupa when I was 13 years old. In the 7 years that I have stayed here, I have learnt a lot. Initially I did not want to go to school, but worked hard to learn to read and write. Staying at Sukrupa, I learnt teaching and I learnt how to make candles and sell them. I also design clothes and am confident of setting up stalls and selling products during exhibitions and other events. I like to dance and am part of Sukrupa’s PRAYAAS Performing group. I won the Bronze and Silver Medal certificate in Ballroom dancing; with this I can participate in any international ballroom dance competition! I am currently doing my BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) through correspondence.
Sukrupa
to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and ignorance by serving children and young adults. Sukrupa offers children holistic development through Sukrupa Home (a residential programme), Sukrupa School (a regular school programme), Sukrupa Afterschool (a programme for school dropouts and coaching for school going children) and Sukrupa Life Skills (a leadership programme). The ING Vysya Foundation provides nutritional food, health care and after-school coaching to 440 children under Sukrupa’s school sponsorship programme.
I dream of becoming an entrepreneur and business woman and manage products made at SUKRUPA Creations.
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works
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Makkala Jagriti is a value-based social movement
Murali, Prabhu and Bharat .
to empower children and the community through holistic development for children
joined local gangs after failing their 10th standard exams and got involved in gang violence. But after hearing about Makkala Jagriti Learning Centre, they started visiting the centre. Initially, centre workers had to deal with the youths’ aggressive and violent behaviour, but they didn’t give up on them. The centre workers were patient and through periodic mentoring and coaching, helped rebuild their self-confidence. The perseverance helped, and the youths resumed their education, passed their 10th standard exams and even enrolled in 1st year PUC. Unfortunately, they did not progress further. But through a 10-day leadership skill-building workshop by the centre and internships offered by the ING Vysya Foundation, these youths were able to rebuild their lives.
and diverse groups. Our initiatives include Learning Centres; Educational Scholarships; Workshops, Training, Mentoring; and Youth Intervention & Community Development. The Learning Centres by Makkala Jagriti are equipped with books, computers, creativity workshop materials, games and toys, outdoor programmes, youth leadership programmes, civic awareness programmes, educational tours, and other experiential workshops providing opportunities for fun and learning. The programme also provides well thought-out indoor and outdoor activities. The ING Vysya Foundation supports the
Today, Murali and Prabhu work as staff
functioning of a learning centre at
in Makkala Jagriti, while Bharat has
a government school in Bangalore,
moved on to start a business
covering 300 children.
of his own after working for a year at the centre.
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C hristel
House, India established its first Learning Centre in Bangalore in 2001, with the
My name is
Vinodh
vision of helping children of under-served
and I live with my father and two siblings; my father works as a security guard. I lost my mother when I was very young. My favourite subjects are Science and Math.
backgrounds break the cycle of poverty, realise their hopes and dreams, and become self-sufficient, contributing members of society. Education apart, our holistic development programme consists of health care, nutrition, community
I like to do painting and pencil sketches. I play the guitar and do yoga and martial arts, especially tae-kwon-do and kick boxing. I won the bronze medal at the State level championship in tae-kwon-do. I also like to do animation; I won the Adobe award for short duration animated film. I would like to join the
involvement, post graduation counselling, as well as parent-teacher workshops to involve the latter integrally in the child’s development. The ING Vysya Foundation lays large emphasis on making the learning environment conducive to constructive education, through the implementation of a curriculum that integrates different subjects and other enrichment activities, thus resulting in
National Defence Academy (NDA)
a more seamless and comprehensive
and serve the nation.
education.
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IIMPACT is a charitable trust working towards
Rubina Khatoon attends a
spreading education among non-school going
learning centre for girls run by IIMPACT in Uttar
girls between the ages of 6 and 14. This sharp focus is
Pradesh. The following words are that of her mother.
“ My husband died 10 years back and I have no regular source of income. How will I educate 3 children when I barely have anything to eat? I do not send my daughter to my mother’s place because she will miss her classes. She has learnt so much at the centre and she teaches her younger brothers at home too. I am illiterate; Rubina does all the calculations, she keeps an account of the money I earn when I work in the fields. I thank Allah every day for setting up an IIMPACT learning centre near my house. My present is dark but my future looks bright. I will not marry my daughter till she is an under-graduate.
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a result of our firm belief that when “you educate a girl, you educate generations to follow”. Our model has helped children learn faster through a qualitative method; the learning centres deliver primary education through an effective syllabus, including play-way, and other enriching methodologies. IIMPACT, with support from the ING Vysya Foundation, has implemented 15 learning centres for out-of-school girls in Mehmoodabad block of Sitapur District, Uttar Pradesh.
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SOS
ARDAR, Hyderabad
Children’s Villages
is a registered NGO working in the
of India, through its Family Strengthening
northern coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. The area is predominated by traditional fishermen, indigenous people and dalits. ARDAR works specifically on child care issues with these communities. Through its programme of school adoption, ARDAR expands on existing infrastructure to create a favourable and hygienic atmosphere in government schools, enhancing the quality of primary education and its teachers, increasing enrolment, retention ratios and competency of the students. The ING Vysya Foundation has adopted 2 schools in Hyderabad and Secunderabad under its ‘school adoption programme’.
Programmes (FSP) have been assisting families in a host of ways to give them strength and hope after the devastation of the December 2004 tsunami. The principle aim of the programme is to enable children, who are at risk of losing care from their family, to grow within a loving environment and meet their immediate needs. The organisation involves the extended community in the process of programme planning, implementation, execution and monitoring. The objectives of the project are: ensuring that families have access to essential services for their children; supporting families in building their abilities to protect and care for their children; and strengthening support systems for the children and families within the community. The ING Vysya Foundation has been supporting the Family Strengthening Programme in Nagapattinam since 2006.
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Some of projects
under this programme are A transition education project in Tamil Nadu that aims to support and empower children from the poorest ethnic minority families. Transition education is meant for children who have never been to school before and need adequate support before moving to a mainstream school.
The ING
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Chances for Children
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A project in West Bengal that involves training 18,000 teachers from education
is a global programme in partnership with UNICEF, set up with a target of providing 50,000 children access to education. ING Vysya Foundation acts as the Indian Chapter of ING Chances for Children.
centres to teach former child labourers. During their training, the teachers learnt methods to provide child-friendly teaching, so that the children are inspired to learn. Communities were motivated to send their children to school and to ensure that children complete their education. In order to protect these children’s rights, UNICEF also organised activities to tackle discrimination of poor children from minority groups. _
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An education project is being implemented in three districts of Rajasthan – Tonk, Udaipur and Jhalawar. Children in the age group of 6-14, especially girls, are the target group of this project. It is expected that nearly 12,000 girls will benefit from the project and 250,000 will show improved performance in school.
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The association with our partners has helped achieve remarkable results. The ING Vysya Foundation helps the partner NGOs through massive fundraising campaigns and
Our Dream
volunteer drives.
Fundraising
We have fuelled the dreams of the first generation of
For the last three years, The ING Vysya Foundation has been conducting organisation-wide fundraising initiatives. These initiatives are marked by a huge marketing effort. The first 3 campaigns were called Back to School, I Love my School and Class of 2008. Last year’s fundraising campaign was around the theme ‘I believe I can fly’. A record total of INR 6 million was raised from the employees of ING entities in India.
Volunteering Programmes
Volunteer drives at the ING offices in India are a common activity undertaken by the ING Vysya Foundation. One successful initiative is called Homework Buddies, giving ING employees a chance to spend time with under-privileged children. What started as a onetime effort is now a 6 month programme which employees can join to teach and help the children at partner NGOs.
children and now we are entering a more intense phase to see our dreams grow bigger. It’s a grand dream, but an achievable one. As the privileged section of society, we strongly believe that we have a responsibility towards helping the lesser privileged children to make their dreams come true. The road of the future is full of adventure and our dreams are getting bigger especially in the advent of the Right to Education Bill that was passed in 2009, which makes the education of children aged between 6 to 14 years compulsory and a fundamental right in India. And in the more global and larger context the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to be achieved by 2015, where one of the eight goals to be achieved is universal primary education. So we continue to dream… and realise our dreams.
ING also takes part in global initiatives like the ING Global Challenge. 3,500 employees participated in this programme, volunteering their time to benefit more 4,000 children across 30 locations in India.
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The individuals behind the dream Board of Trustees Mr. Kshitij Jain, MD & CEO, ING Life Insurance Mr. Jayant Mehrotra, Chief Financial Officer, ING Vysya Bank Mr. J. M. Prasad, Chief Human Resource, ING Vysya Bank Mrs. Priya Gopalakrishnan, Director- Human Resource, ING Life Mr. Appa Rao, Company Secretary, ING Vysya Bank Foundation Functionary - Joyatri Ray, Director - Projects Soul of the Foundation - Employees of ING in India
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n’s Vision ING Vysya Foundatio g primary education Promoting and providin ildren to under-privileged ch
ING Vysya Foundation, Registration No. 114, Regd. & Corporate Office: 'ING Vysya House', 5th Floor, No. 22, M.G. Road, Bangalore - 560 001, India. Tel: 080 - 25005772 You can also visit:
www.ingvysyafoundation.com