Vijay foundation trust

1. Vijay Foundation Trust February 2011

2. Introduction – Vijay Foundation Trust An NGO active in Kadapa since 1992 Focused on care and betterment of cause of the girl child Funded primarily through donations from friends and family of founders

3. Background Kadapa is an arid, poverty-stricken region in Andhra Pradesh Rampant factionalism results in frequent violence, broken families and orphans Prevalence of practices such as dowry leads to widespread gender bias and discrimination leading to female foeticide and abandonment of girl infants and children

4. Our approach – providing shelter Aarti Home - Shelter for abandoned children since 1992 Over 250 children have called it a home over the years (current strength is 90) Around 800 children, rescued from traffickers, have stayed with us for short durations until their rehabilitation

5. Our approach – providing education Aarti Education Aarti School currently has 250 students including children from Aarti Home as well as underprivileged children from around the district Scholarships adding up to approx. INR 2 million have been disbursed to 200 bright and needy students over the years

6. Our approach – women’s training Lalitha Cooperative Trains destitute women on vocations such as tailoring and embroidery, creating income generating potential 5,000 women have benefitted directly from this program Markets products to corporates and individuals as a certified Fairtrade cooperative

7. Our approach – outreach programme VFT has an active outreach programme in the region Legal awareness camps, providing information on women’s rights and laws that can protect them Run in conjunction with National Commission for Women’s Rights, 25,000 women have attended these camps Free gynaecological and medical camps Awareness camps on education opportunities focusing on avenues available through the Open University -- Outreach in schools

8. Our Financial Status Legal Status Vijay Foundation Trust is registered as a charity under Societies Act 1961 Vijay Foundation Trust has FCRA accreditation since 1992 Donations to Vijay Foundation Trust are tax exempt under IT Act 1961 Funding Primarily through friends and well wishers Our annual budget approximately INR 3.9 million for the current financial year Funding short-falls are met through donations from founders A number of volunteers work with us pro bono – we have an active student relationship program with Stanford University Food inflation and costs for higher education for more of our growing children are critical challenges for us

9. Our plans and needs Would like to focus more on outreach and creating awareness strike at the root of the problems affecting the girl child instead of just managing the fallout such as abandonment of girl children We welcome help in all forms – donations as well as partnerships to further our cause

10. Presenter’s details Namrata Vora, Director of Programs Molly Robertson, Outreach Fellow Sandhya Puchalapalli, President Vijay Foundation Trust, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh www.vftrust.org vftrust@gmail.com