Dear Friends, In the introduction letter of the inaugural issue of our newsletter, we tried to present to you a glimpse of our institutes and the six programs that collectively encapsulate all our ongoing projects. In the letters of our subsequent issues, we plan to delve into each program individually, acquainting you with their respective projects. Let us start with Education in this communication. October - December 2023 | Volume 1, Issue 2 U D A Y Foreword Index Educational initiatives 1. Project updates 2. Institutions 3. Success stories 4. Greening Atul 5. Stories to inspire 6. Realising the need to build educational bridges in the villages that blend well with the tribal background and lifestyle, Atul Foundation started the Atul Adhyapika project. 1 ...................... 2 ...................... 3 ...................... 5 ...................... 7 ...................... 7 ...................... 8 Seventy years ago, the visionary Founder of Atul identified education as the fundamental and most crucial requirement for building an impoverished nation that had been under British rule for about two centuries. Kalyani Shala, a Gujarati medium school, was established in 1953 to provide quality education to the children of the team working in Atul and those residing in the nearby villages. Gradually, as the cosmopolitan crowd started settling in, there arose a need for an English medium school. Atul Vidyalaya, affiliated to Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, was established in 1991. In 2009, Eklavya Model Residential School, Pardi (Atul Vidyamandir) was adopted in a public private partnership model with Government of Gujarat for quality education of tribal students. Collectively, these three schools contribute to providing quality education and fostering holistic development for around 3,000 students annually.
Educational initiatives 2 While the villages of Dharampur and Kaprada district have government primary schools that are equipped with a decent infrastructure, there is a shortage of trained primary teachers. To address this gap, Atul Foundation identifies academically qualified individuals and provides them with training to become adhyapikas (teachers). These trained individuals are then placed in government primary schools within their respective villages. Serving as a crucial support system for children, these adhyapikas employ joyful and activity-based learning methods to simplify the syllabus. Moreover, they establish connections with students, comprehending their individual challenges and guiding them towards a brighter future. To date, Atul Foundation has placed 104 adhyapikas in 94 villages, impacting about 15,500 students through education. Taking this initiative forward, Anuja project was introduced this year to provide quality pre-primary education to children below six years of age attending the anganwadis in Kaprada and Dharampur talukas. 26 qualified educators were trained and placed in their respective villages to impart elementary education through enjoyable methods. The Foundation introduced a mobile science van catering to 3,300 students studying in grades 6-10. The van, equipped with easy-to-understand science models, moves around schools in 14 villages educating the children with the basic concepts of science. Apart from these projects, the Foundation distributes notebooks to needy children and provides scholarships to deserving students with weak economic backgrounds. Atul Foundation believes that every child, irrespective of caste, creed, gender or location, deserves quality education, even at the far and deep ends of the country. Regards, Editorial team
Mobile science laboratory Moving towards independent beginnings... An exposure visit to a jute bag processing unit was conducted for 17 women associated with self-help groups of Valsad. Based in Ankleshwar, this processing unit is run by a self-help group mentored by Aatapi Foundation. The women who visited the unit are already undergoing training in making jute bags. The visit was conducted to understand the model of the processing unit and implement the same to begin their own independent unit in Valsad. 83 self-help groups | 970 women | 16 villages Distributing notebooks in support of education Atul Rural Development Fund provided over 18,000 notebooks and stationery to 4,430 students of 35 schools in 18 villages. Every year ARDF provides education kits to schools to support the education of these children. 35 schools | 4,430 students Visiting Atul vidyamandir, EMRS Pardi Shri Kuber Dindor, Education Minister of Gujarat visited Eklavya Model Residential School, Par i (Atul Vi yamandir managed by Atul Vidyalaya Trust) on July 1, 2023. He interacted with the students nd teachers to enco rage them t continue working towar a brighter future. 83 self-help groups | 970 women | 16 villages Visiting Atul vidyamandir, EMRS Pardi Shri Kuber Dindor, Education Minister of Gujarat visited Eklavya Model Residential School, Pardi (Atul Vidyamandir managed by Atul Vidyalaya Trust) on July 1, 2023. He interacted with the students and teachers to encourage them to continue working toward a brighter future. 83 l help | m | 16 il ge Project updates Atul Foundation in association with Agastya International Foundation, has started a Mobile Science Laboratory project. This van, equipped with practical hands-on models explaining the concepts of science, travels to 18 schools in 14 villages of Valsad district, reaching out to around 3,300 students studying in grades 6-10. Project outreach: 18 schools 3 Atul Uttara Atul Foundation provided raining to 181 women belonging to self-help groups in five villages. The training encompassed various skills, such as crafting handmade products, pickle and papad producti n, m shr om cultivation and jewellery making, aiming to equip these women to start their own small businesses. The Foundation endeavours to empower women in rural areas by providing essential skills, r sources and arket access, enabling a p thway toward financial independence, social inclusion and creative expression for these women. Project outreach: 126 self-help groups | 1,433 women | 20 villages 1000 Nutrition Days To commemorate national nutrition month, the team imparted t aining on nut ition for the first 1,000 days of a child to 290 m diators who work closely with pregn t and l ctating mothers. The participants included ASHA workers, anganwa i workers, nursi g studen s and adhyapikas. These media o s, in turn, trained 475 pregnant and lactating mothers in their respective villages. Project outreach: 748 health practitioners | 311 mothers
Water conservation Education for children of migrant workers Godaan project Atul Foundation has launched a project dedicated to the children of migrant workers residing in Atul and its neighbouring villages. The primary goal of the project is to provide these children with foundational literacy skills, enabling them to read and write, alongside teaching them crucial daily hygiene practices. Currently, the team is working with 20 children residing in the migrant workers colony of Atul. Project outreach: 42 students To enable tribal families in Orissa to earn a living, 15 cows were provided as part of the Godaan project. A livestock insurance policy was provided to the families, as well as training was conducted to support cattle rearing. As of today, 43 cows have been provided to tribal families in the Balangir district of Orissa, the poorest district in the country. Project outreach: 293 Families Atul Foundation conducted demonstration sessions of sewage treatment plants and raised awareness of natural resource management for students at Kalyani Shala and EMRS Pardi. The students are being sensitised on the significance of water conservation and how adopting these measures contribute to the conservation of water resources. Project outreach: 187 KLD 4
Portraying diversity of India EMRS Pardi (Atul Vidyamandir) presented the diverse cultures of India through their annual day celebration on December 28, 2023. The students staged traditional musical and dance performances that depicted the different states of our country. Atul Vidyalaya celebrated its Annual Day 2023 - themed ‘Taal’, portraying stories through rhythmic beats in dance and musical performances. The annual day was held on December 19, 2023, commemorating the birth anniversary of our founder, Shri Kasturbhai Lalbhai. Institutions Unleashing creativity The students of Kalyani Shala secured second place in the Eco-Tech - Science, Technology and Innovation fair organised by Lakshmi Vidyapeeth. The students had prepared a count control bridge model. 72 models were showcased by various schools in the fair. 5 Swinging to the tunes of Kashmir Bringing colours of Kashmir to Gujarat, Atul Foundation organised ‘Sufi rang-e-Kashmir’, a Sufi musical event in association with VishwagramTrust. The performance was led by Shri Gulzar Ahmad Ganai and his troupe of Kashmiri singers who mesmerised the audience with their singing accompanied by traditional musical instruments. Dancing to the beats of Joy
Imparting soft skills training ARDF conducted a valedictory session for 24 students who have completed the three month course on soft skills. These courses are conducted to enhance the personal development of the students undertaking vocational courses. Collecting blood units Atul Rural Development Fund (ARDF) conducted seven blood donation camps, collecting 446 units of blood. Meeting and greeting at the annual fair Training on cyber security State Bank of India conducted a cyber security session for the students of Atul Institute of Vocational Excellence (AIVE). The session explained to the students about the safe usage of ATM cards, online frauds and scam calls. Utkarsh organised a three day fun fair on the Ulhas grounds. The annual fair consisted of rides and food stalls, offering an enjoyable evening for the visitors. 6
Fulfilling dreams After completing his schooling, Kiran Gavda opted to explore job opportunities to assist his family. Faced with the challenge of securing a decent job without a graduation degree, he decided to enrol in the electrician course at AIVE. Presently, he is gainfully employed in a reputable company, enabling him to fulfil the financial needs of his family. This year, Atul Foundation planted 56,000 trees on and around the Atul campus. Success stories Towards an independent life Gayatri Padvi, the daughter of a farm labourer, attained her graduation degree but faced challenges in securing employment for a livelihood. She enrolled in the Accounts Assistant course at AIVE to acquire proficiency in using Tally software. Currently, she is employed at a shopping mall in Surat, earning a comfortable living for both herself and her family. 7 Greening Atul
Agariyas are saltpan farmers who toil for eight months in a year in the salt-producing seasons. These farmers migrate to salt lands, enduring challenging conditions that affect the health of their family members. These farmers also find themselves in debt traps, borrowing money at high-interest rates to operate pumps for extraction of water from the land. To address this situation, Atul Foundation provided subsidised solar pumps to 10 such farming families, who have not only been able to come out of the debt trap and to improve their standards of living. Prakash Chandubhai shares, “Our annual income was around Rs. 50,000, with which we could barely support our families. But with the support of solar pumps, we have been able to reduce our daily diesel cost by around Rs 800. This increased income and savings have allowed me to fund the operation of a leg of my father and better support my family.” Towards a better way of living Stories to inspire 8 Project outreach: 10 Families Renewable Energy
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