Season's greetings from OPEN, and a Happy New Year 2022. We hope everyone is staying safe as we go through the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Education is still unsettled in India as we progress through the pandemic. Schools were open for classes 9-12, then closed due to the heavy Tamil Nadu rains. Colleges have conducted exams in ad-hoc fashion. Some of our partners have been able to accomplish meaningful education - albeit with a smaller target population than pre-pandemic - and others have not. The OPEN web site has also been impacted with a crash that led to the loss of some of our 2020 updates, which we are in the process of recreating.
Post-secondary education: Ignite scholarship program
Students are predominantly in college for B.Com., B.Sc., 3 year Polytechnic, or 4-year Engineering degrees. Most students in this program are poor, with average family income of Rs. 8,000 per month, and we only admit new students to this program after income verification and house visits (or video calls, as appropriate in these pandemic times).
In partnership with the IRT (Institute of Road Transport) Polytechnic College, we expect to induct a fresh batch of 16 students in addition to the students who respond to our normal applications process (we already have 16 IRT students from the last year). We also inducted 15 students through the normal application process. Since we aren't able to conduct live counseling sessions, and exams are being conducted on an ad-hoc basis by the different colleges and polytechnics, it has been difficult to run this program in normal orderly fashion.
Supplemental education: English classes by Vidyarambam
We continue working with Vidyarambam Trust to bring their Easy Learning English and Math supplemental programs to partner schools in Chennai. Our budget for academic year 2021-22 is $10,500. Vidyarambam opened a learning center for students as schools were closed initially due to the pandemic and more recently due to heavy rains in Chennai, but have now trained teachers and are hoping to restart classes in Chennai soon, as government schools in Chennai reopen.
Supplemental education: Ashraya libraries, Book of the Month, Arts and Science, Computer clubs
The Ashraya Trust runs libraries and Science and Arts clubs at 9 schools in rural Karnataka. As the pandemic closed schools, Ashraya pivoted to remote learning and teaching using smartphones and Zoom classes, and eventually to lessons loaded onto YouTube and streamed to low-cost Android tablets. Our budget for academic year 2021-22 is $4800.
Keeping slum children in school: After-school center run by Turning Point Trust
The Turning Point Trust aims to keep children of slum dwellers in Kannagi Nagar, Chennai, in school. An after-school center for 60 children is being supported by OPEN. Students come to the center for help with academics.Online classes were started for improving English and Math skills at Kannagi Nagar through an NGO called ACE STEM, and in addition to staff salaries, we are also paying for data access for these classes.The centers continued to be open for children through the pandemic and were somewhat of a safe haven for these children.
K-12 Education: Ganapathy Iyer Girls’ Higher Secondary School
We continue our support of Ganapathy Iyer Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, with tuition scholarships for poor children, and operating expenses for after-school classes (chess, karate) and breakfast/evening snacks. The school has been open for classes 9-12 and the HM Mrs.Sharadha Manee is looking forward to the entire school's reopening.
OPEN needs you
The OPEN community has supported over 36,000 students in the past 15 years with over $1 million in grants. As always, our ability to fund these projects depends on your generosity. OPEN is a non-profit charitable foundation in India and in the U.S. Contributions in both countries are tax-deductible.
Contributions in USD may be made online or by check.
Checks payable to OPEN Inc. may be sent to one of:
Kumar Thiagarajan, 25470 Gimbel Dr, South Riding, VA 20152
Rajesh Ramadoss, 21 South Mountain Rd, Millburn, NJ 07041
Cheques in INR may be sent in favor of:
Open India Charitable Trust # 26/91, 3rd Street, Karpagam Avenue, R.A.Puram, Chennai - 600028 Phone : +91 77086-79797.
You may also donate online in INR thru NEFT/IMPS:
Bank: Canara Bank Branch: St. Mary’s Road, Chennai Account Number: 1 2871 01 01 8901 MICR Number: 60001 5037 IFSC Code Number: CNRB0001287
Please consider investing in India's future. To delay may mean to forget.
Sincerely,
The OPEN Team
2019 H2 Update
Season's greetings from OPEN, and a Happy New Year. We are glad to bring you this update on our activities for the second half of 2019. During this time, OPEN hit a milestone: over $1 million in grants made; and over 36,000 students benefited!
Post-secondary education: Ignite scholarship program
We support 110 students through this scholarship program for academic year 2019-20. Students are predominantly in college for B.Com., B.Sc., 3 year Polytechnic, or 4-year Engineering degrees. Most students in this program are poor, with average family income of Rs. 8,000 per month, and we only admit new students to this program after income verification and house visits. Our budget for the current academic year is $14,000.
In partnership with the IRT (Institute of Road Transport) Polytechnic College, we will be inducting a fresh batch of 16 students in addition to the normal students who respond to our applications process. A group of 16 deserving students from IRT was already inducted into our 2018-19 academic year program.
Supplemental education: English classes by Vidyarambam
We continue working with Vidyarambam Trust to bring their Easy Learning English supplemental program to partner schools in Chennai. 1075 students from 9 schools are being coached in English during academic year 2019-20, with most of them in classes 6-8. We are piloting English classes for students in grades 1-5 at Chennai Middle School, Gandhigramam. Our budget for academic year 2019-20 is $20,100.
The video shows a 4th standard student reading in English at Chennai Middle School, Gandhigramam.
The video shows a 4th standard student incorporating punctuation into English text at Chennai Middle School, Gandhigramam.
Keeping slum children in school: After-school center run by Turning Point Trust
The Turning Point Trust aims to keep children of slum dwellers in Rotary Nagar, Chennai, in school. A new after-school center for 60 children is being supported by OPEN. Students come to the center for help with academics, and are also coached on their civic responsibilities.
75% of time is focused on academics, and the rest of time is spent on extracurricular activities that focus on civic sense, counseling on self-awareness, speaking skills, awareness of societal norms, environment etc.The younger children get to play with games which help teach them maths, values etc. These help develop confidence. There is a lot of focus on getting the students to be aware of their own capabilities and to be responsible.
Past results show that about 57% of Turning Point center graduates go on to attend Polytechnic or College.
Supplemental education: Ashraya libraries, Book of the Month, Arts and Science, Computer clubs
The Ashraya Foundation runs libraries and Science and Arts clubs at 9 schools in rural Karnataka. We support librarian salaries and salaries for Arts and Science teachers at 6 of these schools. The reading program is open to all students in classes 4-8, and the Arts and Science clubs are open to the best 20 students in classes 6-8 from each school. Science experiments from the 1-minute Gupta set are translated into Kannada and taught to the students.
A complete report for the academic year 2018-19, and a plan for the year 2019-2020, is available at this link. Our budget for academic year 2019-2020 is $8500, and we support 700 children in 6 schools, at an annual cost/student of approx $12.
In this current academic year, Ashraya have made a big push towards computer classes for their children, with a series of 9 videos for training. The video below is a tutorial video for school students that shows children the power of the Internet and search.
Ongoing projects
We continue our support of Ganapathy Iyer Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, with tuition scholarships for poor children, and operating expenses for after-school classes (chess, karate) and breakfast/evening snacks. This program benefits 170 children.
We sponsor 10 children from the Malleswaram Shishu Vihar, Bangalore, with scholarships for school. We are also sponsoring the school education of 7 children, selected by Samridhdhi, an NGO that focuses on educating migrant laborers' children inBangalore.
OPEN key statistics, 2003 - December 2019
The OPEN community has supported over 36,000 students in the past 15 years with over $1,000,000 in grants. A breakdown of grants is shown in the chart above. As always, our ability to fund these projects depends on your generosity.
OPEN needs you
OPEN is a non-profit charitable foundation in India and in the U.S. Contributions in both countries are tax-deductible.
Contributions in USD may be made online or by check.
Checks payable to OPEN Inc. may be sent to one of:
Kumar Thiagarajan, 25470 Gimbel Dr, South Riding, VA 20152
Rajesh Ramadoss, 21 South Mountain Rd, Millburn, NJ 07041
Cheques in INR may be sent in favor of:
Open India Charitable Trust # 26/91, 3rd Street, Karpagam Avenue, R.A.Puram, Chennai - 600028 Phone : +91 77086-79797.
You may also donate online in INR thru NEFT/IMPS:
Bank: Canara Bank Branch: St. Mary’s Road, Chennai Account Number: 1 2871 01 01 8901 MICR Number: 60001 5037 IFSC Code Number: CNRB0001287
Please consider investing in India's future. To delay may mean to forget.
Sincerely,
The OPEN Team
2019 H1 Update
We wish the OPEN community a happy summer, and are glad to bring you this update on our activities for the first half of 2019.
Fundraising concert by Rasika
The fundraiser by Rasika in Maywas a great success. We thank the hundreds of repeat concert-goers who keep our spirits high by supporting our cause, and our gratitude to Rasika for their tireless rehearsals that led to a smashing show. Our thanks also to Anu Hasan for compering the event and peppering the songs with her anecdotes from showbiz, and to our sponsors for supporting this charitable cause.
The video that we played at the concert highlights some of OPEN's beneficiaries and programs.
Post-secondary education: Ignite scholarship program
We supported 107 students through this scholarship program for academic year 2018-19. Students are predominantly in college for B.Com., B.Sc., 3 year Polytechnic, or 4-year Engineering degrees. Most students in this program are poor, with average family income of Rs. 8000 per month, and we only admit new students to this program after income verification and house visits. Our spend for the 2018-2019 academic year was $13,375, and we have a similar budget for the next year.
We are happy to announce that S.Neelavathi, a B.Tech. Information Technology graduate, has secured a job as software developer with Siemens Ltd, at a salary of INR 5L per year. S.Santhosh Kumar and R.Kowsthuba also got software engineering jobs paying over INR 5L per year. Approx 72% of the final year students have graduated on time, as against a historical average of 85%. 15% have jobs or have been admitted to higher studies programs.
In the meantime, we held a counseling session for new applicants on June 30, 2019, and are now vetting applications from around 30 new students. Selvamohan Neethiraj, a long-standing supporter of OPEN, addressed the incoming students with some of his own personal journey from Polytechnic to BITS Pilani to a technical career in the US. Recent graduates Santhosh Kumar and Madhavan also spoke to the students.
Supplemental education: English classes by Vidyarambam
We continue working with Vidyarambam Trust to bring their Easy Learning English supplemental program to partner schools in Chennai. 1000 students from 7 schools were coached in English (classes 6-8) during academic year 2018-19.
Our budget for academic year 2018-19 was $21,100 for 1000 children in 7 Chennai schools, covering English only. Our budget for academic year 2019-2020 is similar.
Right now, children in classes 6-8 are being taught. We are piloting the ELE method for children in classes 1-8 at one school.
The Easy Learning English coaching pre-post comparisons below show the great improvement in performance of the children from the diagnostic phase to the final test phase, with an explanation of the grades.
The video shows a 2nd standard student leading the English class at Chennai Middle School, Gandhigramam.
Renovation of toilets and bathrooms at Maharshi Shinde Tribal Residential School, rural Maharashtra
We were approached by Rotary Club, Thane district, whom we have supported in the past with textbooks and infrastructure, for the renovation and repair of 19 toilets and 19 bathrooms at Maharshi Shinde Tribal Residential School in Mokhada, Maharashtra.
The project benefits 696 children, of whom 302 are girls and 394 boys. The project was complete in a month after approval, and sample photos are shown before and after. The total cost was $7,955. We believe that minor amounts may be needed to continue maintenance and repair of these toilets in the coming years, and have been assured that staff exist to ensure daily cleaning and maintenance.
In general, the buildings at this school are in poor state, and point to the desperate need for infrastructure in rural India.
Supplemental education: Ashraya libraries, Book of the Month, Arts and Science, Computer clubs
The Ashraya Foundation runs libraries and Science and Arts clubs at 9 schools in rural Karnataka. We support librarian salaries and salaries for Arts and Science teachers at 6 of these schools. The reading program is open to all students in classes 4-8, and the Arts and Science clubs are open to the best 20 students in classes 6-8 from each school. Science experiments from the 1-minute Gupta set are translated into Kannada and taught to the students.
Some key Ashraya statistics are shown in the table below. A complete report for the academic year 2018-19, and a plan for the year 2019-2020, is available at this link. Our budget for academic year 2019-2020 is $8200, and we support 700 children in 6 schools, at an annual cost/student of approx $12.
Ongoing projects
We continue our support of Ganapathy Iyer Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, with tuition scholarships for poor children, and operating expenses for after-school classes (chess, karate) and breakfast/evening snacks. This program benefits 170 children.
The Turning Point Trust aims to keep children of slum dwellers in Rotary Nagar, Chennai, in school. A new after-school center for 60 children is being supported by OPEN.
We sponsor 10 children from the Malleswaram Shishu Vihar, Bangalore, with scholarships for school. We are also sponsoring the school education of 7 children, selected by Samridhdhi, an NGO that focuses on educating migrant laborers' children inBangalore.
OPEN welcomes new India trustees
OPEN is registered both in the US and in India. We welcome Sashikala Krishna, Sridhar Sockalingam, and Meenakshi Sudarshan as OPEN India trustees. Meena, Sridhar, and Sashi were already heavily involved in the Ignite scholarship program's students' selection and counseling, and with increasing involvement in other OPEN projects, took on the formal responsibility of OPEN trusteeship in India.
OPEN key statistics, 2003 - July 2019
The OPEN community has supported over 34,000 students in the past 15 years with over $975,000 in grants. A breakdown of grants is shown in the chart above.
OPEN needs you
OPEN has been registered as a non-profit charitable foundation in India and in the U.S. Contributions in both countries are tax-deductible. As always, our ability to fund these projects depends on your generosity.
Contributions in USD may be made online or by check.
Checks payable to OPEN Inc. may be sent to one of:
Kumar Thiagarajan, 25470 Gimbel Dr, South Riding, VA 20152
Rajesh Ramadoss, 38 Ocean St, Millburn, NJ 07041
Cheques in INR may be sent in favor of:
Open India Charitable Trust # 26/91, 3rd Street, Karpagam Avenue, R.A.Puram, Chennai - 600028 Phone : +91 77086-79797.
You may also donate online in INR thru NEFT/IMPS:
Bank: Canara Bank Branch: St. Mary’s Road, Chennai Account Number: 1 2871 01 01 8901 MICR Number: 60001 5037 IFSC Code Number: CNRB0001287
Please consider investing in India's future. To delay may mean to forget.
Sincerely,
The OPEN Team
2018 H2 Update
We wish the OPEN community a happy holiday season, and a Happy New Year. We are glad to bring you this update on our activities for the second half of 2018.
Post-secondary education: Ignite scholarship program
We are supporting 89 students through this scholarship program for academic year 2018-19 (we have a few more applicants, status TBD after 1st semester college marks are available). Students are predominantly in college for B.Com., B.Sc., 3 year Polytechnic, or 4-year Engineering degrees. Most students in this program are poor, with average family income of Rs. 8000 per month, and we only admit new students to this program after income verification and house visits. Our expected spend for the 2018-2019 academic year is $14,000.
We are happy to announce that S.Neelavathi, a final year B.Tech. Information Technology student (still in her 8th semester), has already secured a job as software developer with Siemens Ltd, at a salary of INR 5L per year. We hope that the other students in their final year will do as well, but we want to reiterate that we focus overall on providing an opportunity to children, and the success rate of the program needs to be looked at in context of the challenges faced by the children.
We continue to hold coaching classes for students in all years in spoken English and in effective communication. Final year students get coaching in Resume writing, Group Discussion, and in effective Interviewing. We are grateful to acknowledge the funding of these classes by Vignesh Educational Trust, the family charitable foundation of one of our OPEN members.
Results-based education: Supplemental classes by Vidyarambam
We continue working with Vidyarambam Trust to bring their Easy Learning English supplemental program to partner schools in Chennai. 1000 students from 7 schools are being coached in English (classes 6-8) during academic year 2018-19. School administrators see the benefits of the extra coaching that their children get during school inspections - children are vocal and confident when asked to read a passage or do math on the board. Testimonials from the Headmistress, Chennai Primary School, Mullai Nagar, and the Headmistress, Chennai Primary School, Ekkattuthangal, are glowing in praise of Vidyarambam.
Our budget for academic year 2018-19 is $21,100 for 1000 children in 7 Chennai schools, covering English only.
The Easy Learning English coaching pre-post comparisons below show the great improvement in performance of the children from the diagnostic phase to the middle test phase, with an explanation of the grades.
Results-based education: Ashraya libraries, Book of the Month, Arts and Science, Computer clubs
The Ashraya Foundation runs libraries and Science and Arts clubs at 9 schools in rural Karnataka. We support librarian salaries and salaries for Arts and Science teachers at 6 of these schools. The reading program is open to all students in classes 4-8, and the Arts and Science clubs are open to the best 20 students in classes 6-8 from each school. The reading level of all students is monitored, and remedial instructions are provided to the bottom 20% of each batch. The best 20 students are enrolled in a Book of the Month Club, and get to pick the best books and do book reports. The book reports this year were on Shakespeare's Othello, Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, etc.
Ashraya are focusing their intervention on approximately the top 10% and bottom 20% of students. Our budget for academic year 2018-2019 is $8200, and we support 700 children in 6 schools, at an annual cost/student of approx $12.
Ashraya recently introduced computer classes in 6 of their schools, taught by a dedicated computer teacher who carries 3 laptops from school to school. Students learn about the parts of a computer, MS Windows and the file system, the basics of Word Processing, Excel, and Internet Search. 32 sessions are conducted at each school per a lesson plan, and live exams are conducted at mid-year and year-end. Click here for an detailed description of the Computer Club, its objectives, and lesson plan.
Somasundaram school in Savagangai Taluk: Computer classes
Somasundaram School is a small school with 80 children in rural Tamil Nadu, with 5 teachers (including a vocational teacher) coaching classes 1-8. We continue to fund an additional Computers teacher, who teaches the children to explore the file system in Microsoft Windows, to compose basic documents and change font formatting in MS Word, and to make basic formulae in MS Excel. Children are taught to use MS Paint to make rudimentary art.
Ongoing projects
We continue our support of Ganapathy Iyer Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, with tuition scholarships for poor children, and operating expenses for after-school classes (chess, karate) and breakfast/evening snacks. This program benefits 170 children.
The Turning Point Trust aims to keep children of slum dwellers in Rotary Nagar, Chennai, in school. The Trust has proposed a new after-school center for 50 children who have been with the program for a long time. We are evaluating this proposal.
We sponsor 10 children from the Malleswaram Shishu Vihar, Bangalore, with scholarships for school. We are also sponsoring the school education of 7 children, selected by Samridhdhi, an NGO that focuses on educating migrant laborers' children inBangalore.
OPEN key statistics, 2003 - December 2018
The OPEN community has supported over 33,000 students in the past 14 years. A breakdown of grants is shown in the chart above.
OPEN needs you
OPEN has been registered as a non-profit charitable foundation in India and in the U.S. Contributions in both countries are tax-deductible. As always, our ability to fund these projects depends on your generosity.