Bhagyashali
Bhavishya
Shiksha Foundation
भाग्यशाली भविष्य शिक्षा संस्था
About Us
Bhagyashali Bhavishya Shiksha
Foundation was founded in Jan 2023
The goal of bbngo is to reach out to the children, youth and women of the Wadari community to help them to improve their lives.
The idea for setting up bbngo germinated after learning of the plight of the women and children of the Wadari community, living near Pune. Wadaris, who are originally stone workers, transferred their skills to the construction industry, working primarily as masons, centerers and also some support work called Bhigari work.
Being a part of the construction business, work is intermittent. Poverty is always looming over their heads whenever an accident, illness or any such crisis occurs in the family, as it does very often. There are two large settlements of the Wadari community near Pune, one near Burma Shell and another in Wadarwadi. Even though Wadaris have been Denotified by the Indian Government years ago, the Wadari community still grapples with malnutrition, alcoholism and it is heartbreaking to see the plight of these people.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
The high drop-out rate in school is a disturbing feature as it means that one more young boy/girls potential is snuffed out even before it could develop into a meaningful, productive life. We believe we have identified the stumbling blocks in the schooling years of our children from the marginalised sections, and we can, even should, provide them the help needed at the right time and age to overcome these challenges.
Our After School Program addresses these areas in the lives of children from the deprived sections of society from ages 13 to 16 yrs. Government-funded school programs are a beginning and provide a foundation. We believe it has to be strengthened by honing the skills in some key areas. This has to be done by providing help in navigating the stumbling blocks, which are mainly subjects like Maths and English. This has to be provided during after- school hours.
YOUTH SKILLS & LIVELIHOOD
Even after 16 years of schooling and a School Leaving certificate in hand, a large majority of our youth are unemployable in meaningful roles, leading to great frustration in them, or worse still getting trapped in a life which is ruinous for them.
We believe we must provide sufficient support and impart basic job skills required which open up many career opportunities for them. Our Youth Skills and Livelihood programs address this lacuna in our educational system. After 12 years of schooling now what? Where? How? The students, fresh out of school, without access to sufficient information or experience to navigate the road to employment, have to be mentored, taught the skills to move ahead. This is where our programs specially designed for the youth steps in
WOMEN
As per research, and also by a survey conducted by us, the women of the Wadari community have a very low literacy level. Most of them are employed as domestic help in homes. Savings and spending are in their hands, often leading them to fall into the hands of unscrupulous money lenders. We feel that some essential financial literacy, using the services of banks, and basic knowledge of financial management will empower these women and save them from falling into the hands of greedy sharks.
Another area we intend to address is nutrition and health. The large incidences of TB and malnutrition which is rampant in the community is also going to be addressed in our programs designed for the women of Wadari community
