[caption id="attachment_228" align="aligncenter" width="625"] His Excellency Mr Arun Goel, Consul General of India, with Mrs Alka Goel, iIMPACT Patron and guests at launch[/caption]...
iIMPACT India Trust CEO Nirmala Tandon made an impassioned appeal for support via a Skype video-link from Gurgaon, India to invited guests at iIMPACT’s formal launch on Friday, 9 August, 2013. “Even after graduation from iIMPACT Learning Centres at Year 5, our girls remain connected to iIMPACT teachers, administrators and sponsors. Those completing school have appealed to their sponsors for support with college education, vocational education or jobs – and they have not been disappointed.”
Ms Tandon spoke with ‘passion and compassion’ when describing the circumstances of villagers in remote areas such as Uttarakhand, often several hours away even from a dirt road. iIMPACT seeks out such neglected areas to establish the innovative Learning Centres for ‘joyful learning’ by girls in the 6-14 year age group. Ms Tandon also announced that the first Learning Centre funded by iIMPACT Australia would be named as such and located close to New Delhi International airport for convenient visits by Australian supporters.
Chief Guest, His Excellency Mr Arun Goel, Consul General of India, gave examples of outstanding achievements by young men and women from rural and disadvantaged communities, proving they only needed the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities and achieve their potential. He commended iMPACT and similar organisations that are delivering significant outcomes at low cost and transforming entire communities.
We are happy to share with you that 2,417 girls have graduated from the IIMPACT learning centers in the year 2012-2013. We CONGRATULATE them for this achievement. These girls have been through all manner of difficulties but they have shown what they are capable of achieving.
Girls passing out from our centers have great potential to continue in higher education. Currently about 76 percent of girls graduating from IIMPACT centres are continuing their education into higher classes. We should be mindful that these girls belong to the most marginalized communities in the villages. Most of them are from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and minority communities. Most of them are first generation learners in their families. Along with the mothers, we help the girls to overcome the disadvantages and discrimination they face in everyday life by promoting education. We are trying to address the needs of severely disadvantaged population where there are 8 to 10 children in a family. We at IIMPACT see that education reaches these underprivileged girls who have never been to school before.
Spare change dropped into counter top collection boxes at IIMPACT Partner VFS Global’s Indian Passport & Visa offices around Australia has contributed to a collection of over $3,000, enabling IIMPACT to sponsor two Learning Centres for 60 girls over a year! With the collection arrangements established in late January 2013, this amount has been raised in just three months, thanks to the generosity of VFS Global clients as well as their staff who have made contributions.
Did you know that your spare change can make a difference? VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for diplomatic missions and governments worldwide, is now an IIMPACT partner. Visitors to any of the six India Passport & Visa service centres in Australia will...
On 7 February, 2013, IIMPACT Educating the Girl Child was incorporated as a non-profit association in New South Wales. The primary objectives of this community organisation are: To support the primary education of the girl child in economically and socially disadvantaged communities of India; To inform, educate...