Based in the Punjab region of India, The D. V. Singh Foundation for Child Development aims to improve access to education for young children, especially girls, with the ultimate vision of creating a society where all children have food, education, good health, and a secure life. Since the charity’s foundation in 2019, the hard work and dedication of their volunteers has provided education to over 700 children living below the poverty line, who are reported to be ‘achieving new heights in literacy’.

According to India’s 2011 census, the literacy rate was already on the rise, and is predicted to have increased further ahead of the upcoming census this year. The male literacy rate was 80.44%, while the female rate was 70.73%. The overall average literacy rate had increased by 6.1% to 75.84% from 2001 to 2011. People with little to no education make up the majority of the illiterate, and missing out on learning to read and write poses a significant barrier to young children fulfilling their potentials.

This is where the D. V. Singh Foundation for Child Development comes in. The charity was founded with only seven members, but five years later has over 100 volunteers. In 2022, they won ‘Most Inspirational NGO for girls’ education and Welfare in India’ and ‘Best Funding Platform for Girls’ Literacy Promotion’ in the Non-Profit Organisation Awards by Acquisition International in recognition of their amazing contribution to the community.

Despite being based in Punjab, they operate across the whole of India to fund girls’ tuition fees. This kind of financial support is encouraging girls to enrol in school and opens up the opportunity to continue into higher education, where they previously would have stopped due to the lack of funds. Back in 2022, they paid the full tuition fees of 48 girls. The school noted that they are all ‘very bright students’, and that the generous act would give them ‘moral strength’ to continue their studies.

The organisation goes even further to work towards their vision by purchasing land to establish open schools for local communities. Run by volunteers, the classes are on Sundays and give children a basic education which could set them up for admission into a government school. They have run four events in August 2024 alone to support disadvantaged children and raise awareness of the importance of education. Volunteers distributed schoolbags in Jalandhar, in the north of Punjab, and proceeded to thank everyone who contributed to make it possible. They also stated that it was ‘truly heartwarming’ to see the children’s smiles and that ‘these events are a testament to [their]commitment to child development and education’.

Two weeks later they distributed more schoolbags filled with student essentials. They have also supplied school shoes and pencil cases to students in need. The aim of the initiative is to ‘empower young children’, so they can have the confidence to excel in school as their first steps towards a brighter future. Computers were also donated by volunteers and children were taught to use them to support their studies, so they are not left behind in the growing digital landscape.

Beyond supporting children’s education, the foundation runs plenty of events to raise social awareness of the importance of education, health, welfare, and more. Most recently, in August 2024 they ran a poster making competition at a school in Jalandhar.

D. V. Singh Foundation for Child Development

The competition gave students the opportunity to express themselves through art and showcase their creativity, while also inspiring the promotion of important causes and social themes. The students all showed great enthusiasm for the event.
This is among the many creative schemes the charity has run, all with the goal of giving children the freedom of expression, adding colour to the streets, and showing that creativity has no boundaries; the children in the most disadvantaged areas are brimming with innovation that should not be limited by school fees.

Finally, the charity reaches out to support parents by providing food to those unable to earn in slums and roadside areas. They also identify the girls most insecure about attending school, so strive to give children the confidence they need to enrol and the parents the means to support them.

The D. V. Singh Foundation for Child Development has already made an inspiring impact on the quality of lives of hundreds of children in India over the past five years. Education is the most powerful weapon, and this certainly rings true for the young girls who are now able to flourish in the classroom and beyond thanks to this wonderful charity.

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Sophie is studying Pharmacology in London and, besides medicines, has an enthusiastic interest in nature and cultures around the world. When she’s not glued to her computer screen, she enjoys writing, crocheting, and reading pretty much any book she can find.

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