K.C. Mahindra Education Trust- Project Nanhi Kali
Project Nanhi Kali was started in 1996 by K.C. Mahindra Education Trust with the objective of providing quality education to underprivileged girls in India. Project Nanhi Kali (which means ‘a little bud’) was incepted against the backdrop of spiralling population growth rate, low female literacy level and low female workforce participation. In addition, social issues such as child marriage and child labor were commonplace in many parts of India, especially rural areas. With the twin objective of positively impacting India’s development by educating girls and encouraging Indians to contribute to a worthy cause, Project Nanhi Kali was designed as a sponsorship program, wherein corporates and individuals could participate by sponsoring girls’ education for a minimum period of a year. Over the years, Project Nanhi Kali has reached out to over 700,000 underprivileged girls across 15 states in India. The Project has ensured disadvantaged girls in India have a successful schooling experience. Project Nanhi Kali is jointly managed by two reputed not for profits K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation since 2005. With the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 being implemented by state governments and educational institutions, we have taken the opportunity to reflect deeply on our journey thus far, and identified areas where we can evolve to align with the NEP. Our program emphasizes on holistic development by integrating curricular and extracurricular activities in schools, which will help girls transition well from school to higher education and work opportunities.
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