Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan

Project Brief: Formal/Non formal education of children from red light communities
Project Type: Capex / Infrastructure (description)
Primary Focus: children of sex workers (description)

Secondary Focus: children of migrant workers

Area: Tribal
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Berkeley
Status: CLOSED - ENDED
Project Steward: Devdatta Akhawe
Co-Steward: Nina John
Project Partner(s): Ajeet Singh
Project Address: Guria Swayam Sevi Sansthan
S-8/395, Khajuri Colony
Uttar Pradesh 2
Tel: 91-542-2504253
Stewarding Chapter: Berkeley
Sep 2014San FranciscoUSD 9335
Mar 2014BerkeleyUSD 7829
May 2012BerkeleyUSD 10000
Dec 2008BerkeleyUSD 7000
Jul 2007Silicon ValleyUSD 22500
May 2007DCUSD 1122
Dec 2006Work an HourUSD 8820
Mar 2006Work an HourUSD 5200
Apr 2004ArizonaUSD 5000
2004CentralNJUSD 5000
Feb 2003CentralNJUSD 2400
Feb 2003CentralNJUSD 4000
2003CentralNJUSD 3750

Total = $91956

Guria (pronounced, Gudiya) manages a Non-Formal Education (NFE) center at the heart of the red light district in Varanasi. This center has become extremely successful and has changed the lives of hundreds. The children in this center study more than just arithmetic and English; they study meditation as well as coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma of their childhood. The students learn in a judgmental free environment. They sit in a circle with their teacher and are able to speak freely. Such an environment is productive in that it enriches the children emotionally and educationally. This allows the children to truly express their concerns and get the help that they require.

The safe and enriching environment that Guria provides has allowed people to move past their misfortunate backgrounds and assimilate into the rest of the world. The center provides vocational training (e.g., nursing, computers, and tech repair) to help these children find alternate employment opportunities. The program has successfully rehabilitated a number of children.