Gyan Seva Bharati Sansthan - NFE Centers

Project Brief: GSBS runs Non-formal education (NFE) centers and Self-help groups (SHGs) but they are in a dysfunctional state. Asha's funding is to kickstart one NFE.
Project Type: Non-Formal Educational Centers (description)
Primary Focus: to go to formal school (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact: Canada
Status: completed - requirements ended
Project Steward: Navin Kashyap
Project Partner(s): Shekhar Jha
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , At+Po-Kamalpur, Via-Kanauli Bazar, Distt-Supaul,,,
BIHAR  847451
Tel: +91-9934251400
Stewarding Chapter: Canada
Oct 2014CanadaUSD 4955
Sep 2014CanadaUSD 11632
Mar 2014CanadaCAD 3470
Feb 2014CanadaUSD 3499
Dec 2012CanadaCAD 3000
Jun 2011CanadaUSD 1200
Mar 2011CanadaCAD 3000
Apr 2010CanadaCAD 3000
Oct 2008CanadaCAD 3000

Total = $34590.2

The Project involves running two non-formal education (NFE) centres for children in the villages of Kamalpur and Hairpur, Supaul district, in the state of Bihar. These villages lie in the flood plains of North Bihar, and are subject to devastating annual floods. Around 60% of the land remains water-logged for six months of the year. There is almost no infrastructure in the form of roads, schools, hospitals etc. The literacy rate in the local community is approximately 40%.

The overall aims of the Project are:
- to provide children in the specified villages with the basic education and confidence necessary to enrol in, and attend, government or other mainstream (formal) schools.
- to instil in the children and their parents a sense of the importance of basic education;

The project would impact about 165 children in the two villages named above.

Specifically, the activities to be carried out for the Project are listed below:
- maintaining at least one teacher in each NFE centre;
- providing notebooks/slates for the children, and other
educational aids (textbooks, maps, charts) as appropriate for the lessons;
- periodically holding parent-teacher meetings to update parents on their children's progress;
- helping children seek admission into local government schools.

Gyan Sewa Bharti Sansthan (GSBS) was started by Mr. Sushil Kumar Jha in 1995. The others active in GSBS are his elder brother, Mr. Kalika Nand Jha and his son, Mr. Shekhar Kumar Jha. Initially the organization focused on the issues of flood and water logging, but later, realizing the need of the community people, diversified its activities into various aspects of rural development. Among the current activities of GSBS are:
- the running of NFE centres in several villages within Nirmali block of Supaul district;
- the management of self-help groups for women with an aim towards financial self-reliance