Page 59 - EducationWorld September 2020
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and services, including printed
             products. I am also confident of an
             increasing number of professionals
             and students signing up for com-
             munication skills training to enhance
             their job prospects and employabili-
             ty,” says this indefatigable polymath.
                     Summiya Yasmeen (Bangalore)
             Children’s

             evangelist




                   une-based NIVEDITA DAS
                   GUPTA is the country head
             Pof Miracle Foundation India
             (MFI, estb.2011, head count: 55) —
             the Indian division of Austin (USA)-
             based non-profit Miracle Foundation   DasGupta: orphaned & vulnerable children saviour
             (MF). The parent foundation was
             registered in the millennium year   a visit to a conventional orphan-  they are enrolled in the nearest
             to provide for orphaned and other   age in a remote village in Odisha.   government school and proceed into
             vulnerable children in approved   Appalled by the living and learning   higher education. Moreover, they
             Child Care Institutions (CCIs) that   conditions of eager-to-learn chil-  are provided after school remedial
             implement the foundation’s well-  dren, Boudreaux quit a promising   education within the premises of
             designed education, nutrition, health   corporate career and registered the   their CCIs. For vocational education,
             and protective programmes to pre-  Miracle Foundation in the US with   they are enrolled with nearest ITIs
             pare them for life. MFI is a member   the objective of helping “orphaned   (Industrial Training Institutes). We
             institution of a global network of   and vulnerable children reach their   pride ourselves for nurturing our
             non-profits committed to eliminate   full potential with the broader objec-  children and ensuring their success
             traditional orphanages and CCIs by   tive of reuniting abandoned children   in life,” says DasGupta, an alumna
             2040. Among their prominent corpo-  with their families and encouraging   of Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
             rate donors are G.M.R. Vanalakshmi   adoption of orphaned children”.  Mumbai with four decades of experi-
             Foundation and Bajaj Auto.         Over the past two decades,     ence in social work and child devel-
             Newspeg. Following the Covid-19   Miracle Foundation has empowered   opment, who was appointed country
             induced mass closure of schools in   15,000 children in 300 approved   head of MFI in 2011.
             mid-March, MFI has introduced a   CCIs countrywide, and reunited 25   Future plans. Looking ahead, Das-
             remote education programme to    percent of them with kith and kin.   Gupta has drawn up an extensive
             ensure that the children in the foun-  Moreover, 342 ‘graduates’ of MFI   expansion plan for MFI. “In the next
             dation’s 17 approved CCIs continue   are enrolled in higher education,   five years, we intend to support at
             their education. Leveraging digital   18 are in productive employment   least 30,000 orphaned and vulner-
             learning platforms such as Skype and   and 906 have ICT (information   able children in approved CCIs while
             Zoom, CCI teachers and computer   and communication technologies)   working towards reuniting them with
             professionals engaged by MFI are   certification.                 their families and placing orphaned
             providing online classes — including   Direct talk. “There are 29.6 million   children in loving homes. To finance
             career counseling and life skills edu-  orphaned and abandoned children   these initiatives, we will be step-
             cation — to 11,542 MFI supported   in India, the largest number of any   ping up our fundraising drive and
             children.                        country worldwide. Our children,   spreading awareness about MFI’s
             History. On the India leg of a world   mostly first generation learners,   humanitarian work and track record.
             tour in 2000, US-based CAROLINE   receive loving, nurturing care of   Our ultimate objective is to eliminate
             BOUDREAUX, an alumna of Loui-    carefully selected caregivers, periodic   all orphanages and CCIs,” says this
             siana State University (USA) and a   health check-ups, three nutritious   committed abandoned children’s
             young ‘global leader’ of the Davos-  meals daily and a safe environment   evangelist.
             based World Economic Forum, made   in our approved CCIs. We ensure        Paromita Sengupta (Bangalore)

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