Bangalore: Shishu Mandir, a registered NGO, founded by Dr Hella Mundra, launched the Rahim Education Project, an initiative to provide financial assistant to 150 children who were deprived of education due to COVID-19. The initiative was launched in association with Rahim, a German Citizen, on the occasion of Founder’s Day.
Rahim Education Project will focus on providing school fees, books and uniforms and other educational expenses to all the shortlisted students every year, with Rs 45,000 as an average for each student for their educational purpose. These 150 students were nominated based on an educational survey that was conducted covering 10 schools between Medahalli to Ramurthynagar Belt. The children were purely chosen on merit and the children who discontinued their education due to pandemic and other economical constraints to create future educational prospects to deserving students.
Commenting on the launch of the Rahim Education Project, Vandana Kumar, President of Shishu Mandir said, “It gives us great pleasure to announce the launch of the Rahim Education Project, which is dedicated to the well-being and overall educational development of children who are deprived of education. We at Shishu Mandir express our gratitude to Mr Rahim for his contribution in bringing this positive ray of light into the lives of many children who are in desperate need of financial assistance to pursue their education. Students are the nation’s future pillars, and it is our responsibility to assist them in achieving their full potential.”
Dr Hella Mundra is a visionary, doctor, and the founder of the Shishu Foundation. Growing up among the shackles of World War II, Hella completed her education under the influence of some of her high school teachers, strong, highly cultured, well-read women, who were committed to humanism and pacifism.
Hella´s introduction to India occurred, when she was a student, who had come in with a motive of serving people. She went on to marry a young Indian doctor named Dwarka Das Mundhra. In the 70s, Hella and her family put down their roots in Bangalore. Here, they set up the Ashok Nursing Home offering medical services to all people, irrespective of whether they could pay or not. Soon, Hella also began health camps in nearby slum areas. The lifestyle of the dwellers and the hopeless conditions of the children disturbed her deeply. This led to the return of a former dream, to engage with children and to shape their minds towards a better world by providing quality education and healthcare for economically backward kids.
When the children were old enough to attend school, Hella looked for a suitable school before being dismayed by the quality of education offered across. She started an experimental school, which has now become the Shishu Mandir Education Centre. Hella’s goal for Shishu Mandir is to provide activities and projects that create a welcoming environment for children to study, learn, and grow without fear or insecurity.
Shishu Mandir is a registered non-governmental organisation founded by Doctor Hella Mundra in 1983 to provide free and holistic education to children from impoverished backgrounds, with an emphasis on educating the girl child. For over 30 years, the NGO has been working towards creating a generation of children who are not bound by the circumstances they were born into. Shishu Mandir offers a comprehensive support system with free schooling, vocational training and higher education. The entire community, where the Shishu children come from, is supported through various welfare projects to allow the children to develop to the best of their abilities and also as a way of igniting hope within the communities.