The event was flagged off on an auspicious note with the lighting of the lamp by the Chief guest, Dr Srinivasa, Renowned Nuclear Scientiest who has worked with Dr. Abdul Kalam. This lighting was accompanied by a very melodious song Vande Matram sung by the girls of Shri Sajjan Rao Vidhya Samaste, V.V. Puram.

Once the audience settled down, Sri Mahesh Vaidya addressed the gathering and shed some light on the Sponsor a Child programme, and told about its significance in today’s world. This informative speech was followed by very catchy and humorous group Skit from the children of Halgevaderahalli Tution Center. These kids managed to get the audience rolling on the floor!

Following that, there was a string of donor and child testimonials, which underlined and highlighted the cause and its relevance and direct effect on the society. The donors expressed complete satisfaction by sponsoring the children. The children on the other hand pledged that they would study hard and give education their best shot to make the sponsorship worthwhile. Following the donor child testimonials, Mr. Vinod of Cisco Systems gave an overview of Youth For Seva and its different parts, including the Health division and Green Commandos. The audience was thrilled to see the rapid development of the organization

Following the overview, the cultural programme continued and there was a dance performance by the graceful girls of Sneha Seva Trust Tution Center. Post this, there was a group song by the Sponsored children of Kumaraswamy layout. In the meanwhile, we also got to hear words of wisdom from our Chief guest, Dr. Srinivasa . This was then followed by a couple of donor and child testimonials, and finally, Mr. Venkatesh Murthy gave the thank you vote.

However, the program was all but over. Things spiced up and following the speeches and cultural event was the most awaited part of the function – the meeting of donors with their children. It was very enthralling to see the passion with which both the donor and child greeted each other. Many people drew inspiration from this touching moment and pledged to sponsor more children in the future

The programme was followed by a very appetizing lunch. The arrangements were very well placed and there was a look of satisfaction on all faces alike after eating the bisi bele bhaath and curd rice! Close to the lunch area, the volunteers of Green Commandos had put up a stall for the sale of cloth bags and Youth For Seva tshirts. Many people showed interest in these items and purchased them to become responsible in the environment front too!

The grand event came to a final closure at around 2:30 pm, and the 1000+ attendees (including children, accompanying parents and donors) returned home with a smile on their face, raring to spring back to action.

Sponsor a child program: Donor -Child meet

Children and Donors listening with rapt attention

There was a meet at Nagachamundi Temple in Mico Layout on the 5th of September 2010. This was attended by the Donors, sponsored children and their parents, the tution teacher and the mentors. Around 15 children were there. It was a very interactive and memorable session addressed by Venkatesh Murthyji. Jyothi from SAC also interacted with the children. This was the first time the Donors met the children and parents at the tution centre.

• Youth for seva initiated the Sponsor a child program in Feb 2009.
• YFS volunteers working in different schools come across many a bright children in slums and government schools. Volunteers have felt that these kids can grow to their full potential if a proper nurturing environment and financial support is provided to them. The sponsor a child program was started keeping this in mind .
• 1000 children were short listed based on an IQ test conducted at schools where YFS volunteers undertake week end teaching programs, The shortlisted children were split equally between boys and girls.
• Only information on the child’s family and financial back ground were collected .
• This list was updated on the website to facilitate child selection by donors.
• The program was rolled out for the academic year 09/10, with 323 children (161 BOYS & 162 GIRLS) being sponsored in the very first year of the program
• A SAC webpage was created to allow direct donor and mentor log in , it also facilitated the on line child selection process. Provision for  mentors to upload their reports on line was also created .
• For children from Govt schools , we had set up 12 tuition centers in different  locations to help compensate for the lack of attention they get at school .
• All children have been  covered under the Arogya chetana health insurance scheme .
• The mentoring program is a  unique feature of Sponsor A Child initiative , an appeal  for  mentors was made in June 09 , we received a response from more than 200 volunteers  . Due to location issues and YFS policy of having only male mentors linked to boys and similarly only female mentors for girls , we were able to link up only about 150 mentors.
• An orientation program to help mentors in understanding their role was conducted and well appreciated by the mentors
• We also partnered with Gurudakshina – an NGO focused on motivating individuals to take up mentoring as a valuable contribution to society.  The mentoring requires  some more focus and an action plan is being put in place to improve this for the next academic year
• On Dec 13th YFS organized its first SAC meet , It was an opportunity for Children , their parents , donors and mentors to meet and interact. The program was a big success and details regarding the same can be viewed below:

SAC_December_13

• The entire program administration has been managed with only two full time paid staff . Many of the co ordination activities have been supported by volunteers .
• The web site content updating  and maintenance is managed by volunteers.
• This has enabled us to cap the administration expenses   within 10%.
• The  annual audited report  will be circulated to all donors .
• We are now in the process of launching the campaign for the next academic year and in addition to your continued patronage  we urge you to spread the word about this program to your contacts so that more children are benefited .

Pavitra Jayaraman

Bhavani pecks at her tiffin during lunch at college as she and her friends pore over a mock common entrance test (CET) paper. She has most of the answers on her fingertips, but the few she has to ponder over make her nervous. “I have to score well in both the entrance test and my pre-university exam,” says the 17-year-old, who hopes to secure a mechanical engineering seat in her home state of Karnataka next year.

Power of two: Parimala Krishnan (right) has been mentoring Bhavani for more than a year. Hemant Mishra / Mint

The dream of becoming a mechanical engineer took hold in school when an older cousin opted for the subject. “Before that point, all I knew was that I wanted to support myself,” says Bhavani. But the dream was in danger of remaining unfulfilled when her father died two years ago. “I was very disturbed and could barely concentrate,” she says. She did manage to secure a seat at the NMKRV College for Women, a pre-university college in Bangalore, but her mother, who works as a domestic help earning Rs3,000 a month, threw up her hands, saying she couldn’t afford to pay the college fees. She suggested Bhavani find a job and support the family instead.

It was at this point that Youth for Seva entered Bhavani’s life. A relative who worked with the association referred Bhavani and her sisters to it. “I was told that they might help me but I really didn’t believe it could be true,” says Bhavani.

Impressed with her dedication, the foundation decided to sponsor her pre-university education and assigned her a mentor. Youth for Seva is also sponsoring and mentoring the education of Bhavani’s younger sisters, Latha (15) and Ramaya (12).

The NGO, founded in 2007, is now helping 322 children, even organizing regular health check-ups and funding basic medication. It has around 4,000 registered volunteers. “We realized that the youth of India are very keen on doing their bit, especially on weekends,” says Venkatesh Murthy, co-founder, Youth for Seva.

Bhavani certainly shares a special bond with her mentor Parimala Krishnan, who has been visiting her twice a month for over a year now. Krishnan keeps tabs on Bhavani’s college reports and sends out monthly reports to the individual sponsoring her education. That way her sponsor can have the satisfaction of having spent money for a good cause. “Bhavani has always been quiet, but I now see some confidence in her,” says Krishnan, who also works as a spoken English trainer with Youth for Seva. “I enjoy seeing her study hard,” she says.

Bhavani wakes up at 5am, studies, then cooks, rushes to college, goes for her CET coaching classes, which end at 7pm, and is back home by 7.30pm. She then studies until 10pm. “She rarely goes out with her friends for a movie or an ice cream. Sometimes it’s tempting to just give her a treat, but in that way I will be overstepping my role as a mentor,” says Krishnan, who holds Bhavani’s skinny arms and points out that her one concern for her student is that she doesn’t eat properly.