Ekal Vidyalaya raises USD 12 mln for rural and tribal development in India

In a statement, Ekal Vidyalaya said that this unprecedented support from patrons has also given confidence to it to revise and aggressively pursue its developmental agenda

The Ekal Vidyalaya, known for its innovative single teacher school in remote rural and tribal parts of India, has raised more than USD 12 million this year so far through over 50 fund-raising concerts and three galas across the US.

This past week alone, Ekal Vidyalaya raised USD 5.5 million through its three mega galas in Houston, Maryland and New York, with the last one alone accounting for USD 3 million, a media release said Wednesday. This is the highest in the 30-year history of the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation.

Funds this year has been raised for its literacy, healthcare, village-development movements for rural and tribal areas. The more than 50 musical concerts across the country raised USD 7.5 million. The Houston gala raised USD 1.5 million and USD 1.1 million was raised at its Ekal-Washington gala in Maryland.

In a statement, Ekal Vidyalaya said that this unprecedented support from patrons has also given confidence to it to revise and aggressively pursue its developmental agenda. This year so far it has opened schools in 18,000 villages.

"E-Shiksha - tutoring by 'Tablets' – was initiated in 180 schools, as a pilot project. For digital literacy, 10 'Ekal-on-wheels' mobile digital labs have been added. Each van can educate 5,000 youths, each year, in basic computer skills," it said.

A telemedicine project, with support from Johns Hopkins University, was undertaken in Odisha to bring expert medical advice to the doorsteps of remote villagers.

"The primary objective of this all-around integrated development is to give dignity and self-esteem to rural-tribal folks of India," said Bajrang Bagra, CEO of Ekal-India.

(With inputs from agencies.)