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The Grants


Under-18s

We believe that the best way of helping the residents of Bal Mandir is investing in their education. The sponsorship of a young person under 18 costs between 1300 and 1500 euros a year.

With this money we are able to provide an education in a good   boarding school which keeps the sponsored children out of the orphanage for nearly ten months a year. During the academic year   the standard of their diet, hygiene and sanitary facilities is considerably better than that of Bal Mandir.

At present, all the sponsored children attend the New Shrine School and Boarding.  We are in permanent contact with the couple that run this school who keep us informed of the progress of the children by email. Furthermore, our friend Kalpana, herself an ex-Bal Mandir student, visits the school on a regular basis and receives direct feedback and opinions from the children themselves.



Adults

Some of the former residents of Bal Mandir, now young adults, believe that whilst life at the orphanage is hard, the real difficulty begins when they become of age and have to leave. They find themselves on the streets without any institutional help or family support.

Our main objective here is to help ex-Bal Mandir residents finish their education. This implies covering the costs of their education, their accommodation and living expenses for several years. We are currently funding 16 young adults.

A good friend of ours, Mehan, a family man who is now retired and has a good knowledge of the Bal Mandir project, provides the link between us and these young people. He is not only responsible for receiving the requests, establishing the priorities and distributing the aid, but also keeps close tabs on those funded providing help and advice where necessary.

Ex-Bal Mandir residents funded in this way are actively encouraged to become involved in improving the standard of life of the Bal Mandir orphans. Starting this year, they are now asked to do voluntary work in the orphanage for a few hours each week. This may take the form of back-up classes in English or Maths, the preparation of sporting activities, helping children who are disabled in some way, or any other activity that directly benefits the girls and boys who live in Bal Mandir.