Summary
With the support of Smile Foundation India, the community based organisation Hriday set up two informal education centres in Sukanta Pally, Ward no.32, Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Srijonitol Jaigaon District, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.
The literacy level in the intervention area is low and the children are mostly drop outs or non school going children. Further, there is no primary school facility in the vicinity. At one of the centres, there are 80 non school going children from Sukantapally Basti and surrounding slums. In order to ensure the continuation of the centers activities, boys and girls decided to collect funds. They organised a street theatre with dances and performed themselves. The audience (slum dwellers) paid a small entrance fee. In between the performances, the pupils explained the importance of the centre.
The main result of this fundraising activity, apart from raising € 75 net, was that the community became aware of the need to send girls to school and became involved. As a side effect, more organisations in the slums of Sukanta Pally starting organising this kind of fundraising activities to promote school enrolment.
Tips and lessons learned
1. Fundraising can go hand in hand with awareness raising. Sometimes both are equally important.
2. If the beneficiaries of the project themselves (like in this case the children who went to the informal education centre) are involved in a fundraising activity, this offers a good opportunity to explain how important the project is to them.
Review by Wilde Ganzen Foundation
This is a good example how a fundraising activity organised and implemented by beneficiaries themselves can raise awareness and funds simultaneously. A rewarding side effect is that this action stimulated other organisations to start their own fundraising activities.
Details
Objectives
To raise funds for the operational costs of an informal education centre where 80 non school going children receive informal education in Hindi/Bengali, Maths, Social Studies and GK. Awareness is raised about issues like eradication of child labour and children's right to education through sessions/group discussions with the community/parents. Supplementary nutrition, for example egg, biscuit and fruit that are essential for a child’s proper growth and development is provided at the centre.
Targeted donors
Inhabitants of the slum where the informal education centre is located. The slum dwellers are mostly daily wage earners and domestic workers, with a monthly income level of Rs. 1,000-1,500.
Results
| Cost/benefit |
National currency (INR |
Euro |
| Total amount raised |
8,000 |
100 |
| (-) Total amount invested |
1,900 |
25 |
| Net amount raised |
6,100 |
75 |
Result comments
As everyone in the community and surrounding ones was mobilised and excited about the actions, the organisation was able, through a one-off activity, to mobilise the support of committed people in a long-term relationship. As a side effect, awareness was raised about the importance of the school for the community.
Description of preparatory work
A local cultural teacher wrote a script in simple language; 12 children participated in the event. Community volunteers were in charge of logistic arrangements for the show, such as selection of venue, stage and tent arrangements, costumes, invitations to officials.
Description of implementation
Stage and tent were put up for the children to perform. Children performed dance and role plays at the event. The guests shared their views about the significance of education and made donations. Individual donations were also collected from local community people.
