To bring in an overall development in a child, Carnevali Foundation supports a number of schools in the slum areas of Hyderabad, India. The students of these schools are mostly first-generation learners whose parents have never attended school.
The foundation supports close to 2500 students in these government-run schools. These children need a lot of emotional and psychological support and we help create a sanctuary for learning. It is fundamental to have a safe and clean environment starting with a boundary wall on each of our campuses. We carve a space for safe and healthy learning in the slums by addressing every individual’s futuristic requirement and providing counselling and emotional support to them.
Carnevali Foundation has largely functioned as an independent NGO since 2004 and achieved the NGO status in 2009. We maintain close relations with the Hyderabad education department which is one of our most generous partners. We adopt these schools and supplement them with whatever they require. Right from early childhood centres which are up to 10th grade, we also equip these schools with libraries, laboratories and media rooms. Carnevali Foundation also runs a scholarship program wherein the toppers are selected and mentored. The foundation supports them till they complete their graduation and get a respectable job.
There are quite a number of success stories of such students. Shiva (name changed) was successfully placed in a private high school since his local school was only up to 8th grade. Although he was the only one from a government slum school, his scores enabled him to clear the entrance requirement. After his polytechnic he opted work-cum-study rather than a full-time university course as it provided him with some income, and he could learn civil engineering in a real setting. He cleared his university exams and continued with the same firm travelling to different cities for hydro and solar projects. Shiva has since formed a company with 7 of his college batchmates. They are currently exploring how to install solar panels at one of our adopted schools (solar panelling is a plan we have for all our adopted schools). At the same time, he is working towards a master’s degree.
We hence believe that adopting the students/ schools is only half the job. The real work is to mentor them, counsel them and give them a wholesome emotional support so that they are able to identify their potential and live up to it.
The children who come out from these schools face language problems (since these are Telugu medium schools) as well as social and behavioural challenges. To overcome these issues, we arrange get-togethers time and again and make them converse in a larger group. Here they are given real world settings and are asked to speak on a relevant topic. We also arrange psychologists to help them build their confidence and also learn about money management. Carnevali Foundation not just adopts government schools; but also invests in making the students of these schools competent, confident, self-esteemed and ready to take the real world head-on.
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