The Errabelli family set up the first RDF school in 1996, in order to bring literacy and education to poor rural families in their native village of Kalleda. Beginning with an enrollment of 80 students in Classes Nursery - 3 in a portion of the ancestral family home, Kalleda School grew and now is a full-fledged school with close to 600 students in Nursery - Grade 10. Over the years, other family member got involved and RDF grew from one to four schools and a junior college with over 1500 children. RDF schools embrace a holistic learning philosophy, therefore the schools go beyond rote, classroom teaching methods and work intensively in the areas of teacher training and skills development in children. Academic activities for primary school include a specialized curriculum developed by Silver Oaks School, Hyderabad which includes field visits by the Silver Oaks team, training, monitoring, assessment and feedback. High School follows the SSC curriculum, but value add programs such as Butterfly Fields, English Helper and subject matter training by volunteers making the curriculum more intensive and robust. In addition, a Sports Development Program, Photo blog Project and Social Awareness Program aim to build life skills, which combined with their academics, seek to provide them with the necessary tools to do well in higher studies, become financially independent and thereby break the bonds of poverty. All the students are beneficiaries of the school Midday Meal Program. RDF believes that a healthy body begets a healthy mind. This holistic approach to education includes a free nutritious Midday Meal Program. Children very often do not get to eat a wholesome meal; therefore a healthy lunch ensures that students get the necessary nutrition to keep them going for the day. The meals are cooked on the premises each working day for all students and staff who do not need to carry lunch. Lunch runs for approximately 50 mins 6 days a week/220 working days a year. The meals consist of rice, dal or sambhar and a vegetable curry. All raw materials are sourced locally, with each school having cooking facilities on its premises, where local cooks, part of the non-teaching staff at the schools, cook the meals on firewood stoves.
| Donation Option | Break-up cost in INR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Textbooks & notebooks | 250.00 | ||
| Admin expenses | 250.00 | ||
| Unit Price | 500 | ||
| Quantity |
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| Total | 500 |
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In 1996, there were very few schools that were known for providing quality education in the villages that RDF operates in. Existing schools either didnot have well qualified or well trained teachers, school facilities were inadequate and some of the better schools were too far. Most members of the community were illiterate and dreaming of a better future for their children. Nagavelli Srilekha belonged to a poor family that subsisted on daily wage work. She too had to support the family through agricultural work. However, her parents decided that she had to go to school in order to learn, be educated and have requisite qualification to have a better career.
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