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If you are poor, then you cannot afford education. If you do not receive education, then you are unlikely to be able to find a well-paid job. Without a well-paid job, you cannot escape from poverty! The Student Sponsorship Scheme aims to break this vicious cycle.
Poverty is a prison which prevents individuals from achieving their potential. Hundreds of thousands of young Indian citizens cannot afford Further or Higher Education. Without recognised qualifications the doors to a career are closed to them. It is not lack of ability or intelligence which stops them securing well-paid jobs: it is simply lack of money. A vicious cycle indeed.
The main aim of this aspect of SVP Twinnage is to give poor students the means whereby they can undertake their education and become professionally qualified. It is a sad fact that so many poor students with great potential cannot undertake the courses because they cannot afford their travel, books, and/or essential materials. In this way so much potential is lost to the individuals and their families as well as the greater community. It is a fundamental principle of the Society in India and England & Wales that we should not just help Poor subsist but try to make them self-sufficient. This gives then dignity, Hope for the future, and opportunity for their families and descendants to have a better standard of living. Education is the key to escaping poverty
Each year the Society in India receives many applications for sponsorship and these are vigorously vetted by the SVP chain of command until a comprehensive list of students is agreed. They fall into 3 main categories:
- Higher Educational Scheme (HES) primarily to help poor students undertaking medical or engineering degrees that normally last five years. The sponsorship required is £60 per student per year and requires a five-year commitment.
- Technical Training Scheme (TTS) which is aimed at the students undertaking professional courses such as Teaching or Nursing and normally last for three years. The sponsorship funding required is £60 per year per student.
- Vocational Training Scheme (VTS) designed to help students on mainly vocational courses such as electrician, plumbing, or IT technicians, for example. These courses normally last between one and two years and require funding of £30 per student per year.
The list of courses referred to above is just a sample and the actual lists are very wide and embracing.
In addition, at the special request of the Indian SVP we now support a fourth category of student – the school student. If a child cannot afford its basic education then it can miss out on the fundamental educational building block. We agree with the Indian SVP that this is not acceptable and are trying to address the problem for as many children as possible. Sponsorships can be for 1 to 12 years according to the age of the pupil and the wishes of the benefactor. The scheme is called the Vidya Jyothi Scheme for Schoolchildren and the cost of sponsoring one student for one academic year is £15.
Over the years many thousands of students from a Poor background have benefited from sponsorship under these Schemes. Without this financial help (which may seem minimal in UK values) they could not have dreamed of achieving their professional educational qualifications. Indian Students take their courses very seriously and a failure rate is virtually unknown.
According to the course and length, payment can be made annually, quarterly, by cheque or by standing order. If the sponsor is a taxpayer then a Gift Aid Declaration can also be made and an extra 28p (currently) claimed by the SVP back from HMRC.
When a sponsorship is taken out a certificate is issued showing brief details of the student, the course, the Indian Diocese and a sketch map provided to show where the student is located in India. Each year the Indian SVP provides Details/Completion Details of each student together with a passport size photograph. These are passed to the individual sponsors by the England & Wales National Sponsorships Officer.
Once the project has been implemented, a Project Completion Report, with accompanying photographs, is sent to the sponsoring Conference.
In addition to Conferences, individuals may also support a project. This has been done a few times in recent years. For example, a couple celebrating their Ruby Wedding asked family and friends to donate to a Community Wedding Project in a village near Cochin, Kerala, instead of buying presents. Twelve couples were married as a result of this.
If you would like to sponsor a project, then please contact the local SVP Conference or the National Twinnage Office for further details.
A leaflet and Scholarship application form are available via the ‘Resources’ link on the left menu bar.
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