Project Roshni, explained in 30 seconds
Project Roshni is
set up with the mission to light up the lives of students from the Little Stars School in Varanasi, India. The
project aims to provide electricity in the school through the
installation of solar panels and construct two rooms for volunteer doctors and
social workers to provide medical and social support for the students.
What Exactly is Needed
Priority 1:
Installation of Solar Panel
Lack of
electricity is one of the main hurdles in the development of
rural India. In recent years, the absence of electricity has made life really difficult in the extremely hot summer period. In May 2015 itself, there has already been
more than 2000 reported deaths around India due to the heat wave. Likewise, in
Little Stars School, a school that provides free education to the children
living in the slums of Nagwa, students have to make do with the
harshest of temperature during the summer months where temperatures rise up to
45 degrees. Although the school has received fans, lights and computers in
donations, they cannot be utilized due to the lack of electricity.
In order to provide the students with a conducive
environment to study, Project Roshni aims to install solar panels on the school
roof. Going into solar energy would be ideal as it would meet the student’s
needs along with multiple benefits. Solar energy is an inexhaustible source of
energy and the best replacement to other non-renewable energies in India.
Furthermore, solar energy is environment friendly as its use does not release
carbon dioxide and other gases which pollute the air.
The budget for installing the solar panel has been obtained from Aditya Solar Construction and it comes up to 597,450 Indian Rupees (USD 9, 325).
Priority 2:
Construction of Doctor and Social Worker’s Rooms
Little Stars
School is located next to the Nagwa slum in Varanasi and the students mainly
belong from this community. Therefore, the students in the school come from
families that are struggling with poor financial conditions and at times, with
health problems and other pressing issues.
Due to the dire situation at
home, the students are unable to afford basic health care and when they are
ill, the recovery is often prolonged due to the lack of medical attention. This
puts the students in huge risks and also leads to the rise of absenteeism.
Many of the parents work as rickshaw drivers, cleaners and vegetable sellers. Due to the lack of education and pressing financial needs, many parents have made their children, especially their daughters, stay at home, instead of sending them to school. Furthermore, there has been occasional cases of abuse that has been surfaced when the teachers from Little Stars go down to the homes of students who have been absent for a long time.
Therefore, Little
Stars School has approached doctors and social workers from Rotaract Club who are
willing to volunteer their services for a few hours per week at the school. With doctors volunteering some of their working hours, students will be able to have access to basic medical care when they are unwell. At the same time, the presence of social workers would enable students to receive the needed social support and intervention which may be required when dealing with hostile or abusive family environments.
In order for the
doctor to carry out the needed check-ups and for the social worker to carry out
their necessary work respectively, Project Roshni aims to build two respective rooms for
these purposes.
The cost of building the two rooms is 136,140 Indian Rupees (USD 2,125).
The entire project cost is 733,590 Indian Rupees (USD 11,450)
Risks & Challenges
"A project in India? How sure can I be that my donation is not going into wrong hands?" "A university student is heading this project...how credible can this be?" These might be some of the thoughts that might stop you from helping as much as you would want to.
Most of us would love to help and contribute to a good cause. However, there can be doubts that may arise and concerns as to whether the money will really go to where it is most needed. Allow me to share with you what exactly is going to happen with the funds raised as well as my past experiences in community service so as to assure you that the funds are going where they are needed.
Once the funds have been raised, the money will be transferred into my personal savings account in Singapore. Half of the project amount will be transferred to Mr. Pierre, a Dutch volunteer who has been managing the construction projects in Little Stars School for the past 10 years. For a project to be successful, it is important that we have reliable partners and for that, I had carried out a 22 day recce trip last year in December so as to understand LSS's needs and also be able to better understand the school's credibility.
Through this trip, I am assured that LSS is a genuine school with a genuine cause as there are volunteers like Mr. Pierre who has been spending half of each year (that is 6 months) in India for the past years so as to oversee the progress in LSS alongside with the local management. Also, he has contributed his own savings so as to build the school infrastructure. Hence, transferring this project amount is certainly the right way to head start and purchase the materials to start work in November 2015. After which, I will be personally going back to Little Stars School in December 2015 so as to make the complete payments and gather all of the receipts of the purchases made.
Also, with my credentials largely stemming from my education, it may seem that I might not have sufficient experience. Then again, one might never have enough experiences as there is always more that can be done. However, I can confidently say that I have spent my university years gathering such service experiences, both locally and globally. I've headed SMU BP Mentoring Club as a Vice President and strived to expand the club's reach with local organizations. Globally, I've participated and then led two overseas community service projects in Philippines and worked with overseas partners so as to bring the project's aim to fruition.
With this, the total funds needed for the project is USD 11,450 (that is SGD 15,500). I have only indicated USD 9,000 on the campaign page as a higher interest rate is deducted from the platform if the funding goal is not met within the deadline. Hence, please do support this project and help me raise the needed SGD 15,500. Little Stars and I can only raise this amount through your support. If you believe in me, and believe in this project of mine, please consider making a donation to Project Roshni.
I do understand that some of us may not be comfortable in carrying out an online transaction or may not have a credit/debit card. In such a situation, for those who would prefer to give me the donation in person or through bank transfer, simply sms or call me at +65-90674475.
For complete transparency, I will be posting updates of the construction and solar panel installation which will be carried out in December 2015 when I return to the Little Stars. Also, all receipts highlighting the purchases made for the project will be published.
Other Ways You Can Help
Besides contributing to this project, do help me spread the word with your circle of friends and loved ones. Thank you for
taking the time to read about this project that is very close to my heart.
Have an amazing day ahead!
![]()
