Rtn. Benjamin Cherian
RI District 3230.

Indian Government estimates that across India 11% children do not even enroll into schools.

70% of these enrolled drop out prior to class VIII. This means, of 190 million children in the 6-14 age group, 118 million are school drop outs and 21 million are out of search reach.

While the richer ones could afford for private and self financing schools, the poor children have no option other than government aided schools.

These Indian children cannot afford to have school education in public schools or the matriculation schools because of this poverty and hence end up joining Government Schools, schools run by Local bodies or Govt aided schools, where they are being constantly handled by poor sanitary condition inadequate infrastructure facilities, unhygienic water, lack of play grounds etc. As a result, the drop out rate is also high in them schools i.e. 70% of the enrolled children dropout before completing class vii. Many parents of the children hardly earn a US $ per day and thus fall below the internationally approved poverty line. These children are therefore, forced into child labor and denied of their fundamental right to education.

Realizing their very important social need and the grim reality of our children studying in schools in and around chennai or Rotary International has decided to take up a project aimed at renovating 100 such schools which primarily later to the educate hundred of the deprived, suppressed and downtrodden children. This will be rotary centerinal project and called as schools into smiles.

The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs.5 crores. In order to enable us to meet this huge expenditure, our purpose to raise funds through grants from Governments, Donations from Corporate's, Philanthropists, Ngo etc, besides from our rotary clubs.

On behalf of all Rotarians of RI District 3230 appeal to Kind hearted citizen of the world to consider our noble cause and to whatever he/ she can share our joy pleasure of uplifting the standard of the poor children in the limited way.

The auditor for the project:
Price water house company, India donations are exempt from IT Under section 80 for Indian donars.

Rtn Benjamin Cherian
District Governor 3230