Cataract blindness is very common among poor people living in rural areas of India. Due to widespread poverty and a complete absence of ophthalmologists in rural areas, several thousands of poor people go blind and remain blind even though this is a treatable condition. To help such people, the Sankurathri Foundation has designed a community outreach program in which they take eye care to the door steps of the needy and poor in rural and remote areas.

Under this program, their medical team visits a location and conducts free eye examinations for all that show up. They advise those suffering from cataracts to undergo surgery, and if the patients are willing, Sankurathri provides same-day transportation to the base hospital for surgery. Preoperative testing, food, accommodation, medicine during surgery, intraocular lenses (lenses implanted in the eye), post operative medications, and transportation back to the village are free of cost to the patient. In addition, they also provide transportation to the two postoperative visits.

Thakaneti is a 60 year old widow living in the village of Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh, India. Her husband died 30 years back. Thakaneti has two daughters and lives with her youngest. She became blind in her left eye due to a cataract and found it difficult to manage her own needs.

When she attended Sankurathri’s free eye screening camp in Velangi, they offered to provide her with cataract surgery. Through your donation, Hardeep, they performed the surgery free of charge.

Thank you for your kindness.

Lavanya is seven years old and goes to school at the Sankurathri school. She is in the second grade and has an older brother in the third grade. Her father works as a mason when he can find odd jobs. Because of his economic standing, Lavanya and her brother cannot afford to attend school.

Luckily, Sankurathri was able to provide her with the necessary materials to attend class at their school. Sankurathri strives to make education possible for all children in this area of India. Combating child labor is a challenging battle made easier by your support. Thanks to your dedication to the cause, Harini, Sankurathri can give Lavanya education and care without a cost to her family.

Lavanya and her brother happily attend school where they receive a well-rounded education thanks to you, Harini. Lavanya will be forever grateful for the chance to attend school with her friends instead of seeking work.

Sowjanya is eight years old and is in the third grade at the Sankurathri school. She has one sister and lives with her family in Thammavaram, India. Sadly, Sowjanya’s father earns very little from his security guard position and cannot afford for Sowjanya to attend school.

Under such circumstances education becomes a low priority. Sending Sowjanya to work will allow her to make some money to supplement the family income. Children rarely get paid enough to support themselves, let alone their family. Sankurathri is an organization in rural India that works to prevent cases like this.

Sankurathi provides much more than an education for their students. Sowjanya’s parents have no financial burden from her schooling because the organization funds her uniforms, books, and more. However, Sankurathri could not have provided this for Sowjanya without your support, Harini.

Thank you for supporting Sowjanya so she can get an invaluable education. Sankurathri is happy to see her in their classrooms instead of on the streets. Her parents know she is safe while they are at work and she can better her future. Thank you, again, Harini, for supporting this cause.

Varshini is in the second grade at the Sankurathri school. She has one younger brother and parents at home in Penumarthy, India. Varshini’s parents cannot afford for   her to attend school because of the costs of materials and transportation. Families like Varshini’s typically resort to encouraging their children to find work.

Child Labor is a common, but preventable, issue in rural communities of India. Because families cannot afford uniforms, school supplies, and transportation to and from school everyday, parents expect their children to find work and provide for themselves. Sankurathri works to prevent this along with malnutrition and other poverty related problems of children in this rural community.

However, funding a child without any cost to their family required your support. Thank you, James, for providing Varshini with a year of school tuition. This will provide her with an invaluable education and keep her off of the streets. Her childhood is as important as any other’s, so thank you again, James, for recognizing this.

Swathi studies third grade at the Sankurathri school in Andhra Pradesh, India. Her father works as a Security Guard in an Oil Refine Factory for a very low salary. Swathi also has one younger sister, mother, and a grandmother at home. Donipati’s grandmother is extremely sick. Because of the cost of medications the family cannot afford nutritious meals for Swathi and her sister.

Oftentimes families will send their children to work instead of to school because they can’t afford to take care of the children without additional help. The idea of an education is less important than supporting the family.

Sankurathri supplies education, uniforms, medical checkups, and meals for their students. Thanks to your donation, the organization can afford to feed Swathi balanced, nutritious meals for lunch every day.

Thank you, Joe and Karen, for supporting Sankurathri so they can provide Swathi with a lunch and milk every day. Swathi does not have to go a day without eating because of your generosity. Thanks again, Joe and Karen, for caring about Swathi!

Sruthi is nine years old and lives in Sarada Vidyalayam, India. Her father, Siva, is a painter and earns very little when he can find work. Sruthi is one of four children.  Because of his poor economic background his children need support for proper education and care. Many families in similar circumstances send their children out to work instead of to school so they can provide for themselves and the family. Costs of going to school such as uniforms, books, and transportation, often outweigh the advantage of an education in rural communities.

Luckily, Sankurathri provides free education and meals in this community for families in need of support. Sruthi receives a balanced meal at lunch time that would often be skipped had she not attended school. Sruthi is kept nourished with a variety of foods  because of your donations, Kajit, Noah, and Ryan.

Sankurathri needed your support to help this child with much more than an education. Sruthi will be nourished and looked after at school. She can live her childhood normally and happily despite her father’s poverty. Thank you, again, Kajit, Noah, and Ryan, for drastically improving Sruthi’s life.

Thank you so much for coming together to provide Anaparthi with a year of lunches. Anaparthi is nine years old and in the third grade at Sarada Vidyalayam, a school run by the Sankurathri Foundation. She is the second child of Prasad and Kusuma. Her father does sanitary work and earns about $60 a month while her mother is housewife.

Under such circumstances, education is not as high a priority as sending Anaparthi to work to money and supplement the family income. In this manner many boys and girls in the rural areas are becoming child laborers and supporting their families.

Thus, there are many children in the rural areas who are school drop outs because of their parents’ economic conditions. Sarada Vidyalayam helps such children to complete their education without placing any financial burden on their family. The school provides not only free education but also free books, uniforms, school bags, a pair of sandals, transportation, nutritious lunch, milk, medical checkups, and medicine to all the children.

The school maintains a very strict curriculum, provides quality education and imparts good discipline and values to groom these children into good citizens.

Thank you Emily, Stuti, Vijay, Kalpna, Krishna, Pankaj, and Vijay for helping Anaparthi — she is healthy because of your donation.

Anaparthi is nine years old and a third grader at Sarada Vidyalayam, a school run by the Sankurathri Foundation in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is the second child of Prasad and Kusuma. Her father works in sanitation and earns about $60 a month while her mother is housewife. The combined efforts of Anaparthi’s parents do not generate enough income to support the education of her elder brother or herself.

Under such circumstances, education is never a priority. Many boys and girls in rural areas such as this become child laborers to help supplement the family’s income. Unfortunately, this leads many to drop out of school. Sarada Vidyalayam is helping such children complete their education without any financial burden to their parents. The school provides not only free education, but also provides free books, uniforms, school bags, a pair of sandals, transportation, nutritious lunch, milk, medical check ups, and medicine to all the children. The school maintains a very strict curriculum, provides quality education and imparts good discipline and values to groom them as good citizens.

With your assistance, Keshav Harini, the Sankurathri Foundation has given a set of two uniforms to Anaparthi so she can attend school.

Thank you for your kindness!

Vadapalli is an eight year-old girl from the village of Penumarthi, which is located in Andhra Pradesh, India. She is in the third grade at Sarada Vidyalayam, a school run by the Sankurahtri Foundation. Her mother is a housewife and takes care of Vadapalli, her younger sister, and her elder brother. Her father, Venkata, earns around $40 per month to support the family, which is not enough to fund the education of all three children.

Under such circumstances, education is never a priority. Many boys and girls in rural areas such as this become child laborers to help supplement the family’s income. Unfortunately, this leads many to drop out of school. Sarada Vidyalayam is helping such children complete their education without any financial burden to their parents. The school provides not only free education, but also provides free books, uniforms, school bags, a pair of sandals, transportation, nutritious lunch, milk, medical check ups, and medicine to all the children. The school maintains a very strict curriculum, provides quality education and imparts good discipline and values to groom them as good citizens.

With your assistance, Melissa, the Sankurathri Foundation can provide Vadapalli with a set of two uniforms so she can attend school.

Thank you for your generosity!

Marthamma is a 75 year-old widow from the village of Pithapuram, which is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Her husband, Venkatanadham, died 20 years ago due to a health problem. She has three sons who are married and living with their families. Marthamma works as a daily laborer to make a living and earns about $2 a day, yet for several months, she could not work because of defective vision in both her eyes. She ultimately had insufficient money for a medical checkup and felt helpless.

At that time, she came to learn about The Sankurathri Foundation, who provided her with a complete eye exam and glasses for better vision. Thank you, Simona, for your donation of a pair of glasses– with your help, Marthamma can look after herself now and live with dignity in her old age.