Project Ahmedabad – Direct Intervention

Campaign Story

About the project

There are 14 slums located around the industrial areas of Vatva and Lamba in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. These communities face significant challenges in pre-primary, elementary, and secondary education. Parents often do not enroll their children in preschool due to limited awareness and infrastructural constraints. Dropout rates are high at the elementary and secondary levels, driven by transport difficulties and safety concerns, which often push boys toward child labor and girls toward child marriage.

Making a difference

CRY America’s Direct Implementation Project in Ahmedabad works to facilitate access to education for children living in these communities by enrolling and re-enrolling dropout children in formal and open schools, especially where transport is a challenge. The project also supports the establishment of new schools for preschool, secondary, and higher education, raises awareness among children and families about the consequences of child marriage and child labor, and strengthens local support systems, administrative engagement, and the formation of children’s and adolescent collectives.

The way forward

● Conduct 4 training sessions for School Committee members to sensitize them on their roles and responsibilities
● Initiate enrollment of 5–10 children aged 14–18 years in open schooling
● Organize camps to nurture leadership skills for 25 children aged 15–18 years
● Ensure enrollment of 1,532 children aged 6–14 years in school
● Enroll 45 dropout children in schools
Educate 20 religious leaders on the importance of promoting formal education
● Conduct 48 sessions with 13 Adolescent Collectives to sensitize them on the right to education
● Conduct parent module sessions with 140 parents
● Train 470 children from collectives in Life Skills sessions

Project Impact

1,125

Children aged 6-18 years enrolled in schools

252

Children attending Anganwadi Centers for preschool education

210

Children accessing support classes at Child Activity Centers

20

Children attending open schooling

44

Community members linked to government programs for financial aid

343

Parents trained in parents module

162

Children trained in Life Skill Year 3 module

Last year’s grant approved for Jan 25 to Dec 25: $47,451

This year’s budget for Jan 26 to Dec 26: $50,363

Donate To Project

Last Year’s Grant Disbursed (Jan to Dec, 2023) – $297,425

Feenaz finds her way back to learning

Feenaz grew up in a remote village near Ahmedabad, where schooling often ends after Grade 8 simply because there are no nearby government schools. Like many girls around her, she, too, had to stop studying after completing Grade 8. With private education out of reach, she stayed at home, slowly settling into a routine she hadn’t really chosen.

But something shifted when she began noticing girls from her neighbourhood leaving for college every day. Watching them stirred a quiet determination in her. Feenaz realised she wanted more for herself. She began exploring options and discovered open schooling, but convincing her parents wasn’t easy as they were unsure and hesitant, held back by both financial concerns and limited awareness. Determined, Feenaz reached out to CRY America’s project team. When they met her, they saw a genuine eagerness to learn. The team visited her home and spent time with her parents, gently helping them understand the value of continuing her education and how open schooling could make it possible. With patience and persistence, her parents agreed.

Feenaz enrolled in Grade 10 through open schooling, but the long gap had affected her confidence. To support her, the team introduced her to Life Skills sessions, where she gradually found her voice again. She began participating in activities, attending career guidance camps, and slowly rebuilding her belief in herself.

As she continued her studies through Grades 11 and 12, Feenaz discovered a sense of purpose as she wanted to become a teacher. Today, she is pursuing a BA degree at a reputed college. She dreams of completing her B.Ed and one day becoming a school principal, hoping to inspire many more children to continue their education and believe in their own potential.