EDUCATION & SCHOLARSHIP
“Education is a fundamental human right. Every girl and boy, everywhere, is entitled to attend school and learn” (UNICEF). Unfortunately, not every child is fortunate enough to make to schools. Embracing the UNICEF’s assertion, Punya Foundation extends support for the education of orphaned, poor and vulnerable children in developing countries through provision of scholarships. The Foundation, though not rigid, looks for result orientated investment of donors money. It reviews the performance of a child, monitors the progress and revisits the need and renewal of scholarships.
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN & CHILDREN
Empowerment is defined differently. Cambridge dictionary defines empowerment as, “the process of gaining freedom and power to do what you want or to control what happens to you.” To work for the social justice and to reach the most vulnerable ones, the Foundation targets women victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence. We provide various empowerment projects – mediation projects, adult education, micro-finance and in special circumstances financial assistance.
CULTURE & SPIRITUALITY
Punya Foundation respects and embraces all cultures. Cultural and spirituality programs serve 2 purposes for the Foundation. Firstly, these programs help to community members together, engage them in socialisation programs and at the same time promote healthy aspects of culture and spirituality. These programs have served as relief and motivational factor for meaningful living and to fight against isolation, stress and psychosocial problems. Migrant population have embraced and appreciated these activities. Secondly, the fund generated through these programs go for education of poor and vulnerable children in developing countries. The Foundation team is very proud to translate culture and spirituality into education of poor.
HEALTH & RELIEF PROGRAMS
During natural disasters and calamities, Punya Foundation Inc. mobilises resources to help those in need. These are generally Foundation’s one time support programs. However, in the past such one time initiatives have led to long term projects. For instance, the Foundation’s involvement in the medical relief mission in Nepal during the destructive earthquakes of 2015 has resulted into a long term project to educate children who lost at least one of their parents until their grade ten level of education. The Foundation sets into relief mission as per need.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Punya Foundation’s target population liveS in various countries. The Foundation organises sport events targeting youths. The intention is to bring youth together to help them promote interaction, build cooperation and to enhance collaboration skills. These programs are organised to assist migrant communities to fight against mental health problems and to garner peer-support. To enhance collaboration with the local communities, the Foundation organises social and community events, e.g. clean-up programs, tree plantation, health advocacy, etc. The Foundation is also volunteering to reach disabled people in need of support.
PUBLIC RELATION & PUBLICATION
To promote language skills the Foundation organises literary activities. These are either in recitation or write up forums. These programs are targeted to promote creativity, to improve expression and broaden language skills. On a regular basis, Punya Foundation publishes its annual reports. These reports contain profiles of students receiving scholarships, challenges faced by the Foundation team and those by the implementing partners. Regularly, the Foundation redefines its strategies and embarks on priority setting for subsequent years.