India
A Holistic Education
We strive to deliver a holistic education to our students. Responding to the needs of our communities and placing emphasis on life skills, gender equality, and technology is our way of ensuring our students learn to not only gain more security for their future but also grow as people. Our starter offerings include basic language and mathematics skills plus creative outlets through Fine Arts opportunities.
Women’s Empowerment
Fine Arts
Fresh Water Resources
English Immersion
Mathematics
Where We Work
Launching its first educational pilot programs in 2017, Kaleidoscope encountered an unprecedented adaptability and resilience among a select group of children in Bodhgaya and Lakhanpur, India.
Inspired to improve the lives of these children, we rented building in Bodhgaya and built a school structure in Lakahnpur. Today, we operate full time school programs in both cities which have grown to serve 250+ children.
Bodhgaya
Establishing Namasya Charitable Trust as our NGO (the name means: worthy to be seen), we embarked on our most ambitious work to date bringing high quality, sustainable education to 90 children in Bodhgaya and 30 in Lakhanpur.
The school in Bodhgaya sits near the ancient site of the Bodhi Tree, the legendary location where Siddhartha gained enlightenment, thus becoming known as the Buddha. This ‘birthplace’ of Buddhism is a remarkable paradox of visiting Buddhist and monasteries alongside the traditional practices of Hinduism among the Indian population.
Even today, the neglect and poverty that so shocked a young Siddhartha into a path of servitude around the fourth century BC, still exists today. Many of the children we serve live well below poverty lines and are still defined by their lower caste heritage.
Yet, in spite of such hardship, their resilience, thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm has strengthened our commitment to expand our programs.
Lakhanpur
Thanks to our supporters, our program has doubled to more than 60 children in Lakhanpur. These children have gone from no educational exposure to impressive gains in Hindi, English and basic math skills. Their innate creative abilities are masterful, and we are excited to expand this program and provide them with tangible and sustainable platforms for learning.
With the construction of the first school in this village completed in 2019, Kaleidoscope will soon be able to educate 200+ children at this location – changing generational illiteracy in the area and cultivating the probability of a brighter future.
Our Plans for the Future
In 2020, students at the Emory School of Public Health provided their expertise in working with rural communities facing considerable health challenges. They have developed proposals to Kaleidoscope Child Foundation for implementing sustainable educational paths in Lakhanpur, India.
WASH Program
Clean Water, Healthy Habits
Our curriculum, focused in part on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), ensures children learn how to lead healthier lives. To solidify these concepts and share information with their families, students are able to bring home a print out calendar that includes concepts covered in class.
English Immersion
Alphabet Book
Our very own English Alphabet Book helps our children exercise their ability to learn and understand English more thoroughly. The
Alphabet Book is designed to be an interactive take home that will provide students with the opportunity to improve upon their current skills by the following: writing letters, pronunciation, learning new and frequently used words, practicing simple conversations, writing numbers zero through ten, etc.
Learn more about our English Immersion and WASH programs. In the future we hope to implement a second proposal developing relevant skills, specifically in areas of technology and medicine, through a defined curriculum and online support network in a financially and culturally conscious framework.
Our Work During Covid
We’ve converted our Lakhanpur school into a Covid care and food distribution center. So far we’ve distributed more than 700 medical and food kits!
Our Partnership with Bharat Tele-Doctors
In response to our communities questions and concerns related to Covid-19, Kaleidoscope has formed a partnership with Bharat Tele-Doctors. The voluntary service of their qualified physicians provides information and advice to those left with no other means of accessing care. For their time and expertise we are forever grateful.
Meet Sareeta!
Sareeta lives in Lakhanpur, a slum village on the outskirts of Gaya in the state of Bihar in Northern India. She is the 4th child of agricultural laborers and the first girl to receive an education in her family. After one year in our educational pilot program, Sareeta mastered the basics of reading and writing in her native Hindi as well as showing a strong ability in math. Today her accelerated learning amazes us all. We are excited to commit to her educational opportunities and champion her heart’s desires.
Meet the Staff
Meet the folks who help us keep things running smoothly day to day.
Nandlal Ravidas
School Administrator
Nandlal, a native Bihari, oversees both locations with a staff of 4 teachers.
Words from Nandlal
“कलाईडोस्कोप संथान एक अद्धभूत संस्थान है जसके द्वारा भारत के बिहार
राज्य के छोटे से गांव (लाखनपुर) में गरीब पिछड़ा वर्ग के समुदाय परिवार के बच्चे के उज्वल भविष्य के लिए शिक्षा, जीवन कौशल प्रशिक्षण दिया जा रहा है ।
जससे बच्चो में शिक्षा के प्रति जिज्ञासा उत्पन्न हो रहा हैऔर नये-नये तकनीक को सीखकर अपने जीवन का नई राह दे रहे है। इसके साथ ही साथ बच्चो के माता-पिता को भी अच्छे जीवन जीने का प्रेरणा दिया जा रहा है। इस के लए सभी समुदाय के लोग कलाईडोस्कोप संथान को आभार प्रकट कर रहे हैं ।”
In Translation
“Kaleidoscope Institute is an amazing Institute that provides the underprivileged children from the community in Bihar (Lakhanpur), with educational aids and life-skills training to improve their living conditions.
As a result, there is a curiosity generated within the children of the community regarding their education, and to take their life in a new direction. In addition, the parents are also inspired to improve their lives. Hence, the entire community is very grateful to Kaleidoscope.”
