Overview

Zamar Academy was established in Chennai, India, in June of 2004 with the vision of providing quality education free of cost to children from below poverty level families.  The goal is to integrate these children into the mainstream of the nation as responsible citizens.  Zamar Academy operates on the firm belief that when education is not pursued diligently, progress is not only arrested, but a whole generation is denied its rightful place in shaping the path of a nation and is left vulnerable to abuse.

For many struggling families, the cost of education is far beyond the level of a household existing below the poverty line.   The prevalent system of schools does not bridge the wide gap that exists between a first-generation learner and a child from an affluent family.  Consequently, many of these children are marginalized and will eventually fall behind and be forced to drop out.  The Zamar vision is to endeavor to live close to these children and to build bridges allowing them access to a mainstream education.

The Academy is run by Zamar Educational and Charitable Trust and currently offers classes from kindergarten to standard III.

Need

Zamar Academy currently has no regular funding partners; most of the expenses are met through one-time contributions.  In the absence of assured support, Zamar is not in a position to move forward with its plan to admit at least 30 students a year and maintain a teacher-student ratio of 1:15.  Due to restricted space and funds, the Academy has had to stop accepting new admissions for the year of 2008-2009.

Additionally, the Academy has recently had to move to a larger rented space and would like to move forward with plans to purchase land on which to build a permanent school building.

The Project

Recognizing that the growth of Zamar Academy had come to a standstill due to insufficient funds, Wellspring made an initial commitment to meet the Academy's immediate needs by providng funds for the rent deposit for Zamar's new building as well as for the cost of rent for one year.  Additionally, Wellspring purchased a van to serve as a school bus for those children who are not able to find their own means of transportation to and from the Academy.  Any additional funds will be applied to the Academy's overall budget.