How it all started

It was a chance meeting in a Satsang that Ajanta and Meera discovered a shared passion to educate kids forgotten by the system.

Thus began their journey foraging into the slums, handpicking children who were not in school, breaking barriers, earning the trust of children and their parents…

Armed with the resolve to make a difference, Ajanta and Meera continued to make sincere appeals to the landlords in the area, until one relented and let them have a room in a mud hut in 2018. With their steady persistence, they eventually secured four rooms where they began teaching the children. Each passing day brought the joy of learning to the kids. The founders got Akshaya Patra to provide mid-day meals, another initiative to keep the kids in school.

This kept the children at school for longer hours and provided safety and eased the burden on the parents, who were out working the whole day.

Then out of the blue came COVID-19.

The organization’s first response was to procure food for about 100 families.
Landlords were urged to put evictions on hold. Good Samaritans donated
laptops and computers – learning continued online, despite the panic of the pandemic.

Growing acceptance and support for the programme attracted financial help from individuals and businesses. School uniforms could now be handed out to the children – giving them greater confidence and a sense of dignity.

Today, Swapaksh Learning Foundation serves underprivileged children from five to 15 years old in a beautiful facility with five fully functional classrooms. To ensure the safety of our students, we offer them a transport in our own bus. From 25 teaching volunteers, we now have 10 paid staff and five volunteer teachers, enabling 80 kids to climb the ladder of education.

Every morning, students board their own bus to come to the Centre.

Going forward: Dignified jobs and a prideful place in society.

As always, everything is geared towards helping the children acquire the
knowledge and skills to become valuable – and valued members of the society. We believe that by inspiring kids to love a life of continual learning, they will bless everyone around them with ripples going even beyond that. To us, when you witness lives being transformed, there is no more beautiful sight to behold!

“The ability to read, write and analyse; to confidently stand up and demand justice and equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in the door and take your seat at the table – all these begin with education.” –
Michelle Obama