GEMS girls sponsorship programme

There is a saying in India, “If you educate a boy, you educate a man, but if you educate a girl, you educate a family.”

The general sentiment among poor families in India is that one should not invest too heavily in a daughter because she will only get married and go to live with her husband’s family. This perception is noted at Garhwal English Medium School (GEMS). While we have 162 children enrolled in our school, only 51 are girls. We hope to increase this number to 100 girls over the next year. Our girls dream of a better life, and education is the stepping stone to improving their lives and the lives of their families. When we used to ask the children what they want to be when they grow up, the girls would smile and say, “We will be mommies one day.”  Now, when we ask this question, the girls smile widely and declare, “I want to be a doctor so I can help the ladies in my village” or “I will become an engineer.” The list goes on to include nurses, teachers, business women, policewomen, even politicians.

Help us make their dreams a reality by sponsoring a GEMS girl who dreams of something more.

The cost of sponsoring one girl for a year is $420.00, or $35.00 a month. This includes her books, uniform, shoes, lunch, transportation, and a percentage of operating costs (wages, electricity, fuel, etc to run the school).

Every donation of any amount is greatly appreciated and we will keep you up to date through periodic emails with photos and school news. We will apply all donations from this fundraiser to the education of GEMS girls and we hope that all donors will provide their email address so we can stay in touch.

GEMS is a not for profit school situated in the Indian Himalaya. We opened our doors 5 years ago in response to the poor quality education offered by the government. All of our children are from very poor homes, but they have a lot of ambition, and they have dreams. That is what we at GEMS are all about — making dreams come true. We began with just 8 children 5 years ago in a cow shed. Now we have 162 children, from 15 villages, being educated in a new school facility which includes 9 classrooms, a computer room, library, dining hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and an office. We also have a bus to transport our children to their village homes. Our children know the value of a good education and what it can do for them, their families and communities.

To learn more about GEMS please visit our website. With our focus on education sometimes we get behind in updating our website, but updates are underway including this new portal where you will soon be able to view writing and art work by our GEMS girls.

Donors may also deposit directly into our Canadian bank account, or transfer funds internationally directly to our Indian Bank account. Please contact us for details.