ANNUAL REPORT
CHANGE FOUNDATION - VIJAYAWADA
(Education and skills training of the underprivileged children in Vijayawada/India)

Achim Training Centre (ATC) & Visit of Donor Representatives

The inauguration of Achim Training Centre (ATC) at Vanukuru village of Penamaluru mandal – Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, built with the support of Posielek Family Foundation – Nürnberg - Germany, was inaugurated on 18th February 2012 by Mr. Joachim Posielek, the Founder cum Chairperson of the Posielek Foundation and blessed by Rev. Fr. Thomas Koshy, the Chairperson of Child Welfare Committee of Krishna district & Rev. Fr. Thaddaeus Posielek, the Parish Priest of Menschwerdung Christi Parish, Nürnberg – Germany, in the presence of other parishioners of Menschwerdung Christi: Mr. Michael & Mrs. Margit Maderstein, Ms. Rebecca Hengge, Kornelia Schorner and Mrs. Anna Velisek.
 

As envisaged, the ATC has become the fulcrum of project activities – skills trainings, awareness building, apart from being the office of the Foundation. The centre is also being utilized by other organizations, like Navajeevan, to train children and adult activists in child rights and child friendly legislations, schemes, etc., as part of empowering the families with the required information and skills so as to enable them to access their rights and entitlements.

The team’s visit to Navajeevan and other parts of the city gave the team a wider of problems faced by the children. The members visited Akshara bridge school run by Navajeevan and had in depth interaction with the children of the Chenchu tribal community and visited their enclosure at Penamaluru village. In fact, Posielek Foundation launched its philanthropic activities in the city in 1998 by supporting some of Navajeevan students for their studies and for organizing summer bridge course.

The team also had interaction with Rev. Dr. Mallavarapu Prakash, the Bishop of Vijayawada diocese and had interaction with him to know the life of Christian community. He also arranged for the team an on-hand experience of a Small Christian Community (SCC), facilitated by St. Peter’s Cathedral Parish of Vijayawada.

The Visiting Team with Rev. Dr. Mallavarapu Prakash, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Vijayawada.
 

The Team with Fr. Thomas Koshy, the Executive Director of Navajeevan & Chairperson – Child Welfare Committee (middle – behind) and some of his team members. Fr. Koshy is one of the Trustees of Change Foundation.
 

With the members of Small Christian Community at One Town, Vijayawada - facilitated by St. Peter’s Cathedral Parish of Vijayawada.

To have an firsthand experience of people’s lives, the visiting team had also stayed overnight in some of the houses, including Ms. Rebekka and Mrs. Anna staying in a Navajeevan home for adolescent girls.

The amount of Euro 400 donated by the visiting team has been utilized towards the purchase of play materials at Play School and towards the education of school going girl children of Navajeevan – the organization the team visited. We are happy to note that Euro 150 gifted by Mrs. Anna was also given to Navajeevan and the amount was well utilized – as informed earlier, Euro 50 was utilized to purchase the cosmetic articles for the girls at Naveena, a home for the skills trainees above 15 years, with whom Mrs. Anna and Ms. Rebekka stayed for overnight & Euro 100 was utilized to purchase clothes for Ms. Sreedevi for her marriage, an orphan girl brought up by Navajeevan.

Education Scholarships

The academic year started in the beginning of June. In the month of July, after one-to-one screening process – mainly based on the past performance of the student in his/her studies and economic condition of the family, and home visits by the project team and the representatives of the Mahila Societies, and finally, with the approval of the Posielek Foundation, the eligible candidates had been selected and education scholarships were distributed to these old and new students from the marginalized families, mostly girls from the Dalit communities.

During the year, we distributed the education scholarship to students from the most marginalized families. An amount of Rs. 378,259/- has been so far spent in this regard for 26 students to pursue higher studies. This apart, Pragati Women Society of Vanukuru village also distributed education support to 38 students utilizing the amount of Rs.180,000/-, which was contributed back by the students and their families who received education support from the amounts sent by the Sternsingers in the past through Change Foundation. Mother Theresa Women Society too supported more than 40 students this year.

Pragati Women Society is founded in line with the successful experiment of Mother Theresa Women Society at Christhurajapuram village – started in the past when the Change Programme was run with your support under the legal holdership of the APPLE Society. Presently, the stated Change Programme is taken over by the Change foundation directly.

They lead the flock!

We are happy to state that like Mother Theresa Women Society, Pragati Women Society has also started flourishing. Many of the students and their families are convinced of the idea of helping other students, and they have started contributing back. Of course, we cannot force anybody to contribute back. But many have indeed accepted the concept wholeheartedly!

At the moment, in line with the above two women societies, we are in the process of starting another Women Society (by name ‘Chiguru’) in the village of Gosala, nearby to Vanakuru village where the office and Achim Training Centre (ATC) of the Change Foundation is located. Presently, the team leader of Chiguru Women Society is Mrs. Jhansi. Like the team leaders Mrs. Annamma of Mother Theresa and Mrs. Jyothi of Pragathi women societies, Mrs. Jhansi too is a very committed and capable social activist. During the last visit in February 2012 by Pfr. Thaddaeus and Co., the team members visited the Tuition Centre of this village (Mr. Michael and Mrs. Margid stayed in Jhansi's house for the overnight stay and experience).

The Visiting Team Interacts with the Members
of the Mother Theresa Mahila Society – Christurajapuram, Vijayawada

As mentioned in previous our Annual Reports, the whole idea is to replicate the experience of Mother Theresa Mahila Society – helping people to help themselves - in more villages year by year, and convert the Education Support from the donors (Posielek Foundation & Menschwerdung Christi/Sternsingers) as Revolving Funds - through contribution by the beneficiaries on their own. Thus the support received by the students by way of education scholarship, does not stop with them but goes revolving to help many more poor students, especially girls. The students and their families who receive support from the Foundation are motivated to contribute back to the Women Society of the respective village which will in turn convert it into revolving fund to help more number of poor students on a continuous basis.

Change Foundation will have no direct control and ownership of these funds, but it only facilitates the movement so that no misuse or mismanagement of funds takes place in these Mahila Societies.

Mr. Rajesh shares his life experience during Students Gathering

“I am Rajesh Golla, hailing from Nandyal, Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. At the moment, with the support from Posielek Foundation, I study for the fourth and final year Engineering (Electronics and Communications) at NBKR Institute of Science & Technology, Vidyanagar, Nellore, which has sprawling campus and infrastructure for providing excellent education. Though I secured 89% in 10th class, I had to leave home as I could not cope with the treatment of my step-mother and the utter neglect by my father, an acute alcoholic. My mother died when I was very young. I could get only a minimal support from my father to continue my Intermediate studies. However, my teachers at the Junior College, encouraged me throughout, and they too, contributed their mite towards my education. For the rest, I earned money by doing part-time work as sales boy in a textile shop, and completed Intermediate, scoring 96.3% marks. By that time, my younger brother Santhosh too left home and came to Vijayawada, who was then rescued by Navajeevan team and helped him to continue his schooling, accommodating him in one its group care homes. After Intermediate result was out, I had no clue how to go about to achieve my dream of becoming an engineer and earn my livelihood working in a reputed company. Meanwhile, I attended entrance test for Engineering, studying on my own, and secure a high rank. It was that time I came to Navajeevan to visit my brother. By God’s providence, I met Ms. Jonnes, the Coordinator of Counselling Department who was taking care of my brother. When I narrated my plight to her, she directed to me Mr. Anto, who wrote my problems to Uncle Joachim, who immediately approved the required education scholarship for four-year study in Engineering. I will complete my degree in Engineering by the end of May 2013. I am sure that I will score high marks. I have already an aggregate of 85% in engineering up to 3rd year. I attended Campus Interview last month, and I am fortunate to be selected as Assistant System Engineer-Trainee by India’s top most company in IT industry - Tata Consultancy Services with very good salary of Rs.316,500/annum. I gratefully remember Uncle Joachim, Anto Uncle, Nagarajanna, Seena Aunty and all the members of Posielek Foundation who helped me to reach the goal. Yes, I have miles to walk! But by the confidence you gave me, I am no more afraid. I assure you all that I will continue the spirit that I imbibed from the Change Foundation by supporting the students in need.”

Sangeetha Roy, an orphan girl of 19 years, hails from Vijayawada. After the death of her parents, her grandmother was no more interested in the care of Sangeetha. Her fraternal aunt approached Child Welfare Committee of Krishna district, which in turn referred the child to Navajeevan Bala Bhavan for care and protection. A very clever and hardworking girl, ahe completed Intermediate with 90%. Without undertaking any coaching, she passed EAMCET. Presently, with partial support from Posielek Foundation, Sangeetha is doing her 1st year Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy.

Pushpa Daniel Kommini is the 4th child of a family of 6 girl children, hailing from Eluru, 75 kms away from Vijayawada. She is doing her 2nd year Engineering in Information Technology (IT). In the 1st year Engineering she could score 75%. In Intermediate she scored 69% and in 10th class, she scored 72%. With the education scholarship from the Posielek Foundation, Pushpa is doing 2nd year Engineering Degree (IT). Hers is a very poor family – with 6 girl children. Her father and mother are daily coolies, earning together around Rs.200/- per day. They will have work around 200 days in a year. The family is originally belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) community.

Skills Trainings

During the year, training in computer applications was organized at ATC for 44 trainees (34 girls and 10 boys) – most of them from Vanukuru village – 3 batches a day. In the months of April and May, introductory course in computer applications was organized for 30 school children from Vanukru village.

Training in tailoring was organized 20 unmarried girls and young mothers from 10 am to 2 pm every day.

Five Evening Tuition Centres (ETCs) are being organized at neighbouring villages of Vanukuru (Madduru, Godavaru, Davulluru, Edipugalu and, Vaikundapuram) – each centre
having 20 children on an average. In the coming year, the plan is to open 5 more ETCs in the neighbouring villages. The ETCs helped the children to improve their performance in school and helped reduce the drop-outs of girl children from regular schools. More than 50% of the students are girl-children. All the children of ETCs attend regular schools without fail – meaning the ETCs helped retaining the children from the marginalized families in regular schools – mostly the government schools where the quality of the education level and the infrastructure is very poor. Unless ETCs are there, many of these children, especially girls, would have dropped.

Corpus Fund – “Joachim & Johanna Posielek Education Fund”

The Change Foundation, with the personal donation of Euro 30.000 by Mr. Joachim Posielek, the Founder and Chairperson of the Posielek Foundation, has launched a Corpus Fund – named as “Joachim & Johanna Education Fund”. The objective, in view of the future, is to continue the activities of the Posielek Foundation on a sustainable basis through Change Foundation, especially the education support for the girl children of the most marginalized families, with the interest earned accrued out of CF. We must state in this context that the amount earned out of CF (accrued as interest) is not meant in any way towards meeting the administration costs, but solely to support the students from the most disadvantaged families. As noted, the replication of our successful experiment with the Women Societies – building their own revolving funds with the contributions of the students and families supported by the Foundation - is also relevant in this context.

In Memory

Mr. Elia, one of the pioneers of “Change Programme” at Tadepalli village (presently the Change Foundation), implemented under the legal-holdership of Apple Society, left us for his eternal rest. Mr. Elia was busy with the marriage of Navamani, the eldest of the family – 25 years - who got married on 27th April. After just two days, on the night of 29th April, Mr. Elia complained of breathing difficulty, and was immediately rushed to the nearby Manipal Hospital. But, he left all of us before reaching there. He was 52 years old. Mr. Elia is survived by his wife Jasmin, Navamani – the daughter and Vijay and Kumar. We gratefully remember the initial efforts undertaken by Mr. Elia for the Change Foundation!

Funds Received

A total amount of Rs.2,436,825/- was received from Posielek Foundation & Menschwerdung Christi Parish, Nierenberg, Germany & Mrs. Christa & Mr. Günter Schlager, Austria.
 

Mr. Joachim Posielek towards Corpus Fund – credited on 17-02-2012	Rs. 1,917,325
Menschwerdung Christi Parish/Sternsingers through Kindermissionswerk, Germany credited on 26-04-2012	Rs. 509,000
Mrs. Christa & Mr. Guenter Schlager, Austria	Rs. 10,500
TOTAL	Rs. 2,436,825

Farewell

Mr. Nagaraj, the President of Apple Society, who was with us from the very beginning as the Coordinator of Change Foundation, officially resigned from the post as he has to concentrate more on his family business. However, he is still technically supporting us in all our undertakings. We the Trust members take this opportunity to put on record our heartfelt appreciation for his commitment to support all our ventures.

Our Trustees:

Mrs. Shalini & Mrs. Cheryl & Fr. Koshy & Mr. Anto & Mrs. Mariyamma