In India, one of the most populous and economically diverse countries in the world, the SVP has helped thousands of young people go to school through the SVP Student Sponsorship Scheme. During the Covid-19 pandemic, student sponsorship has never been more important with 1.5 billion students out of school worldwide. Can you help us bring hope to more young people in India at this uncertain time?
Watch our new short film on the SVP student sponsorship scheme and hear the stories of Nitish, Andrew, Nelson and Esther on how sponsorship has benefitted them and their families.
We offer three types of education programmes which support students and their families through their studies.
- Primary and secondary school: A one-time donation of just £15 per student covers school fees, books, stationery and uniform. This small sum can make the difference between a young person staying in school or dropping out of the system.
- Higher education: This programme trains the next generation of doctors, engineers and accountants! £120 per year for one-to-four years to sponsor a medical, nurse of engineering student through university. This money can be used for travel to and from university and family, living expenses or academic fees.
- Technical or vocational training: £75 to sponsor a teenage college student on a technical vocational course in a specialised field including plumbing, teaching or nursing. This is a one-to-three-year commitment to see them through the duration of their course.
"Our staff work hard to match individual young people to individual donors or Conferences," says Sebastian Muir, National Twinning Committee chair. At the beginning of the sponsorship, a certificate is sent to the sponsor with the name of the young person they are supporting and at the end of the sponsorship duration, that donor will receive another certificate which notifies them that their student has completed their course.
“It’s like a joint graduation! The sponsor knows that they have helped a vulnerable young person complete a key stage in their education.”
Through our student sponsorship scheme, you can help change lives in India. After the loss or injury of a parent, a child often becomes the main breadwinner in a family, and easily pressured to drop out of school to enter the labour force doing menial, hard work to support their family.
However, with a little financial support from the SVP student sponsorship scheme, the student can stay in school and look forward to a brighter future and a skilled job which will offer far greater benefit to their family and community.
If you would like to sponsor a student in India, visit https://www.svp.org.uk/student-sponsorship