Dear Vinay,
Thank you for letting us know about this very exciting initiative and the Mountain Children’s Foundation (MCF) would like to receive books for the children in rural Uttarakhand. The children we work with are eager for any tools they can use to expand their knowledge and enhance in any way the abysmal quality of education that most rural schools in the state provide.
The MCF helps young people improve their lives by giving them a voice and a role in the development of their communities. Our dream is to change the way the world perceives and works with children. The MCF established the Mountain Children’s Forum as a platform for children to better their lives and communities by improving education, promoting health, preserving the environment, building networks and sharing resources and information, and instilling confidence and pride in their culture.
We operate in Uttarakhand through an innovative model that combines the effectiveness of grassroots action by young people with the far-reaching power of a widespread network. It is a uniquely powerful combination: working with local voluntary organizations and putting the emphasis on community-based action driven by the children themselves—while also providing a network that makes the young people feel part of a larger movement.
The MCF currently works in rural villages throughout the state of Uttarakhand and has built a network of approximately 11,000 children through some 28 partner organizations. Most MCF members range in age from 13-18, though young people of all ages participate. They work through village-level children’s groups (bal sangathans or bal panchayats) on the issues and problems they have identified as most important to their lives.
One of the greatest needs of the children have identified in rural Uttarakhand is for more educational resources. To that end, the young people of the MCF, working with our partner organizations set up small libraries in their local community. In most cases, the children used their own money, the MCF’s monthly magazine – PABAM, along with old school books to fill the library. The children took on the responsibility of setting up and maintaining these libraries. The biggest drawback the children had to face was that they did not find individuals or organizations that would donate “Hindi” books. This led to fewer children coming to the libraries as they had already read all the books the library had to offer. The Karmayog “Donate Books Receive Books Initiative” is a wonderful concept that will allow these children to access books in Hindi.
The MCF can act as a hub for Hindi books that can then be sent to the children in these children groups in rural mountainous Uttarakhand.
The MCF was registered under the Indian Societies Act of 1860, in Dec 2003 in Dehradun, India, and received its 12-A certificate in December 2006 and 80 G certificate in November 2008.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email or by phone at: 0135-2722097.
Sincerely,
Aditi P. Kaur
President
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Mountain Children’s Foundation
Mountain Children’s Forum
63-A Vyom Prasth
G.M.S Road – Pin 248001
Dehradun India
Ph +91-135-2722097
web: www.mymountains.org