About Us
SED helps over 120 girls succeed in school each year, and to then go on to further education, thus changing their lives and the lives of their children, forever.
SED was first established to enable girls who had dropped out of primary school for a variety of reasons, to return and pick up their studies where they had left off. The lives of these little girls have been transformed beyond recognition. Once all the girls were back in school, SED went on keep them in school, enabling them to successfully graduate out of class 12 and go on to further education.
In 2002, when the support and coaching programme started, no dalit * girl had ever graduated from class 12 in the Kanchipuram district. Since then, 760 of our scholarship girls have completed their schooling, and 115 have completed a higher education degree. Almost all have remained in the villages they come from.
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SED has gone from strength to strength, and the once simple coaching programme now comprises nine different components.
Few can look back and say that they have made a difference to hundreds of lives – all those involved in SED are part of those few.
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We deeply believe that everyone has the right to an education, and that education is the single best way to bring about a global change in the world. We believe that girls and women are a positive force for change, and the more they are empowered, the better place the world will be.
Our Vision
To change the lives of disadvantaged
girls in India through education
Our Goal
To help bring about socio economic change in the dalit community of Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadhu, by empowering women through education.
Our Values
We are a grass roots organisation. Most of our staff in India work part time, and everybody outside India is a volunteer. We work with and within the community and have only one non-hands-on staff member looking after our finances.
Transparency
Transparency with our partners and donors is essential for us.
SED is a trust under the laws of India whose accounts are controlled by an independent certified auditor.
We commit to donate 100% of the donations we receive to the cause of girl’s education and empowerment in India. No structural fees are levied. Everyone working for SED in Europe is an unpaid volunteer.
Each year, we review our entire programme and determine which activities should be continued, which to add and which to discontinue. These decisions are made with the committee in Europe and the leadership team in India.
For example, in 2018 we decided to add a health check-up for the girls, and in 2019 we decided to extend the library to more villages. Back in 2016 we sadly had to stop the tailoring school we had set up because we couldn’t find any teachers at an affordable salary.
Our latest activity report can be seen here:
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We know that every euro donated has been earned. We respect that by ensuring that it benefits the girls directly.
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