Nexus of Good: Nourishing minds

The Lotus Petal Foundation was founded in 2011 to provide quality education, nutrition, and skill development to children and youth in the urban slums of India, with a focus on transforming lives.

The foundation is actively working to address issues in our country, where only 70 percent of students complete school, there is a 27 percent gross enrolment in higher education, and less than 40 percent of graduates are employable.

The foundation directly addresses key underlying issues such as the lack of foundational learning — leading to challenges in secondary education and, thereby, resulting in school dropouts and a shortage of a well-educated workforce. Additionally, there is a lack of adequate nutrition, which hampers cognitive and physical development in children, along with teacher shortages and limited access to digital learning.

By catering to underprivileged families, migrants living in urban slums, and parents who are school dropouts and forced to earn a living through menial labour, the foundation acts as a bridge for underprivileged children to enter mainstream job markets. This is achieved through innovative programmes for fast-tracking education for school dropouts, age-appropriate and tailored school education, nutritious development, and short- and long-term skilling programmes, maintaining a focus on changing lives one child at a time.

The stellar example and journey of Saloni Raj, the foundation’s first student, encapsulates the essence and transformative potential of the Lotus Petal Foundation. In the heart of Gurugram, India, Saloni's mother, working as a domestic help, could barely make ends meet, and the dream of prestigious higher education seemed distant.

Saloni, then a young child with low learning levels, joined the Lotus Petal Foundation in 2013. Her life underwent a remarkable transformation with the guidance and opportunities she received from the fast-track programme ‘Pratishthan’ tailored for out-of-school teenagers with fractured learning. Here, they catch up from behind and complete their education along with vocational skills in a 5-year, fast-track learning programme.

Starting at age 14 in 2013 with Grade 4 learning levels, Saloni completed Grade 10 in 2016 and Grade 12 in 2018. Supported by her medical coaching, in a true testament to her tenacity, she cleared the NEET Medical examination in 2019. In March 2024, Saloni is on her way to becoming a doctor—a dream turned into reality.

It all started with ‘one’ - one idea, one individual, one goal & one commitment in 2011. The inception of Lotus Petal Foundation happened on a chilly November morning while dropping his daughter to school, the founder of the Foundation, Kushal Chakravorty saw two barefoot children on their way to a makeshift school in a nearby temple. The stark contrast between these kids and his own children dressed in cozy winter wear was the moment in time that would change Kushal’s life. Disconcerted, he visited the temple the next day and found a school running for underprivileged children. Many of these children lacked even necessities to brave the harsh cold. He acted swiftly, donating shoes, socks, caps – this was the birth of Lotus Petal Foundation.

The seed that was planted with 6 students and 1 changemaker in 2011 in a rented room in a shopping complex, today, has culminated into 2 campuses, 200+ changemakers and 1700+ students.

The newly constructed Lotus Petal Senior Secondary School campus is in Dhunela, Gurugram. Nestled in lush green fields, the red brick campus is more than just a school; it's an ecosystem of positivity, learning and warmth.

A strategically designed, sustainable campus, it currently accommodates students in an age-appropriate school up to class 9, with plans to extend to class 12 shortly. The campus is equipped with state-of-art infrastructure, laboratories for science, math, astronomy & STEAM, encouraging students to be curious. Nutritious breakfast and lunch every day with theatre, sports, dance, and art develops them holistically. Furthermore, it instills importance of adopting a sustainable lifestyle through solar panel installations, rainwater harvesting pits, a Sewage Treatment Plant, and a kitchen garden.

Additionally, Jeevika Skill Development Programme on campus provides vocational skill training to underprivileged students, unemployed youth, college dropouts, through short-term courses that are certified by National Skill Development Council (#NSDC) & Sector Skill Councils (SSC) with 100 per cent job placement record at affordable fees. Jeevika programme offers 5 courses - Retail & Sales, Hospitality, Digital Services, Banking Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI), and Hardware & Networking. The programme is open for young adults in age bracket 18-25 with a minimum of Grade 12th education.

The pandemic, especially, brought to light logistical challenges for a multitude of people in the country. This is where the Vidya Sahyog Programme proved to be an efficient & effective tool. This programme enables live synchronous remote teaching by full time dedicated teachers from the Lotus Petal campus into remote learning centers, rural and semi-urban government and NGO schools which have teacher shortages thereby addressing their challenge of teacher shortages. Vidya Sahyog has already reached 6000+ students across 100+ school in 10 states in India.

With a 'Big 4' as Statutory Auditors, 120+ alumni pursuing higher education or working with reputed organisations, with salaries 2x the Per Capita Income of India, Lotus Petal Foundation currently is 'Great Place To Work' Certified and is a 'Top 20 NGOs to work For in India.' Additionally, Programme Expenditure is more than 90 percent, and the Digital Spend Share is 99.88 percent.

With a commitment to 'Changing Lives, One Child at A Time,' the foundation envisions the Lotus Petal Senior Secondary School to be India’s largest philanthropic school providing holistic education and nutritional development to 10,000 students by 2026-27, and the Vidya Sahyog programme impacting 100,000 students pan-India.

The foundation also acts as a transparent ecosystem for people across the world to contribute towards the cause of education with their skills, time, and resources.

Lotus Foundation is a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. The model is replicable and scalable through public-private partnership. Its story is not just a tale of transformation; it is a beacon of hope that reminds us of the boundless potential that lies within each child, waiting to be nurtured and creating a more inclusive future for countless underprivileged children across India.

Views expressed are personal