Project Catalyst provides educational services to underprivileged school children in India. It involves the following activities:
- Classroom Training on English Communication
- Competitions such as Spell Bee
All these services are offered for free to students as the expenses are covered using donations. This project is running at SVS Maratha School, Worli in Mumbai since academic year 2022-23. The school has made one classroom available for this project without any charges.
The primary focus of classroom training is on Grammar and Conversational English. The secondary focus is on improving confidence and personality development. An interactive and eclectic pedagogy approach is used by the experienced and qualified teachers. The use of audio-visual content enhances the effectiveness of learning of students.
In the academic year 2022-23, we conducted two batches from Monday to Friday. The first batch of Marathi medium students was from 11 am to 12:30 pm. The other batch of English medium students ran from 12:30 pm to 2 pm. In addition to daily sessions, we conducted the following events:
- Rakshabandhan Celebration (10th August, 2022)
- Independence Day Celebration (12th August, 2022)
- Ganpati Celebration (26th August,2022)
- Literature Festival (11th October -19th October,2022)
- Diwali Celebration (20th October,2022)
- Story-telling Competition (27th November-28th November,2022)
- Christmas Celebration (20th Dec, 2022)
- Summer Camp (April 2023)
Thanks to crowdfunding, we could largely cover the cost of running Project Catalyst in academic year 2022-23. We are thankful to the following individuals and organizations, who have supported this project with their donations.
- Mrs. Bina A Sonthalia
- Mr Sudarshan Shreenivas
- Mr Raju Mane
- Mr Satyajit Thakkar
- Mr Yogiraj Khilare
- Ms Geeta Thakur
- Employees of Hapag-Lloyd
- And many more
In the academic year 2023-24, we are conducting four batches from Monday to Friday. The first batch of Marathi medium students from secondary section runs from 11 am to 12:30 pm. The second batch of English medium students from secondary section runs from 12:30 pm to 2 pm. The third batch of Marathi medium students from primary section runs from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The fourth batch of English medium students from primary section runs from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The total number of students from these four batches is 140.
In addition to daily sessions, we conducted the following events:
- Singing Competition (19 July 2023)
- Independence Day Celebration (14th August 2023)
- Literature Festival (9th to 14th October 2023)
- Christmas Celebration (21st December 2023)
- Spell Bee Competition (12th January 2024)
- Summer Camp 2024 Magic Show (12th February 2024)
The estimated cost for the current academic year 2023-24 is Rs. 9 lac, primarily for teacher honorarium and nourishment expenses. We need your support! Please donate by GPay to 8104676063 or by scanning the QR code given below for UPI payment or by making an online transfer:
Account Name: VIDYARJAN FOUNDATION
CURRENT Account Number: 99280200001535
IFSC code-BARB0DBDADR
In addition to monetary contribution, we are looking for book donations and volunteers. Please share your contact details and we will get in touch with you. For more details, please contact us at 8104 365 281.