The ultimate victims of poverty are the children. Little innocent smiles loitering in the slums the Future of India are deprived of their right to Childhood while the elders are deprived of medical aid. The Young and old all migrants search for livelihood and struggle to earn a living. Balajinagar a slum on the outskirts of Hyderabad is one of those several slums, until a small group of concerned citizens took up the cause. The first thing they have done is to touch each and every house to bring their children to the Samskara Kendra, a Non Formal School. The Kendra teaches the children simple things like health and hygiene, songs and dance that inspire them to read and write.

This effort by the local people in a slum since 1995 has today grown in to an institution Madhava Seva Samithi a unit of Sevabharathi with widespread presence and varied activities. It has grown in to an Institution with Integrated approach for development.

Hyderabad has roughly 600 such Slums dotted all over. Poverty is the root cause for this large scale migration from beautiful villages to the cities.

Balaji Nagar with a population of 35,000 is one of those slums on the outskirts of Hyderabad. These migrants in search of a living work as carpenters, daily labourers, and Rickshaw pullers are from all corners of the state and neighboring states.

Areas of Operation of Madhava Seva Samithi

EDUCATION
HEALTH
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
AWARENESS & CAPACITY BUILDING


Education:

Raju is a proud child today, "I want to be an Abdul Kalam" he says. Thanks to MADHAVA VIDYALAYA, the school has moulded him from a child labourer in to a meritorious student.

MADHAVA VIDYALAYA had grown from 25 students and 1 teacher to 140 students with 5 teachers. Thanks to the continuous efforts of the volunteers, the School today stands for qualitative and good Education to the deprived. Children once roaming on the streets and called untidy pieces of neglect are today smart students second to none, competing with all the private schools of the locality.


The School is also supports a free tuition centre for the poor students from several schools around. A simple but equipped reference Library supports the students thirst for knowledge.

The School runs a Non-formal education centre that supports 20 working children / Child labourers. The aim is to reach every child out of school.

“All work and no play make a child dull”

Madhava Vidyalaya conducts an annual talent search and extra curricular activity programme in co-ordination with 6 local schools. The children have competitions in Essay writing, Elocution, Athletics, Drawing, Songs competitions. The aim of this programme is to give the children an occasion to enjoy as well as learn.

Health:

"It is nice to work for the under previliged and it gives immense pleasure to interact with the people here" says Dr. Kameswary. She is a retired colonel from the Indian army, she has been visiting the Balajinagar slum regularly for the past so many years. The effort started with providing Medical check up to the Children of Madhava Vidyalaya and extended to their parents and general public. The diseases ranging from common illnesses like Common cold, cough to anemia, skin diseases, malnutrition, TB and even AIDS can be found. Constant efforts by Madhava Seva Samithi yielded in a weekly Medical aid centre supported by 20 doctors that volunteer from various private nursing homes. The Medical aid centre has a weekly visit of Gynecologist who also treats general illnesses. Special camps conducted annually treat as many as 2000 patients.

Awareness and capacity building:

As a first step towards awareness creation towards literacy, Health and Hygiene the Institution has brought together the women in the slums. These women get together in the name of a Bhajan and vocational training in the Temple that has been built with the support of the slum dwellers. The temple remains a nodal centre for awareness building.

As part of this activity 20 identified youth have not only benefited but repaid the amount. The Livelihood & empowerment project has been done in co-ordination with another NGO Trust Govinda Trust which funds small entrepreneurial ventures below Rs. 12,000/- investment.

Madhava Seva Samithi is one of the Service units of Sevabharathi which runs similar activities in the unreached and neglected areas around the country.

Contact Address:
Madhava Vidyalaya
Near Mahankali Devalayam
Balaji Nagar, Jawhar nagar (Vill) & (Po)
Shameerpet (Mandal)
RR Dist,

Machupahad is a Village panchayat 20 km from state highway but a drive there takes 1 ½ hrs there as Naxals have been forcing illiteracy and liquor on the villages and not allowing infrastructure development for the region.

Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalay has 106 Children on the rolls, majority of them lambadas. All the five teachers are locals and have been effective in educating the children and their families. Sevabharati School as it is referred to in the village has been performing quite well but for a little Snag in Infrastructure facilities for the children.

Kandukurti is a small village in Nizamabad District near to the border of A.P & Maharastra. The village stands evidence to a history of thousands of years. The Shiva Temple built by the queen Ahalyabai Holker on the Triveni Sangam of Godavari , Manjeera & Haridra rivers stands proof.

The Village is sanctified more as it is the ancestral place of the founder of the RSS Dr. Keshavarao Baliram Hedgewar.God in the form of Shri Keshava Moorthy blesses the village.