The inspirational story covered by Mad4India is about Sujata Sahu and 17000 ft foundation. She started a non-profit NGO that works in remote villages of Ladakh to improve the education system. Education is a hope for a better and brighter future. Still, so many children in the country are deprived of it. The less populated areas with arduous terrain like Leh is one prime example.
Journey to the education field
Sujata lived and worked in a corporate office in the United States of America. She moved back to India in 2002. She was always passionate about educating children. She began her journey by teaching in a school of Gurugram. While teaching at the school of Gurugram, she often used to think about whether her presence made any difference. After all, the students there had availability of all the required resources.
The life changing trip to Ladakh
Sujata Sahu enjoys trekking trips. She took one such life-changing trekking trip to Ladakh. While on her trekking trip, she came in contact with many people. She visited various schools and observed the sad condition. There was one school which had only one teacher and seven children. Another with two teachers and five children. What inspired her the most was the zeal in these children to receive an education. The teachers were also dedicated. In such harsh conditions and no facilities, the children traveled every day to these tiny schools to study. She realized that these children needed help and the idea of 17000 ft foundation came to her mind. The name is 17000 ft foundation as that is the highest altitude that the foundation has crossed on foot to reach the beneficiaries.
Starting the 17000ft organization
She realized she wanted to help these children with their education. She returned to Delhi and started her research. Sujata wanted to understand how an NGO worked before starting her own. After in-depth study for 1.5 years, she finally started the organization-17000 ft foundation.
Challenges faced by the organization
The first task at hand was to find all the government schools in the area. No access to GPS made the task difficult. The volunteers and Sujata had to walk miles to locate all the schools. The major challenge was to provide training to the teachers and enough resources to the children. The idea was to make the government school and private school’s education more effective. The 17000 ft foundation overcame all the challenges.
The impact of the organization
17000 ft organization has affected the lives of approximately 38000 children. They have trained over 1000 teachers. Recently, the organization has come up with the concept of DigiLabs. Under this scheme, the organization provides e-materials and tablets through solar electricity. The foundation has recently expanded to Sikkim and is replicating its programs in the remote schools of Sikkim. The 17000 ft foundation is doing a great job by providing quality education in the remote areas of the country. The 17000 ft foundation will make a big positive impact on the lives of young minds.
Awards received by Sujata and her plans for future
In 2015, Sujata Sahu received the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar by The Honorable President of India. In 2019, Sujata Sahu received NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India Award. The 17000 ft Foundation aims to extend its programs to other remote areas where similar problems are faced. Currently, the organization is focusing on raising funds for the COVID-affected people in Ladakh. The efforts made by the 17000 ft foundation will help students to create a better future for themselves. Mad4India wishes 17000 ft foundation all the best in their future endeavors.
If you like this story, please read about Our Voix, an initiative by Megha Bhatia to raise awareness about sexual abuse among children.
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