The Sirjana Institute is a non-profit organization that is devoted to bringing prosperity to poor families of Sarnath, Varanasi in India. The institute was founded by Devi Prasad Sharma (1912-2005) in 1991 under the Indian Society Registration Act of 1860. He saw the misery and poverty in his community and knew that people were passing their lives without enough food, medicine, and shelter to live healthy lives. After continuously observing the poverty in his community and becoming more knowledgeable of the implications he decided it was his social responsibility to help
make a difference.Mr. Sharma’s mission for the institute than took its original form. He believed that giving vocational training to poverty stricken families and individuals was the best way to help them live more healthy and educated lives. The institute has kept the same fundamental vision but has taken many different forms over the last seventeen years.
For a decade the institute served the male population by teaching courses in carpentry, pluming, and electric. Then in 2001 the institute changed it’s curriculum to serve both male and female students. The new curriculum focused on eradicating illiteracy among the poor by teaching children the alphabet and increasing the health of the poor by teaching mothers and children basic hygiene. The institute made one final curriculum change in 2004 that focused on serving women and girls by teaching them sewing, embroidery, painting and drawing. To this day the curriculum has not changed because it is the institute’s belief that the women and girls of Sarnath, and India at large, have fewer opportunities to learn applicable skills for the work place than their male counter parts and find it important to change this societal reality.
The institute has expanded in the last two years to serve the needs of women and girls in Sarnath more completely. The institute runs three programs that all work to give financial independence, education and prosperity to women and girls of Sarnath.
The three programs are:
Learn and Earn Program
Scholarship Girls
Vocational School
The Director
Mrs. Kalapana Sharma has been the only director of the Sirjana Institute. She is a longtime member of the Sarnath community and is well respected by all who know her. Being a year round resident of Sarnath for twenty-four years, she has seen many people in her community live with no home or constant means of income and without the means to afford to send their children to school. With the help of the Sirjana Institute she has taken it upon herself to lead an effort to stop her neighbors and community members from living in such devastating conditions. She lives with a constant desire to bring prosperity to her community and has seen that education is the most effective tool. Mrs. Sharma holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education, History and Music. She worked at the Mahabodhi Society of India School for a total of eleven years as a teacher and headmistress. She has also worked as a teacher at The Universal Education School in Sarnath for five years. She is the wife of Mr. D.N. Sharma and the mother of three.
Teacher
Laxami is a teacher at the Vocational School of Sarnath. She is skilled in all the subjects that are taught at the school.
Sudha was a teacher at the Sirjana Institute for five months. She is skilled in all the subjects that are taught at the institute and was always enthusiastic to teach.
Volunteer
Alex Daum is a volunteer from Thetford, Vermont in the USA. She is living in India for three months to help the Sirjana Institute raise money that is necessary for its growth. She has completed her freshman year of college and plans to get degrees in Psychology and Management. Her effort to support the Sirjana Institute will continue after her time in India.
Cathee Clement is organizing the sale of some crafts, in the United States, that were made by women in the Learn and Earn Program
It is the institute’s aim to use these programs in the most constructive way in order to make the change that is necessary for women and girls in Sarnath.
Institute also attempts to assist to achieve them financial self reliance which is backbone for the life. The concepts and objectives which have been carefully developed by people of imagination.
Vision
The vision of the Sirjana institute is very clear. It believes on the theory of each for all for each .It also believes on the thought of international family without discrimination of castes, creed and religion.
Mission
1-Educate and provide vocational training for poor women and children for emerging earning for their welfare.
2-To open centers for poor women and children for emerging for their earning.
3-To full fill the above aim to receive donation and establish a corpus fund for smooth functioning of its activities.
4-To keep clear account of its receipts and payment
5-To create interest in fine arts ,music dance amongst the women and children.
6-To collect the people of various cast , creed, and religion under a roof with healthy spirit of one world family.
7-To establish a building for old age orphan and neglected men and women, who could spend their life in peace.
8-Its aim is to contribute in the society by valuable activities.
Basic institutional structure
The society is running by management committee in which elected office beares come through the members of general committee. In every five years these office beares are renewed by general committee through election.
Honorable members
M.S Elizabeth samenoff USA.
Mr Matthew steffel Australia.
Mr J. N. Sharma India.
Tamera Johnson USA.
SARA Australia President:Mr.D.N. sharma
manager:Mr.Suresh narain
secretary:Mrs Kalpana
General Committee Members
Mrs Urmila
Mrs Shanti devi-member
Mr rajive Saraswat-member
Mr Shiv shanker mishra
Miss Jaya
Financial Resources
1.Membership Fees in general committee
For Indian Rs 500
For foreigners $20
2. Besides above the institution accepts aid/donation and money for its corpus funds sothat it activities could be smoothly run and it is accepted in the name of Secretery Sirjana institute sarnath Varanasi.
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Learn and Earn Program
Scholarship Girls
Vocational School
WE help the poors of village in the following ways to enhance their capacity:
1. By teaching them of primary knowledge of life as alphabets and number system and the knowledge of this beautiful world.
2. By giving knowledge of hygiene.
3. By providing the male child vocational training time to time of works of carpenter ,general electric repairing, mason work’s.
4. For poor and illiterate women and girls we have some training courses like sewing ,knitting,embroidery neck- less making etc. which can make them independent, earning for themselves and their family.we also help them to sell their things.
SARNATH WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S EDUCATION PROJECT
The aim is to educate underprivileged girls and boys (ages 6 – 15) in the village of Sarnath and to give vocational training to women, such as sewing and handicrafts.
Lessons for the children include:
1. Hygiene and health education
2. Behavioral and ethical instruction; and then 3 academic subjects, beginning with the alphabet and educational games leading to full lessons in Hindi, English and Maths. The classes are held at the Shiva Guest House.
As well as providing an educational program run at Shiva Guest House, the Sirjana Institute is sponsoring some underprivileged children in Sarnath to attend school in the public system. Depending on the financial situation of the child, The Sirjana Institute provides as much as is necessary to enable the child to attend school. This includes school fees, books, writing material, uniforms, school bags and shoes.
3. Vocational training for underprivileged parents include sewing and embroidery, and basket/bowl making.
4. The sewing training includes teaching women skills necessary to sew and do embroidery to make items such as bed sheets and tablecloths.
5. The basket and bowl-making project is a rubbish recycling/training program in which plastic bags are collected from around the village and, with dried grass, made into baskets and bowls. This project is beneficial in two main ways.Firstly it transforms plastic bags left around the village, which is unsightly rubbish and potential lethal to cows, into beautiful bowls and baskets. Secondly it provides women in Sarnath with employment, giving them a source of income to support themselves and their families.
