“Transform fifty thousand lives through education by 2050,” is the mission of Sitare Foundation, a nonprofit founded by NRI couple Amit and Shilpa Singhal in 2016. Leaving behind their cushiony jobs in the US, the couple, who believe in the power of education, returned to India. Keen to give back to society by empowering and uplifting underprivileged children through education, they set the nonprofit, and hence, provide all financial support — school fees, travel, accommodation, food, and more — for seven years of a child’s education, from classes 6 to 12.
“We believe in the power of education and its potential to change lives, communities, nations, and the future of our planet. Our vision behind Sitare was not limited to educating underprivileged children but also nurturing them to become world-class professionals and great humans so they could become a beacon of hope for their community and millions of other underprivileged children,” Amit said in an interview.
With over 70,000 applications that Sitare Foundation receives each year, only 100 make the cut for the programme. Currently present in five cities across Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh – Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bhopal, and Indore, Sitare Foundation has partnered with private schools to provide quality education to bright underprivileged kids.
“Besides education, we support them with food, clothing, books, school supplies, and transportation. Additionally, we have a fully residential programme for students to focus on their college admissions,” Amit added. Post completing Class 10th, the students are enrolled in a residential programme where students live in hostels and focus on studying for exams like JEE, NEET, and CLAT, depending on the subjects they’ve chosen, and at the same time, preparing their applications to study in the US.
As of now, Sitare Foundation has educated over 400 underprivileged students, with five of its Class 12 students — Kusum Chaudhary, Mahendra Kumar, Milan Ramdhari, Nisha Chaudhary, and Tanisha Nagori – securing admissions in multiple US’ top universities, including the University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, University of California, Case Western Reserve University, and Arizona State University.