Our Mission
Golden Avatar Trust was founded on the tenet that a community which values education and respects women can change its course for the better. The Challenge
In any part of the world, one of the biggest factors widening the gap between the rich and the poor is a lack of equal access to education. When children are denied an opportunity for education, they are denied a lifetime of opport
unities. Ongoing cycles of poverty, alcoholism, domestic abuse, social stigmatism and discrimination are all intimately connected with this fundamental inequality. In West Bengal, India, we find some of the poorest and most neglected children in the world, facing challenges which include child prostitution, drugs and crime. It is here that Golden Avatar Trust operates to try to make a difference for them. Education Initiative
We aim to prepare students not just for further study and work, but for life. We aim not only to educate them but transform them into empowered, self directed learners, with the capability to lead and able to face the challenges of life. We believe that this can be achieved by providing a full education—not just in academic subjects but also in arts, music, dance, sports and martial arts. In a nurturing and family-like environment, a student who pursues studies which they find interesting and meaningful is bound to perform well and gain confidence. Our History
It started in 1998 with the humble vision of one undergraduate student in the small town of Nabadwip in West Bengal named Dalia Bhattacharya. She herself had struggled financially to receive an education, and feeling fortunate to do so, made a conviction, "When I graduate, I'm going to try my best to help at least one other student to do so." After Dalia's graduation, one student became a few, which became 24 in 2009 when Golden Avatar Trust was registered. The project continues to grow today, with a current total of 78 students being catered for, including upper secondary and tertiary. Still, this is not enough, as we have a waiting list well over 200 - far beyond our current capacity. How We Operate
Golden Avatar Trust's Education Initiative is still a small and developing program. We are currently not certified as an independent school in West Bengal due to our small size and minimal assets. Even so, as we grow, we continue to benefit many students. In the overcrowded public schools of this state of India, student-teacher time is minimal and it is a standard practice for a student to receive the majority of his/her instruction through private tuition. This is a huge problem for those who can hardly afford to attend public schools, what to speak of pay for private tuition. This is where Golden Avatar Trust makes the biggest difference. Apart from providing all costs for a student's government schooling, including uniforms, books and stationery and school fees, the Education Initiative program also functions as a private tutorial school, not only covering the government school syllabus, but introducing extra curricular activities such as arts, music, dance and sports.
