Sculpting model citizens of tomorrow

A child leaves the familiar embrace of his parents’ home and enters the unfamiliar territory of the school. At this point, the responsibility of educating the child shifts from the parents to the teacher. Gandhiji used the word “kelavni” (holistic education) instead of “shikshan” (instruction) to highlight this distinction. According to Gandhiji, holistic education is that which develops a child to reach full potential holistically.

Pratul Shroff, a visionary philanthropist and the founder of Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation, firmly believes that education is the “Parasmani”, a precious gem that has the power to transform the life of anyone it touches. It is the key to unlocking human potential and breaking the shackles of poverty.

KRSF is actively involved in a partnership with 733 government schools in the tribal areas of Gujarat, aiming to support education by deploying manpower and technology. With a team of 800+ teachers and leaders, we have developed a sustainable and a scalable model through participatory approach from various stake-holders including state education department, school teaching staff, parents, and community. In the last ten years, we have witnessed remarkably positive outcomes from our students through our consistent efforts.

Our scope extends across a diverse spectrum, ranging from foundational learning (FLN) initiatives to the provision of scholarship platforms, ensuring access to the right educational opportunities.

Foundational Learning
Foundational Learning
Our Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) program is designed to teach basic literacy (in Gujarati) and numeracy skills to the children identified for remedial classes. We deploy experiential learning through games along with animated videos to accelerate the learning of left behind children. We have also designed and implemented a SAAS software package Serving Society Through Technology (S2T2).
3,00,000+
Students
This allows us to precisely monitor the performance of each one of our students across various classrooms & subjects, with a great level of detail. Additionally, through S2T2 software, we proactively analyze the performance data to identify areas of improvement and initiate targeted corrective measures. To make sure that children are indeed making progress, we track each child’s progress with help of software & cloud technology and take corrective actions every 2 weeks.
Each year, we achieve a transition of nearly 95% of students from remedial classes to regular classes, ensuring a smooth progression in their academic journey.
Primary & Secondary Education
Primary & Secondary Education
We teach students math, science, and English using effective methods, pedagogy and technology that involve activities to make learning fun. We believe that technology can play a transformational role in imparting quality education to children on a scalable basis. In 2021, we created more than 2200 animated educational videos in partnership with GCERT and CSF, tailored for students ranging from standard 1 to 8. These efforts aim to enhance the learning experience for students and contribute to a more engaging and accessible educational environment. Using SaaS and cloud, we track every child’s progress and with help of analytics, we measure the impact of corrective actions on a monthly basis.
800+
Educators

In Standard 9 and 10 schools, our teaching ensured that more than 90% of the students have successfully cleared the Standard 10 board exams. Our exceptional results not only stand as a testament but also foster immense trust within village communities. Consequently, some communities have collectively decided to shift their children from private schools to government schools based on our outstanding achievements.

Sanskaar Sinchan (Value Education)
Sanskaar Sinchan (Value Education)

We believe that, to be successful and happy in life, there are basic values outside the textbook, that must be instilled in children. Therefore, we impart life lessons on positive attitude, self-confidence, courage, goal-setting, health & hygiene among other traits equipping children with an integrated approach towards positive living.

Honesty
Positivity
Self-confidence
Hard-work
Goal-Setting
Having engaged with the parents of each participant, we continuously conduct survey to analyze the impact. The parents express immense satisfaction with the life class sessions, noting a noticeable positive change in their children’s behaviour.
Special Coaching for Government Scholarship
Special Coaching for Government Scholarship

The National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS) and Gyan Sadhana Scholarship from the government is a lifeline for students from the weakest economic section of the society. Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation provides special coaching and extends all educational support to promising students so that they get the scholarship and are encouraged & motivated to continue higher studies.

Details of students who got government scholarship through our coaching:

Sr. No.

Scholarship

Details

No. of students getting scholarship

1

National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMS)

Monthly scholarship of Rs. 1000 per student for four years of education (Standard 9 to Standard 12)

201

2

Gyan Sadhana

Students studying in grades 9 and 10 will receive an annual scholarship of Rs. 20,000, while students in grades 11 and 12 will be awarded Rs. 25,000 annually.

184 students cleared exam

Assistanceship from KRSF
Assistanceship from KRSF

Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation extends financial assistance to promising and underprivileged students, aiming to inspire both the students and their families to actively pursue education. This financial support underscores the foundation’s commitment to fostering educational opportunities and empowering those with potential, but very adverse financial circumstances.

When we spot exceptionally brilliant students, we provide personalized support to guide these bright individuals through their 12th-grade education, and subsequently we provide them career guidance/ counselling, financial assistance as they embark on their college journey, particularly in fields such as medical, engineering, and pharmaceutical studies.

Details of scholarships:

Sr. No.

Details

Scholarship details

No. of students

1

Monthly scholarship to KRSF students

Monthly scholarship of Rs. 1000 to promising and underprivileged students to inspire them to actively pursue education.

184

2

Scholarship to students in VSSM hostel

Educational, boarding and lodging support to students staying in GU Shah hostel in Himmatnagar.

476

3

Scholarship to students pursuing vocational courses at Sarjan Foundation

Boarding and lodging support to students staying in Sarjan hostel in Amirgadh.

279

4

Scholarship to students staying in four hostels in South Gujarat

Educational, boarding and lodging support to students staying various hostel in Valsad, Dang and Surat districts

401

5

Financial assistance for Higher Studies

Financial assistance for higher studies to students pursuing medical, engineering and science field.

21

Total

1361
Digital & Financial Literacy
Digital & Financial Literacy
KRSF also funds the digital & Financial literacy training program of underprivileged; but self-employed women in conjunction with a 60-year-old, renowned NGO called SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association). In 2022 & 2023, we contributed to training and handholding of about 900 women of SEWA.
Partnerships
Partnerships
Additionally, we contribute to the education of approximately 5500 students through various partner NGOs & Corporations in Gujarat as in the table below:

Sr. No.

Organization

Schools

Students

1

Suzuki Motors Gujarat

18
1162

2

Alembic Foundation

15
884

3

Vidhyabharti Foundation

34
1558

4

VSSM

2
307

5

Bhagwati Trust

12
878

6

Other partnerships

24
966

Total

105
5755
Core aim of the partnerships is to scale up quality education through KRSF’s processes, content and templates, united efforts and synergized resources to achieve amplified and superior outcomes.
Vocational Education
Vocational Education
KRSF is actively funding and working with another NGO, Sarjan, to scale up with vocation training programs for students in 9-11th class who wish to opt out of the regular studies for a myriad of reasons. So far, more than 2000 candidates have been trained at Sarjan’s training center. We plan to fund one of their hostels that will house approximately 300 students.

Enabling dignified living through government welfare schemes

advocacy-1
advocacy-2

“We are diligently working to ensure that various government schemes reach even the most remote villages, reaching every last individual.”

India, is a vast country with a population of about 1.4 billion people that is still emerging as low middle income country. About 200 million people subsist on less than $ 2 /day poverty mark. Government of India & state Governments have implemented large number of schemes and allocated thousands of crores rupees to help the poor. At the last count, there are approximately 233 beneficial schemes to support the marginalized and left-out poor people. The biggest stumbling block is that a large chunk of the people who could be beneficiaries of these schemes are either unaware or illiterate.

For years, we’ve been operating in remote village areas, where we’ve observed that people lack awareness of government schemes, and even if they are aware, they often lack the motivation or sufficient documents to seek assistance. On top of that, obtaining such documents proves to be a daunting and tiring task.

KRSF is actively engaged at the grassroots level, facilitating the enrollment of local residents in various government schemes. Currently, KRSF is focusing on the following schemes and helping out rural population with eligibility, approval and receipt of the benefits.

Over the past two years, KRSF has enrolled more than 30,000 people into different government schemes listed below:

Sr. No.

Organization

Details

1

Ayushman Bharat

20,599

2

E-Shram Yojana

11,564

3

Vhali Dikri Yojana

29

4

Palak Mata Pita Yojana

12

5

Ganga Swaroop Yojana

142

6

Niradhar Vruddh Sahay Yojana
217

7

Other
64

We realize that the foundation’s team may not be able to help all the people all the time for these government schemes. Still, we aspire to make huge strides in this direction in the coming years. For that, we are laying a solid foundation of very capable leadership that will transform our vision into reality by creating awareness among the people; so that they are able to speak for themselves and take appropriate steps to avail benefits of the schemes on their own.

Powering entrepreneurs to create impact in rural areas

MSME (Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises) sector is the largest employer of people in India with more than 12% people directly employed through MSMEs. Quite a large segment of the population is very enterprising, hard working and quite creative on starting a very small business and then expanding it if they get half a chance of getting loans/credit and/or some support on scaling their enterprises.

Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation is actively engaged in two social entrepreneurship programs to address these objectives:
Social Entrepreneurship 1
Social Entrepreneurship 2

Towards a greener planet

Climate change poses an imminent threat to our planet, manifesting through rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and ecological disruptions. Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation believes that grass root level awareness and then the participation by the people is very essential to make a positive impact on climate change. Therefore, the foundation is actively involved in water management and forestation as the two key areas with help with other NGOs, Government of Gujarat and people of villages who all are key stakeholders and must actively participate in these efforts.
Water Management

Water Management

Recognizing a moral obligation to contribute to mitigating future disasters, the foundation actively promotes sustainability, partners with local initiatives, and supports projects aimed at rejuvenating water resources.
Participatory Water Management in North Gujarat:

KRSF has collaborated with, Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch (VSSM), for participatory water management in North Gujarat. It is an area with sandy land and an average rainfall of 15 inches per year. The objective of this program is to increase water sufficiency by de-silting and deepening the lakes. Once the lakes are able to capture and hold more rainwater, the groundwater tables improve over time. The Participatory Water Management Initiative was introduced with the hope to recharge and revive the groundwater levels in the region.

In 2023-24, KRSF and VSSM jointly undertook the de-silting and excavation work of 30 lakes in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Mehsana district. The entire campaign is carried out in partnership with the village leadership and panchayat. Through VSSM, Govt of Gujarat was also involved in funding the project under “Sujalam Sufalam” scheme. The de-siltation of the lakes is helping in improving the overall groundwater table and availability of water for farming purposes. In several cases, farmers have been able to use this waterbody for irrigation purposes to manage two crops in year instead of one; which has a direct impact on their income and well-being. KRSF also extended its support for the repairing work of 6 check-dams in this region. All in all, in 2023, the foundation increased the water capacity of lakes by 160 million litres impacting lives of about 50,000 families.

Participatory Water Management in South Gujarat:
Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation also joined hands with Lok Mangalam Charitable Trust, Dharampur and built three check dams in two villages of Dharampur taluka to address drinking water issues. The construction of these check dams has gone a long way in improving the living conditions of villages. Moreover, it will also provide farmers of these villages with adequate water for irrigation to cultivate vegetables and other crops. This has helped augment their incomes too.
Climate and Sustainability School in Ladakh:

KRSF is funding and collaborating the Mr. Sonam Wangchuk, a noted activist and conservationist and Ms Gitanjali to start up a climate school/University named HIAL (Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh). The idea is to teach, educate and mentor a group of select youngsters to come up new, innovative ideas for climate protection and sustainability.

Forestation and Tree Plantation

Forestation and Tree Plantation

By prioritizing tree plantation and forestation, the foundation actively works towards creating a sustainable and resilient environment for future generations. Moreover, we aim to inspire children by fostering an understanding of the vital role that trees and forests play in maintaining a healthy environment, thus encouraging a sense of responsibility towards nature among the younger generation.

Participatory Tree Plantation Campaign with VSSM
KRSF funded and collaborated with VSSM for Participatory Tree Plantation Campaign. The entire campaign is carried out in partnership with the village leadership and panchayat. We have planted more than 1,72,000 trees at different locations under this campaign with pretty high survival rate of 92%.
Ek-Baal Ek-Vruksh Initiative

Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation is also working with the state forest department to implement the ‘One Child, One Tree’ project. As part of the project, 45,000 trees were being planted in Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts by students from across 200 schools in these districts in 2023. The initiative is supported by the district primary education officials and forest department officers at various ranks, in both these districts. The idea behind the project is to closely work with the Government of Gujarat to engage the students into conserving the environment by making them plant trees and instilling a sense of responsibility. Around 45,000 trees have already been planted under this initiative by children. The survival rate of these trees is extraordinarily higher at 93%.

Tree Plantation Project in South Gujarat
KRSF has joined hands with Lok Mangalam Charitable Trust and planted around 22,000 trees in the forest areas of Dharampur and Kaprada to add to the green cover of the region.
Urban Forestation Project with Acacia Eco

KRSF has funded ACACIA Eco for plantation, maintenance and growth of about 85,000 trees, supporting their urban forestation initiative. Through our support, Acacia Eco Trust is also building Oxygen Park in Lambha. Embracing the urban forestation concept, we endeavour to transform city landscapes into green havens, enhancing biodiversity, mitigating pollution, and fostering a healthier living environment for urban communities. Through strategic tree planting and green initiatives, we aim to create sustainable urban ecosystems that benefit both people and the planet.

Thus, through various projects, the foundation has successfully planted over 3,00,000 trees in different regions, achieving impressive survival rates, and contributing significantly to creating sustainable and resilient environment.

Improving lives through better healthcare

Details of support provided by KRSF to various organizations:

Sr. No.

Organization

Details

1

Dr. Jivraj Mehta Smarak Health Foundation

Provided Pneumatic Tubing System and Endoscopy System

2

Sadvichar Parivar

Support for Physiotherapy Centre, Pathology Laboratory, Library

3

Gujarat Cancer Society

Support for primary infrastructure and healthcare facility

4

Gram Seva Trust

In Dang district, which has predominantly tribal population, KRSF has collaborated with Gram Seva Trust to have health-workers in 26 remote villages to provide healthcare services.

We wholeheartedly embrace this philosophy. It fuels our dreams to significantly improve the well-being of a greater number of people. And we are firmly committed to it.

Dr. K. R. Shroff was a dedicated doctor who believed in serving his patients with utmost care and compassion. He considered his profession as a divine calling and never hesitated to attend patients even at odd hours. His devotion left a strong impression on the mind of his son Pratul Shroff. So, after running several successful companies, he decided to spend a large part of his wealth as well as his time on social causes and gave a beautiful tribute to his father by establishing Dr. K. R. Shroff Foundation (KRSF).

Inspired by his father’s legacy, Pratul Shroff aimed to address the healthcare challenges faced by the underprivileged. He recognized that access to quality medical care is a fundamental right, regardless of one’s financial status. The KRSF focuses on enhancing healthcare facilities and supporting medical institutions in underserved areas.

Due to financial constraints, individuals from underprivileged backgrounds often rely on government hospitals or trust-managed hospitals for medical care. Therefore, it’s crucial for these institutions to be equipped with modern facilities. The unwavering dedication of these organizations has saved countless lives.

ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः
सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः।
सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत्।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः

Healthcare 02