Very warm Vaisakhi greetings to you and your family
Dear Friend,
Sat Sri Akal. Very warm Vaisakhi greetings to you and your family. May Guru Ji’s blessings be on you all throughout the year. I would like to begin by expressing my and the SHDF Board’s deep gratitude to you for your invaluable support. It has allowed SHDF to provide an increasing number of scholarships for higher education to bright students in Punjab and neighboring states, transforming lives struggling with severe economic hardship to ones filled with skills, opportunity and hope.
In this Newsletter, I would like to share with you a number of recent developments that would be of interest.
- For the 2022-23 academic year, SHDF has granted a record 1,460 scholarships. Thus, we have met and exceeded our goal of providing 1400 scholarships. This is a significant increase from the 1,256 scholarships extended the previous year, and has further enhanced our upward trajectory. SHDF has now provided 11,025 scholarships since its inception in 20o1. With the multiplier effect of these scholarships, the number of lives impacted and transformed is enormous. You will be also pleased to know that 75 percent of the scholarship recipients this year are female, and 65 percent are from rural areas. The dire need is evident from the fact that two-thirds of the recipients had an annual family income of less than $100 per month.
- We have also held a Workshop for enhancing “soft-skills” including job interviewing techniques that was attended by several hundred scholarship recipients. Numerous warm testimonials we received help us gauge the impact of these workshops.
- The number of SHDF-Nishkam centers has now expanded to ten, with the opening of the newest center in Karnal, Haryana in December 2022. Each additional center, run by volunteers who are experts, widens the geographical reach in awareness among students, many in remote, underserved villages that help and hope is available to them. More centers where applications can be submitted, and written exams and interviews of applicants are conducted, reduces the burden of travel costs for students, who already have meagre means. Availability of guidance for successful applicants make the centers a valuable source of continuing support.
- We are delighted to announce that after tireless efforts by one of our key supporters, Sardar Darshan Singh ji of the Greater Toronto Area, and the SHDF Board, SHDF Canada has been established after receiving formal approval from the Canada Revenue Agency to operate as a Registered Charity. It will be headquartered in the Toronto area. With this development, the number of SHDF scholarships is expected to grow significantly. We are setting up the organization and are looking for volunteers who can help. Canadian supporters, who would like to donate, and/or volunteer in any capacity, can please get in touch at shdfcanada@gmail.com.
- SHDF board member Dr. Gurpal Singh Bhuller recently visited Punjab, New Delhi and Chandigarh. He met several students and their families, who described how transformative the scholarships had been for them and expressed deep gratitude to all donors for caring about them from thousands of miles away. These students as well as local educators, volunteers and Nishkam officials emphasized that there is a tremendous need for many more scholarships in their communities.
- We have significantly enhanced and updated our website. We have added several new features, including SHDF Student Association, SHDF Alumni Association, success stories and more. Please visit www.shdf.org to learn about the impact your donations are making.
We have set a goal of at least 1500 scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year. To accomplish this, we need to raise $825,000 this year. We humbly request you to donate generously and to enlist support for SHDF from your extended family and friends. It is your generosity that will help young women and men, with great ability but meager means realize their dream of higher education, and transform their lives.
With warm regards and immense gratitude,
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The Sikh Human Development Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing transformative change by offering scholarships to underserved yet ambitious students across Punjab and nearby regions. Through donor support, the Foundation has helped empower students to pursue advanced education and professional opportunities in diverse fields, awarding over 13,000 scholarships over the past two decades.