The decision to migrate to a big city is one born out of distress, not choice. Individuals and families are pushed out of their villages in rural India by drought, debts, and the search for secure livelihoods. However, living conditions in our cities are harsh. And access to education, healthcare and basic amenities is severely lacking for these marginalised populations.

Children from these communities are often prevented from attending school due to multiple reasons - from physical access, existing learning deficits and cultural barriers. Even if they are able to attend, non-learning in under-resourced government schools present a further barrier to their education. This leads to poor school outcomes, low attendance and ultimately - to dropouts.

The new National Education Policy (MHRD 2020) acknowledges that over 3.22 crore children still remain out of school in India. In a modern economy, this only perpetuates the cycle of poverty for the family. We argue that this is as much of an urban crisis as it is a rural one. Each interconnected programme in our portfolio supports the marginalised child on their journey through formal schooling, making the experience more effective and meaningful.