The M V Foundation

Background
The M V Foundation, although initially set up in 1981 to conduct research on sociological issues, has been involved in the effort to eradicate child labor for a long time now. Today, the Foundation works in over 6,000 villages around Hyderabad, and has already managed to bring over 350,000 children back into the education system. It is supported by both the Government of India as well as the United Nations.

Activities
The M V Foundation has a simple job description: go door-to-door in the villages and convince the villagers to send their children to school. The veterans at the Foundation feel that in villages, people look at their child as just another member of the family and not as a valuable resource that needs to be nurtured and taught. Each villager is approached, cajoled and finally convinced to send all his kids to school. This task is enormously labour-intensive, and the Foundation employs thousands of social workers.

The Foundation works primarily in the villages because identifying the children who are not attending school is simpler in a village setting. In an urban setting, the causes for child labor are far more varied and complex, and therefore much tougher to deal with.

Membership And Volunteer Opportunities
The nature of M V Foundation's work makes it difficult for the general public to contribute their time to it. The best way to be involved is to make monetary donations. For more details, contact Naren at the phone numbers provided, or visit www.mvfindia.org.