GREAT History
This Charity bears the name of Guru Ravidass Ji, a prominent Saint and Guru of the fifteenth century India, who played a leading role in the ‘Bhakti Movement’, a socio-religious programme to reform society indulged in oppressive religious practices such as caste discrimination.
Guru Ravidass Ji preached justice, equality, self – respect and social freedom and fought relentlessly against the unjust and cruel systems such as caste system imposed by man on man purely for selfish ends.
His philosophy and teachings inspire us to work hard to gain dignity and status in life. Through education, one can obtain this and we firmly believe that this Charity will succeed in helping some of those who are deprived of educational opportunities due to financial difficulties.
There is still a large proportion of the population in India where children and young people find education a dream and because of severe poverty, they fall into the cruel state of child or forced labour to help parents to earn a living.
Education is still a privilege of the few and many poor children are systematically prohibited from any kind of education with the rich and powerful keeping them illiterate and as their servants.
The poor students with no chance of going to school are given the first priority and for others, who manage to complete school education but cannot afford to go to a college or university, scholarship awards are given to pay for their fees and other essential course expenses.
- Many parents at the lowest level of Indian society are still very poor and are unable to afford to send children to school; instead, these children are forced to work to support the family.
- None or very little help from the Government for State School basic education and for 'private School education, the fees are too high to afford.
- Students, who manage to get a school education, find it extremely hard to bear the cost of further or higher education.
- Sweat in the heat breaking stones on the roadside.
- Work in the agricultural fields or make bricks 18 hours a day.
- Work as kitchen servants in roadside ‘dhabbas’ [restaurants].
- Fall victim to drug abuse and die young.