Shakti School of Arts for Girls, in Rishikesh

Located on the banks of the sacred river Ganges, in the city of Rishikesh (often called the yoga capital of the world), Shakti School of Arts for Girls was created to offer free education in English and the arts to girls in the poorest areas of the city. Tarini Ma Dagnino, a Venezuelan living in India, and co-founder of The Feeding Rishikesh project, NGO, is the force behind the school, which has the aim of giving these girls the opportunity to find healing and empowerment through art, music, dance, and yoga, to follow their dreams, and to succeed in a career in the arts if they so choose.

Tarini has lived in India for more than 20 years and knows well the tragic social inequality women live with, especially in the poorest areas, where the majority belong to the lowest castes and suffer intense discrimination from the rest of society, and she has always wanted to help the girls of India grow into strong women who can be free from such societal obstacles. 

As she started spending more time with the children of the Rishikesh slums back in September, 2020, where she was involved in a daily project of bringing food to those in need, she realized that the kids’ schools had been closed for a long time due to the Covid lockdown, and that they had nothing constructive to do, as most of them had no access to online classes. She felt a great inner calling to gather with girls each day and provide them with classes. Tarini's friends and local volunteers offered to teach the various subjects, and the girls were very happy!

After meeting with them in various halls for several months, Tarini was thrilled to finally found a great building for the school. It's a safe place for the girls to learn, where they will not be judged by anyone and where they can express themselves freely. It's proving to be a great environment for them to develop their talents in an atmosphere of love and acceptance. The monthly expenses of the school, including rent, electricity, and food & vitamins for the girls, is over $1,000. Can you contribute something to help us meet those expenses each month? 

Renting the building has one flaw -- someone could buy the building out from under them. So to make sure the girls know their school is here to stay, Tarini Ma would like to buy the building. The current asking price is $100,000. Can you help us raise that money? 

The current enrollment is 75 girls, with 2 groups divided by age: the 3-to-9 year olds, and those from 10 to 18. In addition to classes, the school provides a balanced and nutritious meal each day, which they share once the classes are finished. This is important because some of the girls come from very poor families and may not be getting much nourishment at home. Books and art supplies are being provided for the kids free of charge, and they've also been given uniforms, including shoes. 

Tarini wants to eventually include self-defense among the subjects of the school, as protection for the students in situations of abuse, which many girls in India are facing.

The Feeding Rishikesh project is actively seeking donors and partners to help sustained the project. Tarini’s dream is to be able to sponsor these girls all the way to higher education. 

Welcome to our Shakti family! Thank you for your support! We love you!