Menu
Friday, August 1, 2025 — East Meets West – Children’s Education Fund (EMW-CEF) is pleased to announce that it has awarded scholarships to five gifted young students living in impoverished communities in Rishikesh, India.
Naraindra Prashad, Founder of EMW-CEF and Board President, says the awards are a milestone for the charity. “The scholarships are our first major gift to students living in poverty since we received formal charity status from the Canada Revenue Agency earlier this year.” With scholarship support, the students, all aged 11, will have the resources to continue their education in grade six.
The EMW-CEF scholarship funds administered by Khushi CS will pay for tuition, school supplies, uniforms and shoes, along with other school essentials. The scholarship recipients from Khushi CS after school program attend a government school and when selected for a scholarship they go to one of the private schools run by “the Vidya Bharati Sansthan” (a large educational organization in India that runs numerous schools across the country).
The scholarships — $600 per student or approximately 37,883 in Indian rupees – will be managed by EMW-CEF’s international partner, Khushi Charitable Society (Khushi CS), located in Rishikesh.
Founded in 2002, Khushi CS is a registered non-government organization, funded by donations and sponsorships. Project Manager Kapil Dev Bist says Khushi CS’s goal is to provide disadvantaged children with education, supplemental nutrition, medical assistance, and vocational training. Today, it supports more than 450 children.
The goal of Khushi CS is to provide a proper education to marginalized children. The government schools offer free education from grades one through to grade eight. Students whose families have the financial resources are able to continue in private schools. For the families who cannot afford the tuition expenses for private schools; Khushi CS fills this gap so they can continue their education.
The other issue is that government-operated schools end classes at 1:30 PM in summer and 3:30pm in winter. After school closes, some students take on jobs to support their families while others are left with nothing to do until their parents return home from work.
Khushi CS tackles both issues. With the scholarships, the five students with EMW-CEF support will be able to continue their education in grade six. The five students also participate in Khushi CS’s after-school program, which operates from 3:30 to 7:00 PM. The after-school program provides supplemental academic classes, a healthy meal, medical care, yoga classes and other extracurricular activities. Khushi CS also operates a vocational centre offering technical and vocational training which also comprises a library and a computer lab.
“At Khushi CS, we want to help students become more self-sufficient and ready for gainful employment. We have students who are now credentialed as pharmacists and teachers. Many are now able to support their families.” says Kapil.
The five scholarship recipients were selected based on academic performance, career aspirations, attendance in the Khushi CS after-school program and community involvement. The support of their parents was also an important factor in the decision. “We had meetings with parents to explain the significance of the scholarship and the importance of education. Many did not realize how gifted their children were.”
Vanshika Shrivastav – She is described as highly active, sharp minded and an excellent singer. “There is always a sweet smile on her face,” says Kapil. Vanshika aspires to become a doctor. She lives with her maternal grandparents in a family of seven.
Alia Godiyaal – She lives with six family members and aspires to become a dancer. Kapil describes her: “She comes to class every day. She is very focused on studies. She has patience and curiosity for learning more and more. Alia is active, displays good behavior and is humble and polite.”
Naitik Godiyaal – He wants to become a police officer. His favourite subjects are mathematics and computers; he also enjoys reading and drawing. “He is very focused on his studies,” says Kapil. “He has patience and curiosity for learning. He is active, sharp minded, energetic, humble and polite.”
Ayush Kharwar – He wants to become an army officer. Kapil says, “He is a very energetic in sports and diligently fulfills his duties. He is extremely respectful towards all his teachers”. His favourite subject is Mathematics, and he enjoys playing cricket. He has one older brother and two sisters.
Deepika Kumari – She is very focused on her studies. Kapil says, “She is active, intelligent, energetic, humble and polite. She has patience and curiosity and wants to keep on learning”. Her favourite subjects are Science and Hindi. She likes dancing and wants to become a professional dancer. She has one younger brother and three older sisters.
The EMW-CEF scholarships are for one academic year (grade six). But both Naraindra and Kapil are planning well into the future.
“Khushi CS will provide us with regular reports on the students’ academic performance. If they continue to excel, our goal is to continue working with Khushi CS to support the five throughout high school and into university or technical school – that’s another six years of annual support,” he says.
Kapil agrees: “Once we start, we will always keep supporting them.”
Naraindra adds: “As a charity, we want to support as many students as possible so the support of our donors is important to our mission. We are grateful to our donors and will continue to provide them with updates on these gifted young people. “When you educate a child, you support a family and empower a community.”
For more information about EMW-CEF, contact Naraindra Prashad, president.emwcef@gmail.com or go to www.emwcef.org
To support a child with a scholarship and to make a donation, go to https://emwcef.org/donate/ E-transfers can be sent to emwcef@gmail.com
To learn about EMW-CEF’s history, go to YouTube: Empowering Children in Impoverished Communities.
For more information about Khushi Charitable Society, contact Kapil Dev Bist, khushiprojects@yahoo.com or https://khushi.org.in
East Meets West – Children’s Education Fund (EMW-CEF) was inspired by the teachings of Karma Yoga under the leadership of Naraindra Prashad, a yoga teacher since 2010.
Copyright © 2025 East Meets West – Children’s Education Fund ® All Rights Reserved. Canada Revenue Agency, Charitable registration # 726899750 RR0001
Designed & developed by dezloper.com