Hampi Children's Trust

Upon arriving in Hampi we met a wonderful guide, Kali Das, who also happened to be the co-founder of a non-profit called the Hampi Children's Trust, which works to help get the local children in to school, instead of being forced to beg in the bazaar from tourists. We were fortunate enough to get to spend a little time at the organization and meet some of the kids, and were deeply touched by the work that is being done. We wanted to share with you all the good work they are doing:

A description of the organization from their myspace page (their actual website is under construction):

The Hampi Children’s Trust ( HCT ) is a non-profit organisation , based in the ancient historic town of Hampi. The aim of the Trust is to promote + improve the educational prospects of young children ( aged 4 to16 years ) living in Hampi Bazaar who currently do not receive an education , primarily because their parents do not allow them to attend school , preffering instead to send them out begging for money from the many Westerners who visit Hampi during the tourist season .Without a formal education, the prospects for these children is bleak .The idea for the Hampi Children’s Trust came about in November 2006 when Tim Brown – from England – and Kali Das – born + raised in Hampi, to collaborate for a solution to the poverty “ hidden ” beneath Hampi’s glorious surface , + especially by the number of very young children who weren’t attending school, being sent out onto the main street to beg for rupees instead .

The HCT’s initial aims are modest , with the first project (funded by Tim and Kali themselves ) beginning in April 2007 . We are employing a cook and buying food ingredients , in order to provide for 30 children with 3 meals a day , 7 days a week , providing school uniforms and essential materials, and enrolling them at the small private school at the far end of Hampi Bazaar main street . We have also developed an after school programme for this group of children , in order to try and give them a structure to their week + to help developand improve their basic essential ‘ life-skills ’. We hope to expand this scheme in the coming months to include more children, this is , obviously , dependent upon the HCT receiving some income , in the form of voluntary donations , from those people – both locals and foreign tourists + travellers – who aresympathetic to , and supportive of , our aims + objectives .

If you would like to find out more information about the organization please feel free to email us. It costs about $200 USD to sponsor a student for one year- we've set up a donation link on the sidebar if anyone is interested in giving.