FAQ
- How did Deepam start?
- Is Deepam a registered organization?
- How can I volunteer with Deepam?
- Why does Deepam need funds?
- How can I donate money to Deepam?
- Why does Deepam need laptops?
- Can I track my donation?
- What are Deepam’s plans for the future?
1. How did Deepam start?
‘Deepam’ as an idea was initiated in January 2008 when Ram Viswanathan discussed ‘giving-back’ to the society, over an early morning run with Karthikeyan. Since then, a bunch of enthusiastic volunteers have made the ‘Idea’, a ‘reality’ . As we realised since the start, it has been us, volunteers, who have benefitted the most out of the interaction with the children.
Deepam ran a pilot program in April 2008 at Perungudi in Chennai, with the help of Nalamdana – a SHG. Every weekend during this period, the children who gathered at Nalamdana’s centre in Perungudi played with the laptops, with guidance from Deepam volunteers. The children were hooked to the idea of ‘playing’ with the computers – they were taught to browse the internet, send e-mails and work with the Office tools. The enthusiasm shown by the children inspired the Deepam team to take this idea to other parts of Chennai.
Deepam celebrated its first anniversary in April, 2009 when we issued certificates to children who completed our course. We were officially registered as an NGO in the same year.
2. Is Deepam a registered organization?
Chennai Deepam Society is a registered society in Tamilnadu — registration number: 170/2009.
3. How can I volunteer with Deepam?
4. Why does Deepam need funds?
Deepam needs funds to run its centres and expand to new projects. Currently, we are supported by individual donors.
Our needs are specifically:
- Infrastructure to teach computers: Power Supply, Laptops/PCs, Internet access at centres.
- Curriculum Material: Reading and writing material, Books and dictionaries for the children
5. How can I donate money to Deepam?
6. Why does Deepam need laptops?
The centres that we teach in do not have the infrastructure required to bring computer access to children. Deepam works to set up power supply, PC & laptop access and internet access in the classroom. We aim to achieve an access ratio of three children to one computer. Given that we have close to 120 students in Deepam and very few computers/laptops, we are always on the look out for machines.
At present, some of the centres do not support facilities to permanently house PCs. Laptops are preferred because the volunteers can carry them to the centres for the class.
7. Can I track my donation?
We will individually correspond with each of our donors. Further, we will have a section in our newsletter headed- “Donor update” so that donors are updated of how the funds have been managed. Nevertheless, do feel free to drop in to one of our centres on a week-end to see for yourself!
8. What are Deepam’s plans for the future?
We have two projects in the pipeline, subject to financial feasibility.
Deepam Stars
A scholarship program aimed at identifying highflyers who are in need of continued support for money and resources. Deserving kids will be shortlisted and supported with
- Mentorship – Volunteer who stays in contact with a kid and help guide ideas and interest of kids for excellence in different fields
- Scholarship – Provide monetary support in terms of Tuition fees / Other support and resources required in their education
Deepam Read
Deepam Read is a planned project involving set-up of a community library, to cultivate the habit of reading and to improve general awareness quotient of kids. The aim is to provide books that impart practical knowledge, widen the horizon of children, encourage and enhance creativity and constitutes an interesting reading for children in the target age group.
Please contact us if you are interested in supporting these projects.