Dear friends,
This has been a difficult year, with the longevity and severity of the pandemic continuing to test us all in different ways. Despite these challenges, we have much to be thankful for in the Samaanta family. None of our fellows or their close family members have been severely ill, and our fellows have not only found ways to cope but have also managed to thrive under trying circumstances.
It is hard to believe that Samaanta has turned 10 this year! What began as a piecemeal, reactionary initiative to help a few students from public schools has turned into a national movement, as we have now become the most comprehensive higher education scholarship in the country. In the last ten years, we have supported a total of 76 fellows, including 50 active fellows this year. Our residential fellowship provides support for up to six years; based on extensive ongoing research, we design and implement systemic, targeted interventions that allow these public school graduates to not only participate but actually succeed within the system.
We have numerous fantastic stories to share this year. Prajit and Sunita have received international scholarships to pursue their higher education in Bangladesh and Norway respectively, for instance.
We have recruited our largest cohort yet of 12 fellows, including a fellow with disability and fellows from four new districts. We will share their stories with you soon, but for now we want to share with you a video we have prepared to showcase our journey over the last ten years. This has been a labour of love for all of us at Samaanta, and we hope you will enjoy getting to know our family a bit better.
As ever, thank you so much for all your love, support, and encouragement throughout this incredible journey. None of this would be possible without you. We are only getting started, and with your continued engagement, we are committed to ensuring that we help create a more just and equitable society.
Thank you, and happy holidays.
– Shrochis Karki, Jyoti Pandey, Dev Mahato, Prapti Gautam,
and the entire Samaanta Foundation family