March 6, 2024
By Chandrasekar Das
Student Scholarships
For 5 years now, with the help of the Segre Project, Keystone Foundation has been working to improve the livelihood conditions of marginalized people in four coexistence villages in Kotagiri by supporting them in water, sanitation, and preventing wildlife conflicts. We are currently working with four coexistence villages located in the vicinity of the main town of Kotagiri: Kanigadevi Colony (118 households), Krishnapudur (179 households), Ambedkar Nagar (53 households), and Indira Nagar (198 households), totaling to 548 households total.
With support from Synchronoss Technologies in 2023, we set out to promote higher education among the youth of these villages. We were able to felicitate 21 students who successfully passed their Higher Secondary School and Senior Secondary School exam continuing education scholarships. As a follow-up in December 2023, 22 students were granted continuing education scholarships, with 11 students in the 10th standard receiving Higher Secondary scholarships of 15,000 INR each, and 11 students in 12th standard receiving Undergrad scholarships of 25,000 INR each. The scholarships were granted at events organized in the village itself. We are sure these scholarships will go a long way in encouraging the young to continue their higher education and will motivate the parents to support their children.
Art for Nature
In a bid to make conversations around wildlife more appealing, we have been hosting regular conservation education programs in local villages and schools. In August and December, we collaborated with a local artist in three villages: Ambedkar Nagar, Krishnapudur, and Indira Nagar, to create murals that portray the coexistence between humans and the diverse wildlife in the region. The artwork illustrates the relationship between communities and the wildlife that shares their environment, reinforcing the importance of community-based conservation. These murals also serve as an information board on local biodiversity, and were made possible through Synchronoss Technologies.
Naturalist Training –
As another activity funded by Synchronoss Technologies, we conducted two days of naturalist training for our volunteers on the Keystone Campus and field. In total, 11 volunteers attended the training, where we covered bird watching, bird behaviours, habitats and how to use eBird, an online database of bird observations. In the afternoon, we left campus to show how to bird watch in the field.
