Dear Friends,

20 years ago, my mother started helping a little girl go to school by paying for her books and school uniform once every year. The girl might have ended up working as a domestic helper otherwise. Her mother was a single mom working hard to feed her children. This little support was not a lot of money but it went a long way. She completed school and then her college. Now she is an educated woman with a job and strength that only education can provide.

Situation of underpriviledged children in India:

* In India, a little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight.

* In India, only 53% of habitation has a primary school.

* 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.

* 17 million children in India work as per official estimates.

* 19% of children employed work as domestic help.

* 90% working children are in rural India

Some indicators of CRY's impact in 2008-09:

* 761,167 children were impacted through our programmes

* 1376 government primary schools were revived and retained

* 558 government primary schools maintained 100% retention of students

* 481 villages were made 100% free from child labour

Let's give more children a chance to live, an opportunity for education and a childhood. I request you to use this opportunity to change a child's life. You can do so by pledging towards my fund-raising goal, or by registering for the walk. You can also become a fund-raiser yourself. Please participate.

Thank You,

Thulasi & Sridhar