DNA IMPACT: Swiss couple adopts over 100 students from Vaidu community

A few days after DNA reported the plight of over two hundred students from the Vaidu community, who were left out of school in the absence of funds, good samaritans from Switzerland have now come to their rescue.

Christofer and Madeleine Siffert, a couple from Switzerland have recently pledged an amount that can sponsor the education of over a hundred students from the community for a period of one year with the help of their NGO Run4children Mumbai.

The couple raised funds through marathons and crowd-funding in the last few months and were looking out for a cause when they found about the Vaidu children and then decided to fund them.

"We read about these children and thought that this was a very important cause as the entire community can be educated if we help these kids go to school. We would keep in touch with the children even after going back to check their progress" said Cristofer, a physiotherapist by profession.

DNA had earlier reported about how over two hundred children from the Vaidu community are at a risk of staying 'out of school' due to the dearth of funds and lack of support from within the community to educate them. These students were identified in a special out of school survey which was started by Durga Guduilu an activist from the community back in 2015.

"Thanks to the efforts of the Swiss couple, these students can now go back to school. We are in the process of completing the admission formalities and the kids will begin school from the upcoming academic year," said Durga Gudilu.