Further Support

A child’s journey towards independence is rarely seamless, and we have never expected it to be. The years after 18 are not a conclusion, but a continuation, and often the hardest stretch of the road. Incorporating the learnings from Project HEAL, Further Support exists for exactly those moments, and for all the ordinary ones in between.

It covers what independence actually requires: educational funding, materials, skill workshops, and emergency support for when life does not go as planned. But more than any specific resource, it is a continued relationship. Children can ask for funds and support without hesitation, and NNSC offers that support to the best of its ability.

A bigger part of Further Support is the pilot Kshitiz scholarship. The word means horizon, and that is exactly what this scholarship is reaching toward.

Kshitiz: The horizon is approximately 5 kilometers away. With you, it could be less.

Kshitiz is NNSC’s scholarship for children from the home to pursue a Bachelor’s degree. It is the first of its kind in how we think about long-term educational investment in our children’s futures.

For children who have grown up in a residential care setting like the ones at NNSC, the institutional support guaranteed through different donors for their schooling and their entire childhood does not extend into university. Scholarships are scarce and competitive, and the absence of a family financial safety net means that without direct intervention, capable and motivated young people are forced to abandon their academic ambitions. Kshitiz exists because that dream deserves a fighting chance.

Kshitiz Scholars
Kshitiz scholars are young adults who grew up at NNSC and are now in, or preparing for, undergraduate education. They are studying, or planning to study, fields they chose themselves, based on who they are and what they want to contribute to the world. They are not defined by where they came from. They are defined by where they are going.
A sponsorship goes toward the real costs of a university education of a particular Kshitiz scholar: tuition fees, study materials, and basic living support for the duration of their degree. Every rupee is used with care and full accountability. NNSC will share regular updates on how the funds are being used and how the scholar is progressing.

Kshitiz Scholar and Sponsor relationship
Sponsoring a Kshitiz scholar is not a one-time donation. It is, if you would like it to be, a relationship. Sponsors receive periodic updates about their scholar’s progress: their coursework, their milestones, the small and large moments of a life being built. If both the sponsor and scholar are open to it, there is room for that connection to grow into something meaningful for both of them. We handle all of this with care, on the terms of both.

Why now?
Kshitiz is a pilot. In its earliest form, the scholars who benefit from it will also help shape what it becomes. To sponsor a Kshitiz scholar today is to be part of building something that will outlast this first cohort. The children who come after them will inherit whatever we manage to build together now.

If you would like to sponsor a Kshitiz scholar, we would love to hear from you. Reach out and someone from NNSC will be in touch.