“Somebody’s future lies in your cup of coffee.”
Educate To Save is a child-sponsorship and rural-education initiative operated by The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. It draws support for children of impoverished families across rural North India who would otherwise be deprived of an education.
Though our Society strives to support as many such children as our capacity allows, our contribution alone reaches only a small fraction — the expanse of poverty across these regions is vast.
Our team continually surveys these regions to identify children who cannot attend school because of financial constraints. Each case is then validated by our authentication team through available documents and family site surveys before the child is enlisted to seek sponsorship.
A first-generation learner at an Akal Academy, rural North India.
To bring cost-effective yet quality-oriented, holistic schooling to rural and underprivileged children in India.
To bring free / aided, values-based education to 1 lakh needy out-of-school children at village-cluster levels over the next decade.
It began in 1986 with a single classroom and Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji's vision: that quality, value-based education should reach every child, regardless of economic background.
Across Northern India, this mission continues to break the cycle of poverty through education, character development and community transformation.
and other Educational support programmes reaching thousands of underprivileged children annually.
"My dream is to give free or subsidised education to at least twenty thousand needy children every single year."
— The founder's wish
A rural-education NGO in India: five states, thousands of villages, one mission carried forward by teachers, donors and communities who refuse to let circumstance decide a child's destiny.
Educate To Save currently features 9,000+ children seeking sponsorship support. These children are part of a larger student community of over 75,000 students studying in 130 rural schools run by The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. Overall, 33,906 students receive free or subsidised education through donor and scholarship support, ensuring that financial hardship does not become a barrier to learning.
Cumulative figures, The Kalgidhar Society — Baru Sahib, 2021–2026. Free/aided enrolment as of academic year 2025–26.
| Students enrolled | 75,000+ |
|---|---|
| Students receiving free or subsidised education | 33,906 |
| Children currently seeking sponsorship support | 9,000+ |
| Verified student profiles on sponsorship portal | 8,000+ |
| Akal Academies (rural schools) | 130 |
| Villages reached | 6,450 |
| Districts served | 33 |
| States covered | 5 |
| Rural population impacted | 19.5 lakh+ |
The reach of Educate To Save reflects both the scale of need and the trust communities place in the mission — more children study free or subsidised every single year.
Roughly 3,000 more children gain access to a full, value-based education every year — because compassionate sponsors keep choosing to invest in their future.
2021–2025 free/aided figures indicative, pending final audit; 2026 enrolment confirmed at 33,906. Source: The Kalgidhar Society — Baru Sahib.
| 2021 | 210 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,223 |
| 2023 | 2,284 |
| 2024 | 1,216 |
| 2025 | 846 |
| 2026 | 286 |
| Total (2021–2026) | 6,065 |
| 2021 | 9,200 (indicative) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 13,800 (indicative) |
| 2023 | 19,500 (indicative) |
| 2024 | 25,400 (indicative) |
| 2025 | 30,100 (indicative) |
| 2026 | 33,906 (confirmed) |
Behind every sponsored child is a person who chose to act. Nearly eight in ten children on our panel already study free, fed and cared for — and the circle keeps widening as new children arrive and new sponsors step forward.
Source: Educate To Save sponsorship portal, The Kalgidhar Society — Baru Sahib. 2026 figures are year-to-date (Jan–Jun) and continue to grow. Full-year sponsors rose 3× from 2021 to 2025; children sponsored more than doubled.
| Year | Sponsors | Children sponsored | Countries giving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 274 | 599 | 9 |
| 2022 | 414 | 878 | 11 |
| 2023 | 488 | 1,290 | 10 |
| 2024 | 748 | 1,211 | 9 |
| 2025 | 845 | 1,305 | 15 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 347 | 612 | 10 |
| Total 2021–2026 | 3,116 | 5,895 | 22 unique |
| Programme total till date (since inception) | 4,044 | 8,015 | 24 countries |
| Children on panel today | — | 10,115 (8,015 sponsored · 2,100 available 2026–27) | — |
Children in rural North India are studying today because of sponsors in 24 countries. The diaspora leads — but the circle reaches every continent, one child at a time.
IndiaWithin India
3,7721,919 sponsors
United StatesNorth America
1,588872 sponsors
United KingdomEurope
1,571860 sponsors
CanadaNorth America
594381 sponsors
ThailandAsia
21772 sponsors
AustraliaOceania
17395 sponsors
Also giving, since inception: Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Indonesia, Denmark, China, Mexico, Ukraine, Germany, Greece, Austria, Belgium, Qatar, Ireland, Kenya and Norway — alongside supporters whose country of residence was not recorded.
Children sponsored and sponsors recorded on the Educate To Save portal by the sponsor's country of residence, since inception. Country figures are cumulative and include supporters who give across multiple years, so they total slightly more than the programme's unique counts of 8,015 children and 4,044 sponsors. Source: The Kalgidhar Society — Baru Sahib.
| India | 3,772 children · 1,919 sponsors |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,588 children · 872 sponsors |
| United Kingdom | 1,571 children · 860 sponsors |
| Canada | 594 children · 381 sponsors |
| Thailand | 217 children · 72 sponsors |
| Australia | 173 children · 95 sponsors |
| 18 other countries | 224 children · 134 sponsors |
| Programme total (till date) | 8,015 children · 4,044 sponsors · 24 countries |
For nearly four decades, The Kalgidhar Society has used education to break cycles of poverty across rural India. Today, more than 33,000 children receive free or subsidised education through our schools and scholarship programs.
Our next goal is even more ambitious: to ensure that 100,000 underprivileged children complete a quality, value-based education over the coming decade — many of them the first in their families to enter a classroom, finish secondary school or pursue higher education.
Removing financial barriers to education for rural children.
Supporting students from primary school to careers and leadership.
Creating long-term change for families, villages and communities.
Our schools are deliberately built in places others overlook — border belts, tribal districts and drought-prone villages across five states of North India.
Tiles arranged roughly geographically · 130 academies across 5 states.
Source: Educate To Save academy directory. 130 academies · 33 districts · 5 states.
| Punjab | 100 |
|---|---|
| Haryana | 16 |
| Himachal Pradesh (incl. Baru Sahib HQ) | 5 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 5 |
| Rajasthan | 4 |
| Total | 130 academies · 33 districts · 6,450 villages |
These are children who, in another life, might have left school at ten to work the fields or migrate for labour. Instead, they sat board exams, won scholarships and became the first in their family to imagine university.
"True nation-building begins in classrooms where values are taught alongside knowledge."
— The philosophy of Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji
Children of farmers, labourers, tailors and widows — first-generation learners whose schooling stayed possible because a sponsor, often a stranger an ocean away, kept the door open. The marks are theirs alone.
Lost both parents, then six months bedridden after a fall — she sat the exam anyway, and topped her district.
Daughter of a water-supply worker. Sponsored from Australia by Mr. Sarabjit Giddey.
A farmer's daughter — schooling that didn't depend on the weather. Sponsored from the UK by Manjeet Kaur Hunjan.
A Granthi's son, at his desk before sunrise. Sponsored by Mr. Manjeet Singh Bagga.
An orphan whose file read only "orphan case" — given a seat, no questions asked. He did the rest.
A widow's son. Covering his fees gave a grieving mother her shoulders back.
₹88 a day keeps one classroom door open. Some stories deserve to be witnessed.
#RootsAndResultsStories & results from the Educate To Save / Akal Academy social channels (CBSE 2026). Drop each student's photo into the slot beside their story.
Marks open the first door. What comes after — a board result that keeps a girl in school, a national medal, a university scholarship, a first job in technology — is where Educate To Save is really measured. Here are seven of those onward journeys.
Sifat grew up in a rural village, raised by a single mother on a single income. Where many girls in her circumstances leave school early, she stayed — and scored 90.4% in her Class 10 boards. In her village, her result has become a quiet argument that a daughter's schooling is worth protecting.
Jaismeen's father drives for a living; rising costs meant her education was always one hard month from stopping. Sponsorship through Educate To Save removed that fear — and she answered with 90.4% in Class 10, a number that stands for her father's sacrifices as much as her own grit.
Board marks were only the first door. What two of these students did next — topping a science stream, bringing home a national medal — shows where a rural classroom can lead.
Warjot topped her school's Science stream with 91.2%, opening the door to higher study in the sciences. Her teachers describe the result as a shared one — a village, a family and a sponsor lining up behind a student who put in the work.
Kawaljit's love of English carried her to the National Scholar Hunt Competition, where she returned with a Gold Medal, a trophy and a Certificate of Excellence — proof that rural talent only ever needed a stage to stand on.
"Educate To Save gave me the chance to rise above my circumstances and believe that I can achieve anything."
For first-generation learners, a board result is never theirs alone. A father's surgery, land that isn't your own, a sponsor who reached the right place at the right moment — this is what these marks really represent.
Harmanpreet Kaur's father tills land that isn't his own; she placed 2nd in school with 92.8%. Parwinder Singh kept studying through his father's surgery and the income it cost the family, finishing 5th with 89.2%. Their marks are a working example of what the team calls a social return on investment — support that reached the right place at the right time.
Huriya lost her father, the late Shareef Khan; her mother became both parents overnight. In a village most maps don't bother to show, she sat with her books every night and scored 86.6% in Class 10. Educate To Save never asked her faith, caste or what her father did — only whether the child deserved a chance. The answer, as it always is, was yes.
For centuries, langar has erased hunger with dignity, seating prince and pauper as equals on the same floor. Since 1986, under Padma Shri Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji, The Kalgidhar Society has extended that idea well beyond the plate.
It serves education the same way it serves food — freely, to whoever comes — through low-cost CBSE schools, two universities, hostels and vocational centres, built where opportunity rarely reaches. Food sustains a person for a day. Education sustains a family for generations.
The Kalgidhar Society's “Langar of Education**” provides free and subsidised education to thousands of underprivileged rural children through a network of 130 schools and two universities across Northern India.
*Langar - Free Community Meal **Langar of Education - the universal and unconditional provision of education
Be Part of the Change →
During an annual community gathering at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib in New Delhi, Gurcharan Singh approached the Educate To Save team with a simple request: help his son stay in school.
Rehmat failed his entrance test; an evaluation revealed dyslexia. What followed was a chain of ordinary people choosing to act: volunteer Pavleen Kaur drove in to coach his reading, day after day, and sponsor CA Harvinder Pal Singh stepped forward to fund his schooling. Today Rehmat is a Class 3 student.
"I don't want my son to end up trapped in a life of struggle." — Rehmat's fatherRead the full story →
Hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal from New York, United States, has a simple message for Punjab: real success is measured by what you give back. He calls on those who have done well to take responsibility for the next generation — one child, one opportunity, one decision at a time.
Read the full story →
Arvinder Singh drives a taxi through the long nights of Delhi, holding his family together against hard odds. He held to one resolve — that his children would never go without love or learning — and enrolled four-year-old Aaradhya and six-year-old Viaan at Akal Academy, Baru Sahib. Today he turns to the sangat, his eyes moist with hope, asking someone to walk this road alongside him.
Read the full story →Sponsorship is more than a donation. It is the knowledge that somewhere in the world, someone believes in you. Or it can be a relationship a child carries for life. These two supporters, an ocean away, chose the second.
8,015 children are currently sponsored by supporters across India and around the world.
On a visit from the UK, Sital Singh Panesar travelled to Akal Academy, Manawan, to meet Jaismeen Kaur, the Grade 5 student he sponsors. He saw her work, heard her plans, and gave her something a transfer can't — the knowledge that someone believes in her. Real impact, he reminds us, isn't funded. It's felt.
Read the full story →
Dr. Srinivas, an attorney in the United States, has renewed his sponsorship every year without seeking recognition. For him, supporting a child's education is not a one-time donation but a lasting commitment to someone's future. His continued support has given one child something priceless: the confidence that their education will continue and the reassurance that, even from thousands of miles away, someone believes in them.
Read the full story →Follow your child's marks, artwork and milestones year after year through the sponsorship portal.
Children write back with cards and drawings — many sponsors keep them for years as a thread between two lives.
Sponsors are always welcome to visit the academy and meet the child they support — presence over distance.
In the latest board examinations, our rural students did what many thought impossible — a clean sweep, achieved in village classrooms, far from the coaching hubs of the cities.
| Grade 10 students appeared | 4,287 |
|---|---|
| Grade 10 pass rate | 100% |
| Grade 10 scoring above 97% | 37 |
| Grade 10 scoring 95% or above | 188 |
| Grade 10 scoring 90% or above | 635 |
| Grade 10 scoring 80% or above | 1,852 |
| Grade 12 students appeared (CBSE 2025-26) | 2,866 |
| Grade 12 scoring 90% or above | 207 |
| Grade 12 scoring 80% or above | 903 |
| Grade 12 scoring 60% or above | 2,589 |
| Grade 12 topper - Gurbir Singh (Medical) | 98.40%, 1st Tarn Taran, 4th in India |
| Grade 12 topper - Jashandeep Kaur (Medical) | 98.40%, 1st Patiala, 4th in India |
| Grade 12 topper - Japjot Kaur (Medical) | 98.20%, 6th in India, 4th in State |
| National & district ranks | 11 |
Sponsorship is personal. You don't give to a faceless fund — you walk alongside one child, and you see exactly where your generosity goes.
Sponsor a specific child's complete education — or contribute any amount toward the fund.
Receive progress reports and a photograph of your child, and visit them whenever you wish.
Watch a first-generation learner grow into a confident, capable young adult.
95 paise of every rupee reaches the child.
Educate To Save runs on a proven model — an established network of rural schools, structured systems and visible results. For companies and foundations, that means transparent, measurable impact and a direct line to nation-building. The future won't be built by institutions alone; it's built when donors, visionaries and change-makers move together.
Read the full story →The trust our donors, sponsors and supporters place in us is the foundation of everything we do. These are a few of their words.
You have a bright future in front of you — just stay focused on your education!
This means a lot to me — always there for her. Thank you for the opportunity to make this small contribution in her life.
It is his hard work, his family's support and his teachers' guidance — along with Waheguru ji's blessing — that he is getting good results.
We expect her to enjoy her learning and achieve her full potential. Thanks so much to the team at Educate To Save.
"Wishing him good health and a bright, successful future ahead!" — Mrs. Gurpreet Kaur Ahuja, Secunderabad
"I am proud of her performance and wish her continued success." — Mr. Nitish Bhasin, Gurgaon
More voices overleaf — and hundreds more, updated weekly, at educatetosave.com/testimonials.
Sponsors don't just give — they write back. These are recent messages sent to the children they support, from across the Educate To Save family worldwide.
AustraliaIt is a pleasure to know Bhawandeep is progressing well at school. My special thanks for the thoughtful card he made — it made my day!
USAI will be with you for your school study. Keep working hard and stay in chardi kala always.
Mumbai, IndiaMay Waheguru Ji bless you with lots of love, knowledge and peace.
Chicago, USAWe wish all students and parents the best of luck, rising in chardi kala spirit to succeed. Our regards to the leaders of Akal Academies.
United KingdomPlease tell Noordeep I am really happy for her progress. She looks lovely and is doing well in her studies.
CanadaThank you, Gagan, for your beautiful artwork. Keep working hard towards your studies every day. Best of luck for the future.
New Delhi, IndiaI'm honoured to be a small part of your journey. Wishing you continued success, happiness and wonderful learning experiences ahead.
United KingdomIt will be great to see, meet and speak to Bhag Singh. Good luck with your studies too.
IndiaThat's an amazing sketch, dear Jovan. Keep working on your creative abilities. Thank you.
Every week, sponsors write to the children they support. Visit our living “Partners Speak” wall and read them for yourself.
educatetosave.com/testimonials/partners-speakWe hold ourselves to the standard our donors deserve: the overwhelming majority of every contribution reaches a child, and our books are open.
Donations are tax-deductible in each donor's own country. Full statutory registration numbers for the Trust and the Society follow on the next page.
"We treat every donation as a sacred trust — because behind it is someone who believed a child they may never meet deserves a future."
| Funds direct to the child | 95% |
|---|---|
| Administration & overhead | 5% |
| Registrations (India) | 80G, 12A, CSR-1, FCRA; independently audited |
| International tax-effective giving | USA 501(c)(3) tax exempt; UK Charity Commission registered (Gift Aid); registered Canadian charity; ACNC registered charity (Australia) |
Educate To Save operates under two long-standing legal entities — The Kalgidhar Trust and The Kalgidhar Society — each independently registered, tax-exempt and cleared to receive Indian, corporate and foreign contributions.
| Registration | The Kalgidhar Trust | The Kalgidhar Society |
|---|---|---|
| Founding registrationDate of incorporation | Reg. No. 189 · 22.10.1982Indian Trust Act, 1882 | Reg. No. 3111/83 · 25.03.1983Indian Societies Act, 1860 |
| 80G50% tax exemption on donations | AAATT1307MF20114 | AAATT1306LF20133 |
| 12AIncome-tax exemption | AAATT1307ME19936 | AAATT1306LE19830 |
| FCRAForeign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 | 182520021 | 182520021 |
| CSRNational CSR Portal (MCA) | CSR00004526 | CSR00004523 |
| NITI AayogNGO Darpan unique ID | HP/2017/0159655 | HP/2017/0150784 |
Registration details as published by The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib (barusahib.org). Verify current validity before printing.
| Trust founding registration | No. 189, 22.10.1982, Indian Trust Act 1882 |
|---|---|
| Society founding registration | No. 3111/83, 25.03.1983, Indian Societies Act 1860 |
| 80G (Trust / Society) | AAATT1307MF20114 / AAATT1306LF20133 |
| 12A (Trust / Society) | AAATT1307ME19936 / AAATT1306LE19830 |
| FCRA (Trust / Society) | 182520021 / 182520021 |
| CSR (Trust / Society) | CSR00004526 / CSR00004523 |
| NITI Aayog (Trust / Society) | HP/2017/0159655 / HP/2017/0150784 |
| Recognitions | CARE Edge 2A grade; GuideStar GSN 4956; Credibility Alliance CA/33/2020; UNDP SDG Action Awards 2020; BSE Social Stock Exchange; IIM-A & HBR case study |
Educate To Save is run from Baru Sahib and sustained by sister organisations across four continents — each an independently registered, tax-exempt charity that channels its community's generosity back to children in rural North India.
CanadaCalgary, AB
USAPlano, TX
United KingdomSouthall, London
India ★ HQNew Delhi · Baru Sahib
AustraliaMulgrave, VIC
United StatesPlano, Texas
United KingdomSouthall, London
AustraliaMulgrave, Victoria
CanadaCalgary, Alberta
Donations to each entity are tax-deductible in its own country. Registration details as published by The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib (barusahib.org).
| India (HQ) | The Kalgidhar Society, F-3 Rajouri Garden, New Delhi-110027; [email protected]; +91 7341170707; 80G tax-exempt |
|---|---|
| USA | Eternal Charitable Foundation, 2656 Thresher Circle, Plano TX 75075; [email protected]; +1 972-693-1077; EIN 26-1446079, 501(c)(3) |
| UK | The Kalgidhar Trust, 1st Floor 30 Merrick Road, Southall, Middlesex UB2 4AU; [email protected]; +44-7459323040, +44-7702557495; Charity No. 1041548 |
| Australia | Eternal Charitable Foundation, 4 Jacksons Lane, Mulgrave VIC 3170; [email protected]; +61-469832699; ABN 83615448738, ACNC registered |
| Canada | Guru Kashi Society, PO Box 95163 RPO Saddleridge, Calgary AB T3J 0E3; [email protected]; +1 587-889-5939, +1 403-404-8000; Business No. 797726528RR0001 |
Educate To Save is the rural-education and child-sponsorship initiative of The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. It funds free and subsidised, values-based education for first-generation learners across 130 Akal Academies in North India.
It is run by The Kalgidhar Society, founded in 1986 by Padma Shri Sant Baba Iqbal Singh Ji. The movement has educated children in rural North India for nearly four decades.
Educate To Save currently features 9,000+ children seeking sponsorship support — part of a larger community of over 75,000 students in 130 rural schools run by The Kalgidhar Society, Baru Sahib. In all, 33,906 students receive free or subsidised education across 6,450 villages, 33 districts and 5 states, touching a rural population of 19.5 lakh+.
95% of every contribution goes directly to the child — tuition, books, uniforms, meals, healthcare and care. Just 5% covers administration, reporting and reaching more children.
A child can be supported for approximately ₹88 a day through Educate To Save — less than a daily coffee. Sponsorship helps cover education, books, uniforms, meals and other essential support, and you receive regular updates on your student's progress.
Yes. More than 8,000 students have verified profiles on the sponsorship portal, so you can follow the real progress of the child your contribution supports.
Across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh — deliberately in border belts, tribal districts and drought-prone villages that others overlook. Our headquarters is at Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh.
Because the Society is CSR-1 registered, corporates can fund academies, scholarships or specific cohorts and receive audited utilisation and impact reports. Write to us via csrforchange.com.
Through educatetosave.com, NRIs and global donors can sponsor a child, fund scholarships, support school infrastructure or volunteer their expertise. Donations are tax-effective in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia through locally registered charities.
Donate or sponsor at educatetosave.com and follow @educatetosave. Visitors are welcome — our reports can be verified at our head office or branch office.
The Kalgidhar Society operates 130 rural Akal Academies across five states of North India, providing quality, values-based education to children from rural and underserved communities.
The Educate To Save team conducts field surveys to identify children unable to attend school due to financial hardship. Each case is verified through documentation and family assessments before a child is listed for sponsorship support.
Sponsorship helps provide access to education, books, uniforms, meals, healthcare support and a nurturing learning environment — so a child can keep studying without financial barriers.
A contribution of approximately ₹88 a day helps keep a classroom door open for a child studying in rural India. Through sponsorship and donor support, children receive quality education and holistic development.
Between 2021 and 2026, sponsors supported 5,895 children through the Educate To Save platform. Since inception, more than 8,000 students have benefited from sponsorship support.
The number of students receiving free or subsidised education rose from 18,494 in 2021 to 33,906 in 2026 — an 83% increase in educational support over five years.
Sponsors from 22 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, the Gulf region and Africa have supported children's education through Educate To Save.
Many rural children face poverty, limited educational access and few opportunities. Educate To Save works inside villages and underserved communities so that every child has access to quality education close to home.
Educate To Save combines education with values, nutrition, healthcare support, character building and community development — focusing on first-generation learners to create long-term social transformation.
Education gives children knowledge, confidence, values and skills that improve their future. When one child is educated, the benefits often extend to the whole family and to future generations.
For less than the price of your daily coffee, you can give a first-generation learner an entire education — and a way out of poverty.
