Our Work
Sehgal Foundation’s primary goal is to support the work of S M Sehgal Foundation (SMSF), a charitable NGO headquartered in Haryana Gurugram, India. SMSF works directly in rural villages across rural India to implement sustainable solutions in critical areas of need such as water management, small-scale agriculture, local governance, transforming the lives of schoolchildren, and empowerment of women and girls.
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Transform Lives one school at a time!
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Sehgal Foundation’s Transform Lives one school at a time program adopts a holistic approach to empowering the lives of rural schoolchildren that includes revamping government schools in rural India, providing critical life skills and digital literacy training, and empowering the local communities and school management committees to sustain development initiatives and projects after they are completed. The program features an active and dedicated community of US-based advisors, volunteers, and supporters who are amplifying and raising resources so that more schoolchildren across rural India will have a better future.
Schoolchildren, especially girls, who are provided with effective education and learning skills have the tools to overcome poverty and achieve success in life.
“To educate girls is to reduce poverty,” ~Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General
Empowering women starts early in life. However, in rural India the only educational options for most girls are government schools, which are in poor condition, without access to basic needs such as clean drinking water, separate toilets for boys and girls, safe playgrounds, a clean place for midday meals, and no digital literacy or life skills training. The result is low enrollment and high drop-out rates.
Sehgal Foundation’s Transform Lives one school at a time program addresses each of these issues while working with village communities and the school management committees to sustain the positive results. Schools become safe, learning-conducive environments with clean drinking water, separate toilets for girls, and the digital literacy and life skills education needed for a better future. And the impact is measurable! Enrollment has gone up, and kids are staying in school. The need for more such interventions is critical, and the potential is life changing. As a result of this program, enrollment and attendance has increased as much as 12 and 40 percent respectively over a calendar year, and the changes multiply with each consecutive year as the School Management Committees and communities sustain the results. The Government of Rajasthan cited the program for replication. More than 100 government schools and many hundreds of students lives have been transformed with the help of donor partners and friends. The program continues to scale the impact and sustain the results. Together with our generous donor partners, Sehgal Foundation teams on the ground in India will make an even greater impact in the lives of schoolchildren, especially girls.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Sehgal Foundation partners with various nonprofit organizations in the US and other countries to support, strengthen, and expand their excellent work in areas such as small-scale agriculture, water resources, environmental and biodiversity conservation, and positive community development. The foundation also partners with academic institutions to prepare students for careers and facilitate faculty research on rural community development issues. To read more please see our partners page.
Local Groups of Dedicated Supporters
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Sehgal Foundation currently has local groups of dedicated supporters in Iowa, Minnesota, and Florida. For information on our existing chapters or to start a new group in your state, please contact us at