It took founder Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati only a year to put into action his learning from his initial visit to the hills of Anaikatti, Kerala.  Just his simple question of, “What help do you need?” prompted an elderly resident to tell him about the 7km long and unsafe walks through the forest that children have to take in order to reach school, often resulting in them dropping out. She also pointed out that the chances of remaining in school for children of farmers, construction workers, domestic helpers and daily wage labourers are made even slimmer because of additional responsibilities imposed on them at home. From that first interaction stemmed the idea of setting up free hostel facilities close to schools where children can live and easily attend classes.

Now, 17 years later, AIM for Seva headquartered in Chennai, have 95 free student hostels across 16 states, giving 3,700 children mainly in rural India better access to schools. But that’s not all. Ensuring food and accommodation only solves part of the problem. The hostels also provide after-school support, academic coaching, extra-curricular activities and health awareness so that the children can learn and grow in an overall nurturing environment and become their best selves.
It is clear that their efforts are very effective – last year in 2016, their children achieved 90% pass rate in their 10th standard public examinations, and 89% of the children passed their 12th standard public examinations.

24-year-old S. Sampathkumari joined their hostel in Sembangudi, Tamil Nadu, in 2008 and successfully completed her schooling and college with support and coaching from AIM for SEVA. She says: “My parents are daily-wage earners and sent me here as it was difficult to continue my education. Today, I work as a graphic designer for a company in Erode and support my family and my younger brother’s education.”
Besides providing free hostels, AIM for SEVA runs schools, non-formal education centres and skill development initiatives for women, a home for differently-abled adult men and health care centres.  Support them as they continue to expand their efforts across the country.

Back to School Dropouts
Back to School Dropouts are a major cause of illiteracy in India. Sometimes it is poverty and many a times it is lack of educational infrastructure in villages that result in dropouts of school children. In the previous academic year, we have brought 8300 children one step forward towards their dreams.
15% of our students, most of who are first generation learners, have found placements in esteemed organizations like Sundaram Finance Ltd., Tata Consultant Services and Wipro.
There are thousands of children in rural India who are still out of school. There are so many ways to show your support.  Help us provide uninterrupted access to education.