Our Father Vicente Ferrer alwaysused to say that sky is the limitto achievement and perfection.

Rayalaseema Development Trust has alwaysfollowed this and went about giving every tal-ent in every young person, an opportunity tobloom, blossom and flourish. The profession-al school of foreign languages and communi-cations has become a miracle to young menand women who did not even dream to pur-sue such a career.

RYDT also believes that education means all-round personal-

ity formation. A child or a teenager needs togrow up and learn to be a person who is phys-ically, intellectually and emotionally devel-

oped with a base on values and discipline.None of these aspects can be neglected ineducation. Therefore, cultural activities andsports are treated as equal parts of a stu-dent's curriculum by RYDT. These are learntand practised just as languages and sciences,so that every young person has the opportu-nity to choose a career he or she is interestedin and confident of. The year 2015-16 hasbeen a big step forward in this direction.

It is not just the young people. Thewhole society needs to have a sports culture;a culture where living every aspect of life is amatter of joy and thrill. RayalaseemaDevelopment Trust welcomes everyone intosuch a life.

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Moncho Ferrer

APPROACH

The rural poor of low socio-economic status constituteour target group. This

includes Dalits, Tribes, BackwardCastes. Persons with disabilities,Persons with HIV/AIDS, and womenand children. In case of ecology, RYDTadopts a whole-village approach cover-ing small and marginal farmers andlandless agricultural labourers.

RYDT considers people the mainactors in the process of their owndevelopment. Community organizationand gender constitutes the base of itswork with people. Major emphasis ison strengthering community basedorganizations (CBOs) so that they play amajor role in identifying and dealingwith social and developmental issuesapart from mobilizing and accessinggovernment resources and participat-ing in and managing programmes ofdevelopment and welfare initiated bythe organization.

A caring, just and

environment-

friendly society

promoting social

harmony and

peaceful coexis-

tence and balanc-

ing the needs of

people and nature.

VIS

ION

MISSION

To eradicate extremepoverty and human suf-fering.

To work towards implementing eco-efficient agriculture that ensures thesustainability of livelihoods andencourages a harmony betweenhuman beings and naturalresources. To ensure that educatedyouth from poor families have diver-sified job opportunities fetching adecent salary and are accorded animproved status in society.

To ensure that persons withdisabilities have access to equalopportunities and are the mainactors in their efforts to lead a life ofquality and dignity. To work towardsthe empowerment of women byhelping improve their socio-eco-nomic status and sensitising bothmen and women to deal with suchissues as gender discrimination andviolence.

To be a value-based profes-sional organization being dynamicand creative in nature, untiring inhard work and motivation, humanis-tic in approach, strong in its commit-ment to share the aspirations andstruggles of the poor and perma-nent in time but flexible to adapt tothe changing needs of people.

DHARMA

Concern for the poor and needy

Wor

k b

eyon

d d

uty

Purs

uit o

f ex

cellen

cein

wor

k

Rea

chin

g a

s many

poo

r as

pos

sible

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"In life there are

no difficulties,

only opportunities

to exercise

courage and

tenacity"

Vicente Ferrer

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Sports has been RYDT's focus arearight from 1978 as part of its work ineducation. Sports were given equal

importance because these activities gaveself- confidence, fostered a sense of inclu-sion and inculcated leadership qualitiesthat ultimately led to positive personalityformation.

The goal is toinstill sports cul-ture at the grass-

root level by rec-ognizing and utiliz-

ing

sports as an important and sustainabletool for the holistic development andsocial integration of all underprivilegedand marginalized youth in rural India.Through sports, values of discipline, hardwork, honesty, commitment, teamwork,dedication, respect, equality, accountabil-ity and transparency are promoted.Grass-roots Program

Sports culture at the grass-rootslevel means that rural schools are provid-ed with quality sports equipment andbasic sports infrastructure so that all boysand girls have the opportunity to partici-pate in all disciplines of sporting activitiessuch as hockey, cricket, football, judo,softball, volleyball, handball, athletics,archery, boxing etc. Besides this, RYDT onits own, is running 12 cricket coachingsub-centres and 2 hockey coaching cen-tres in Ananthapuram district. RYDT isalso facilitating mandal level footballclubs.

Middle-level Development

Centres

Better infrastructure and systematiccoaching with computer classes andnutritional supplements are provided inBathalapalli and Atmakur. Football,Kabaddi and Kho-kho are the sports pro-moted.Ananthapuram Sports Village (ASV), The centre of excellence

Started in 2000, Ananthapuramsports village (ASV) gradually developedinto a centre of excellence. Four residen-tial academies are running in hockey,cricket, football and Judo. Along withcoaching and competitive exposure, thestudents are undergoing formal educa-tion. Softball also is having its daily coach-ing centre. ASV is open to all children andyouth to be coached in all the sports.Services of physiotherapist and physicaltrainer are also available to the students.

In the ASV campus,

there are 3 cricket grounds with turfpitches & pavilions, 8 cricket nets, 1 foot-ball grass field with pavilions, 2 hockeygrounds, 1 indoor hall and 1 gymnasium.There are 16 dormitories for studentsand, guest rooms & guest houses forcoaches and sports administrators. Collaboration with sports bodies

RYDT also extends support to thedistrict associations of various sportingdisciplines, the district sports authorityand the school games federation in theconduct of seasonal coaching camps andtournaments. RYDT provides materialassistance to individual sportspersonswho are selected tocompete ats t a t e ,

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national and international levels.Sports for PWDs

Since 2011, RYDT's special ath-letes have won medals for India in SpecialOlympics at Athens (2011), South Korea

( 2 0 1 3 ) ,N e wC a s t l e( 2 0 1 3 ) ,

Barcelona (2013) and Los Angeles (2015)and made us all proud.

Special emphasis is laid also oncricket for physically challenged.

HIGHLIGHTS

* 433 students (134 residential &299 dayscholars) are undergoing coach-ing in Ananthapuram Sport Village.

* In the various coaching centres inthe district, 888 students are participat-ing in varioussports.

* 13 specialathletes participat-ed in Los AngelesWorld SummerGames in July -August 2015 and11 of them won 17medals for Indiaand after that, 34

special athletes are takingcoaching for the Austria win-ter games (2017).

* 372 girls participat-ed in the central level ruralathletics meet and 2976 girlsparticipated in the area levelmeets in 31 areas.

* Judo academy withthe recognition of JudoFederation of India (JFI) wasinaugurated on 31st May2015, with 13 girls and 12boys.

* 4 softball playersfrom the district representedIndia Junior team in the AsianChampionship at Singapore where Indiafinished 3rd.

* Juan Manuel, a spanish marathon

runner, ran an ultra-marathon of 125 kmsfrom Muddinayanapalli to Bathalapalli on1st & 2nd February 2016 for the cause ofchild sponsorship.

CASE STUDYFrom his childhood, Shaik Moulali's parents always told him that he should become an engineer, but he had other ideas.

He wanted to become a footballer. At the primary level, his education went through many ups and downs due to constantchanges of schools and he thought that he may have to give up the sport that he loved so much. Then came his selection to RYDTfootball academy. His coaches say that he is one of the best footballers of the academy. In the academy, he completed his sec-ondary education and under-graduation. His teachers told the academy director that he also studied well and to top it all, thathe behaved very well. He played for Fateh Hyderabad football club and second division I-league. His coach Miquel Llado says,"Moulali has an understanding of complex and modern footballing concepts and amazing temperament. His balance of educa-tion and sport has been the secret of his development. I am thinking of appointing him as the mentor of the U-12 academy foot-ball team." Moulali is a student of civil engineering now and needless to say, his parents are not only not complaining, butthey are delighted.

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Spanish hockey captain with our students

When RYDT began itsinteractions inAnanthapuram, they

found settlements whose inhabitantsexpressed themselves richly, and everyevent was marked with song and dance.However, with caste lines being what theywere in those days, all these performanc-es were held only in their own settle-ments. The hope of RYDT's Culture sectoris to set children and youth off on a pathof confident self-expression.Performance is promoted as a tool forpersonal development, leadership, pro-fessionalism and social uplift.Special Cultural Schools

For ensuring primary level cultur-al education, schools from each area are

selected and full-fledged cultural

ski l lsare imparted throughout the

academic year at their local supplemen-tary school. From classical, folk and mod-ern forms of music, dance to drama,magic, mine and mimicry, the studentshave gone beyond village festivity per-formances to such platforms as nationalfestivals and, biennial internal festivals aswell as prestigious outside competitions.Both able-bodied and disabled childrenparticipate in them. Cultural Training for PWDs

As part of its extensive work onthe community based rehabilitation sec-tor, RYDT has cultural organizers to trainthe children throughout the year at all ofits various special education centres. Thehigh point in the cultural calendar is thebiennial Srujana Festival. Orchestra andmimicry by visually-impaired children,group rhyme recitations by

intellectually disabled, mine andmagic by hearing impaired chil-dren form the key highlights.Higher Cultural EducationChildren who are extremely tal-ented and interested to becomeprofessional performingartistes are selected to go tocolleges and universities ofmusic & dance. So far, 18 havecompleted such education andbecame professional artistes.15 students are pursuingdiploma or degree in music ordance at present. Sensitization ThroughCultural Campaigns

The sector spreads awarenessabout social issues via its activities. Lyrics,music, dialogues and drama forms encap-sulating issues such as violence againstwomen & girls, issues of persons with dis-abilities, ecological preservation,untouchability and migration of labourare crafted by RYDT's staff and trainedrural youth and performed in the villages.

715 performances were performed thisyear to bring about psychological andsocial change and participative develop-ment in the communities. During the last2 years, RYDT also made 2 feature filmson India for India and migrations to beprojected in the villages. Vocational training in cultural crafts

Ramlakhan drums is one culturalform extensively used in marriages andtemple festivals. RYDT trains interestedrural youth groups in this craft. On com-pletion of training, the group is given thedrums and the uniform. With this, theybecome professional drums groups andearn additional income for their families.Occupational mobility and artiste statuscome along with it. Other initiatives

The following are a few other ini-tiatives taken up by the cultural sector:

* Children's coaching camps invacations.

* Magic training.

* Clowns training.

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* Make-up training.

* Dance & Vocal Musictraining.

* Instrumentalists training.

* Digital media capture ofperformances.

HIGHLIGHTS

* 6281 children weretrained in various cultural aspects(2151 in camps & trainings and4130 in special culturalschools).

* 5403 children took part invarious cultural events/per-formances (900 for visitors,100 in public functions, 86in RDT festivals, 3215 invillages and 1102 in the'Vikasam' CulturalFestival).

* So far, 33 wereenrolled in collegesof music & dance.18 have complet-ed the courseand 15 are con-

tinuing. 18 areearning their

l ivel ihood

through music or dance.

* 195 youth were trained in RamLakhan drums this year and 1976 youth in152 villages are earning livelihood throughRam Lakhan drums.

* 'Valasa Pakshulu', a feature film onmigration was produced and released to beprojected in the villages. A Burra Katha enti-tled 'Vikalangulam Sanghamaithe', narratedby children was also filmed.

* The second batch of 8 rural womencompleted make-up training in 2015-16.

* 11 cultural staff were trained inKuchipudi dance, 14 in modern theatre and20 in musical instruments.

CASE STUDY Somasekhar was born in a poor dalit family in Buchaiahgaripalli village in Ananthapuram

district. As a high school student and later during his under-graduation, he was a talented 'dappu'(a local percussion instrument) player. RYDT recognized his talent and sent him to learn tabla inHindustani music college at Gadag in Karnataka. It is an ashram college in the ancient 'Gurukula'tradition of India. He followed the college discipline impeccably. He was so studious that hecompleted 6 years tabla diploma course in just 3 years. He joined his 'guru' Mr. Vithal in concerts.Within a short period of time, he attained fame and at the age of 23, he was already felicitated byGedda Basaveswara Samithi in Karnataka and was given a title, 'Tabla Chathura'. His parentsNarasimhudu and Sanjamma say, "we were worried about his education at one time. But now weare proud of him." Somasekhar is now doing his degree in tabla.

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RYDT Professional School wasstarted in 2012 with 40unemployed rural graduates

with 1 year intensive training in foreignlanguages and in soft, computer andcommunication skills. This is a residentialcourse with free food and accommoda-tion. Facilities like library, computer labwith internet are also provided. The cam-pus has an inspiring and enabling envi-ronment created by loving and efficient

teachers.The Goal

The goalis to provide

q u a l i t ye d u c a -tion forr u r a ly o u n ggradu-ates to

learn

f o r e i g nlanguages andlife skills torealize theirfull poten-tial andenhance

their scope for gainful employment inmulti-national and other esteemed com-panies and higher social status. Human Resources and Curriculum

English, Spanish, French andGerman are the languages learnt.Principal, computer teacher cum adminis-trator, English teacher, Language Co-ordi-nator, Canteen manager and Accountsteacher are RYDT's regular employees. 2German teachers, 1 French teacher, 1Spanish teacher, 2 English teachers and 1Soft skills teacher are volunteers. Theschool follows CommonEuropean Framework ofReference for Languages(CEFRL). There are 3 levels:A1, A2 and B1. As this is anunrecognized school, exam-inations are held in officiallanguage institutes,Bengaluru. These institutes

issue pass certifi-cates for comple-tion of various lev-els in their respec-tive languages.

Boys and Girls and caste composition The first batch of 40 was all boys. The sec-ond batch in 2013 was 40 girls. The thirdbatch in 2014 was 40 boys and, the fourthbatch in 2015 was 56 girls. Out of thetotal 176 students who studied so far, 55were dalits & tribals, 47 were from back-ward castes, 33 were persons with dis-abilities and 41 were others. HIGHLIGHTS

* From the 1st batch of 40 boys, 27studied Spanish and 13 studied French.Out of them, 24 Spanish students and 12French students got jobs in MNCs. 1 isworking in RYDT; 2 for private companiesand 1 is searching for a job.

* From the 2nd batch of 40 girls, 10learnt Spanish, 14 French and 16 German.7 Spanish students, 11 French studentsand 12 German students are working inMNCs. 3 are working in RYDT. 3 got gov-ernment or private jobs and 2 are search-ing for jobs.10

* From 3rd batch of 40 boys, 21studied Spanish and 19 French. 11Spanish students and 19 French studentsgot jobs in MNCs. 8 are working in RYDT,1 for a private company and 1 is searchingfor a job.

* From the 4th batch of 56 girls, 22studied Spanish, 20 German and 14French. 4 French students and 1 Spanishstudent are working forMNCs. 2 are working

for government or private compa-nies. 1 has dropped out and 48 havecontinued the course.

* Professional school team visitedcompanies like SPI Global, TCSVindhya, Enable India, Genpact,PHYCARE Solutions, PUBGENPublishings in Hyderabad,Bengaluru, Chennai andPuducheri and introduced RYDTProfessional School to them.

* Representatives from DKVIntegralia and Association of People withdisability, Mandeep Singh, MO, ApolloHospitals, Section Officers of HRD, Govt.of India and, students of UniversidadEuropea de Madrid, Spain visited theschool in 2015-2016.CASE STUDY

Aparna was born into a family ofshepherds in Ralla Ananthapuram of

Mudigubba Mandal in AnanthapuramDistrict. She and her sister lived very hap-pily for 12 years. Then tragedy struck herfamily as her both parents died in an acci-dent. From then on, she and her sisterlived with their grandmother. Her grand-mother used to go house to house sellingvegetables. She used to get sick often.She really struggled to bring up Aparnaand her sister. Despite the difficulties, hergrandmother managed to get Aparna andher sister educated. Aparna studied B.Sc.in SK University. But deeply influenced bythe happenings in the family, she was lowon confidence. Then something changedher life. She came to know about RYDTProfessional School. "It was a real miraclethat I got admission into this wonderfulschool," recalls Aparna. The lonelyorphan girl Aparna suddenly landed in a

school of foreign languages with comput-er lab, internet facility, library and aboveall, loving and expert teachers. Aparnachose Spanish language. Her confidencereturned and she passed A2 and B1 levelsof Spanish language with 70% marks. Sheconversed fluently with all the Spanishpeople who visited her school. After leav-ing the school, she got a call fromAccenture company in Chennai. Aftersuccessful telephonic and face to faceinterviews, she was selected asTransaction ProcessingAssociate with anannual packageof Rs. 4.5 Lakhs."From RallaAnanthapuramto Chennai ithas been adream journey"says Aparna.

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12

13

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"In the world there are plenty of causes

worth fighting for and you have to com-

mit yourself to one of them"

Vicente Ferrer