School Supplies: $2654.31
This category covers all classroom supplies needed by the students including required school uniforms. When the students enter high school, this cost increases as they need specialized materials for classes and participate in extra-curricular activities.
As an example, Sam Hanote, our only 12th grader, needed books, solution books, notebooks, pens and pencils, a geometry box, a school bag, lunch box, paper, biology dissection kit, files, hand sanitizer and masks.
Tutoring: $5420.81
TIG employs eight tutors in the four communities where our children attend school. The younger children receive group tutoring. As they enter high school, they often need specialized tutoring in subjects where they struggle. Sakshi, Milli and Sam all have tutors for their upper- level courses and Milli also attends a 6:30AM computer tutoring session. During this past fiscal year, we decided to not pay tuition for students grades 5 and below because we didn’t feel online learning would be effective, but we continued to pay for tutoring.
Additionally, TIG supported a Saturday jobs/mentoring class for our Varanasi students to explore career aptitudes and interests.
Tuition: $7895.84
Our children attend a total of eight schools in the four communities and, as with tutoring and school supply costs, the cost of tuition increases in high school. This year Ajay, who entered the TIG program five years ago as a thirteen year-old elementary school dropout, has progressed enough that he will be able to attend a vocational high school and hopefully fulfill his dream of becoming an electrician.
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