75 years of service
Through sustained, grassroots efforts, Sarvoday Saraswati Mandir (SSM) in Babapur, Gujarat, India has provided educational and economic opportunities to those in need with a particular emphasis on girls, who disproportionately suffer from poverty.
Established in 1949, shortly after India’s independence, SSM was founded with the mission to foster literacy and life-long learning among those who lived in some of India’s most remote and underprivileged villages. Over the course of several decades, the institution’s one room school expanded to provide middle and high school instruction in more than a dozen institutions across the district, graduating approximately 75,000 productive citizens of India. Its work has stretched beyond the formal classroom to impact the agricultural communities that surround it by bringing uptodate knowledge about animal husbandry and cultivation practices to the region.
ROADDS Foundation is excited to share SSM’s accomplishments in our 37th annual update and celebrate the milestone 75th anniversary of the institution in 2024.
Major Achievements
Over the 75 years SSM has:
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United villagers to address injustices, as well as stand up to anti-social elements who threatened the stability and prosperity of newly independent India;
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Founded a Primary Teachers’ Training College (PTC) for women in 1962 that certifies between two and three dozen elementary school teachers annually. PTC teachers have undertaken education in the surrounding community through employment in schools across the district and state;
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Established 15 high schools, preparing many graduates for further study in Arts and Science universities in Gujarat and across India;
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Graduated over 75,000 productive citizens of India through it's schools and PTC;
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Initiated 11th and 12th grade science education in Babapur’s high school in 2013, an opportunity previously unavailable locally;
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Started a Gaushala (rescue dairy) in 1958 that promoted knowledge of animal husbandry while housing and nurturing abandoned cows that produce milk for the institution;
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Introduced scientific farming techniques that enabled local farmers to improve crop productivity that feeds the community;
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Opened an orphanage (Balghar) in 1988 to provide a loving home to 30 children at a time that has served more than 100 children in total. With the education and environment provided, these orphaned children have led fulfilling lives after completing college educations and securing well-paying jobs;
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Created a primary healthcare facility for students and residents in the surrounding villages with to daily visits by qualified doctors. With hospital care 20 kilometers away, SSM’s ambulance also offers emergency assistance to Babapur residents and those in surrounding villages;
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Supported women who had fallen on hard times, due to abandonment or widowhood, with employment and housing, as well as offers education for their children.
Celebrating 75 Years
The image gallery below shares activities held in 2023 to celebrate 75 years of community service.
