Andhra Pradesh Native Works to Support Rural Education Through Nonprofit Initiative

Bethala Veera Swami, a mechanical engineer working in Abu Dhabi and originally from Yernagudem village in Andhra Pradesh, founded the Pragathi Association for Rural Development (PARD India) in 2011 alongside childhood friends to help rural children access educational opportunities.

Born to daily-wage agricultural labourers, Swami witnessed firsthand how financial hardship could force children to abandon their education to support their families. According to the organisation's profile on Daan.org and its published reports, PARD India states that its programmes have influenced over 90,000 children and reached more than 110 villages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. These figures are self-reported by the organisation and do not represent an independently audited count.

Evolution of PARD India Programmes

• After School Education Programme: Launched in August 2011 at the government school Swami previously attended, beginning with 50 children in Classes 4 and 5. The classes operate six days a week, offering guidance in mathematics, English, science, moral education, and computer skills.
• Village Knowledge Centre Programme: Established in August 2012 with a personal contribution of ₹8 lakh from Swami, equipping a centre in Yernagudem with 15 computers to provide free digital training and career guidance.
• Scholarship Initiatives: Introduced in 2014, including the V-Kid Scholarship Programme and V-Kid Knowledge Boost Programme, to assist disadvantaged students from primary school through graduation, particularly those from economically vulnerable families or who have lost parents.

Expanding Community Support

Over the years, PARD India expanded its scope beyond education to address nutritional and livelihood needs. According to its 2023-24 annual report, the organisation provided 2,540 cooked meals through its Hearts of Serving the Humanity Programme and trained 112 women in sewing skills through the Power of Sewing initiative.

Looking ahead, the organisation's published plans state an ambition to reach 20,000 children across 150 villages by 2030, provide eight million hours of free education, introduce STEM-based projects in government schools, and develop computer- and AI-enabled literacy training.

Readers can verify these details and organisational updates by reviewing official non-profit filings and published annual reports from PARD India.