Faqs

The situation as it stands…

Millions of children around the world need help to break the vicious cycle of poverty because not being able to afford an education restricts them from reaching their potential. In Punjab, more and more youngsters are dropping out of their studies everyday due to the unaffordable costs associated with studying full time. On the other hand, the major drug dealing network in Punjab is luring new addicts everyday which leaves many of our youngsters illiterate, addicted to intoxicants and living hopeless lives.

What EDUCATE PUNJAB PROJECT is and what we stand for

EDUCATE PUNJAB PROJECT (runs by GURU NANAK REGISTER CHARITY IN U.K) is a non-governmental organisation that aims to preach the importance of reciting Gurbani and practically living Guru Sahib’s instructions. Alongside this, through career guidance, a heavy emphasis is given on motivating youngsters to study higher education so that we have a nation of academic, professional and religious GurSikhs. With the blessings of ‘Nation Jewel, Bhai Jasbir Singh Ji khalsa khanne wale, in 2008, a humble request (Ardas) was conducted at the Akal Thakht Sahib for the launch of a ‘decade of spiritual renaissance’. Following this Ardas, over 90,000 youngsters have been influenced by GURU NANAK REGISTER CHARITY’s widespread teams across Punjab. 90,000 youngsters have been recorded on our database to have started reciting Guru Granth Sahib Ji within their homes over the last 3 years. Within this huge number, there are many students from poor households. Such students are being provided with scholarships at present to prolong their education.

How sponsoring a child’s education makes a difference to their lives

All students that have applied for scholarships from us want to study higher education to achieve their career aspirations. This can be proved by their academic success (all students on our database are ‘A’ grading students). By studying full-time, a student is very likely to overcome the influence of drugs because their priority will be on achieving at least 70% marks annually.Achieving 70% is the condition upon which students are provided scholarships by EDUCATE PUNJAB PROJECT. Our young generation will gain the opportunity to gain the qualifications that are required to carry out a professional job and support their poor families. Thus, the outlook of the future generations in Punjab will change.As a sponsor, you will help fund a student for a life changing education. An education that can change a life of: poverty, illiteracy and drug addiction to a prosperous career.

How students are recruited?

A team from EDUCATE PUNJAB PROJECT visits both village and city schools across Punjab’s 22 districts every day to preach the importance of reciting Gurbani daily. Alongside these workshops, talented yet poor students who are achieving 70% or over in examinations are also selected from the school registers and offered scholarships if needed.This is to ensure that those deserving students are able to reach their desired career objectives through sufficient financial backing. Students are required to officially apply for these scholarships, which is a process that necessitates much information on the student’s financial background. We have found that the majority of talented children are likely to leave education due to their financial background being struck by poverty. This was the root cause for the launching of this entire project.Our team have been visiting schools over the last 3 years and have managed to build a network of 3000 schools across Punjab.

How Educate Punjab project works…

The financial background of students that apply for scholarships from us are analysed as to whether they meet our policy’s conditions. If so, they are registered into our database and added to our ‘waiting list of needy students’. Upon the volunteering of a sponsor to support a student, the required financial help is sent to the student’s personal bank accounts. If the student is below 18 years of age, then the money is transferred to their parent’s account. If the student is an orphan, then the money is transferred to a responsible relative’s personal account. Either way, we require and receive proof of any expenditure of the student, whether it is admission fees, tuition fees or even bus fare.

A Justification behind the poverty being faced by Punjab despite predictions made by economists of a prosperous economy

One major cause lies within the mass genocide of Sikhs in 1984 and the years that followed.This period saw an entire generation of Sikhs being executed in which many families lost their ‘breadwinners’, as men and young males were at the top of the victimising agenda. As men were traditionally more likely to bring the household income, their loss meant a drastic change within the financial structure of Sikhs households. At present, a second generation of Punjabis is again being wiped out, but this time by the severe circumstances of using intoxicants. The absence of working class males has left and is still leaving houses to be poverty-struck meaning that our new generation of youth struggle to pay for their living costs, let alone the fees associated with their education. More and more drop outs from school every day are leaving our new generation poor, uneducated and caught within the mass nexus of drugs. This vicious cycle of poverty, illiteracy and drug addiction is destroying our new generation’s chances of developing as a nation.

Do all of your registered students study in a particular school?

No. Our database consists of students that are scattered across Punjab’s 22 districts at countless different institutions of education. Our student’s age ranges from age 5 to 30. Thus, they are from primary school students, to those enrolled in Master degree programmes.

Yes. You will not only have the opportunity to personally contact your sponsored student via phone, but you can personally meet them whenever you can arrange for. We encourage that you build a relationship with the student that can change both of your lives. Seeing what kind of a life an average youngster lives in Punjab can bring much contentment within our lives. For a student being sponsored, knowing that they are being supported by somebody will boost their confidence to succeed and remain focused on a golden opportunity that many youngsters their age crave for – a chance to be educated! However, please note, if you wish to only financially support a student without having a desire to keep regular contact with him/her, then that is fine. However you feel comfortable.

When you have sponsored a student, you will receive:

• Annual progress reports
• A first hand chance to personally meet your sponsored student.

“Truth (god) is then specially known when true teachings are earned from the true Guru. One should know how to show compassion to other beings, by doing good deeds and giving donations to charities.” (Ang: 468, Guru Granth Sahib Ji)

“One alone is a ‘warrior’, who is a warrior fo rcommitting good deeds. That one,sacrifices his body to good deeds and the giving to charities (even sacrificing own breath for the protection of other beings). Recognising (understanding)their farm (to whom one is donating to), plants the seeds (of generosity). Such a warrior is accepted in god’s court.” (Ang: 1411, Guru Granth Sahib Ji)

We request that direct debit forms be filled in so that we can gain adequate contact details about you. This way, you have the choice to send either one-off payments, yearly, monthly or weekly payments to suit your likability. We also accept cheques. You can also sign up online and pay through PayPal. Some sponsors also prefer to personally hand over the cash to their sponsored student which is accepted as long as we receive adequate confirmation of this.

These are available to be printed off from our website: http://www.educatepunjab.net. They can also be sent to you from our head office via post or email upon request. Please see below for these details.

Every penny of a sponsor’s donation is sent directly to the student’s bank account and only the needed amount is requested from sponsors. For example, some students can afford their bus fares which they pay for but only require help for tuition, so only finance for tuition is sent. Please note: any cash that a sponsor sends on top of the ‘amount required’ stated on each student’s information forms (directly to the student) is not our responsibility. We are only responsible for the amount required by the student (which they have stated on their application forms).However, if a sponsor feels that the student that they are sponsoring is really needy and wants to do more to help them, then firstly make sure of this. Visiting a student’s home and having a first-hand experience of their state is beneficial. Nevertheless, we will not be responsible for those extra payments.

All costs acquired by the admin of EPP are covered by generosity of the kind Sangat. Many individuals have set up direct debits whereby instead of choosing to sponsor a student, they send a portion of their earnings towards the running of our organisation. All projects run as a result of such financial support. Thank you!

Thousands of students are being sponsored to date by this project and completing their studies.

No. Up until now, financial help is only received from Sangat.

No. We do not receive any funding from the government.

This project is still in its infancy, Punjab is a starting point and if this long-term project manages to achieve our aims then we will consider other places also. We believe that catching a ball one by one is easier than trying to catch 10 all at the same time. Time will tell whether this project has been a success because it involves the development of an entire youth generation.

Before disbursing the next installment of the scholarships (donated by a sponsor), we check the student’s receipts from the prior month to assure that the amount paid into their accounts has been spent on what it was meant to be spent on. Regular meeting is held on every sunday in every districts at near by Gurudwara sahibs to collect reciepts of students and sehaj path report, Until we do not receive the receipts from students, we never install the next payment into their accounts. This system is for transparency and to ensure that students are using the money in the correct manner. Upon the wish of a sponsor, we are more than happy to send them the receipts which have been sent to us by their sponsored student. Furthermore, after the end of a school year we also ask students for their previous year’s report of obtained results. Report copies of sponsored students are also available for sponsors upon request.

Our U.K. postal Address:
Guru Nanak Charitable Trust, 11 Sherborne Street, Manchester, M3 1JS
Our Phonenumbers: 07714170812, 07882503160, (0091) 8968199993
Our email address:educatepunjabproject@gmail.com
Our website: www.educatepunjab.net
Follow us on Facebook: ‘Educate Punjab Project’ and watch our You Tube channel: ‘Guru Nanak Multiversity’ to remain updated on what is happening within our cam

EPP: 504, Gaganjot Kaur(Punjab).



EPP: 1329, Jagdeep Singh,(Barnala, Punjab).


EPP: 502, Sukhvir Kaur (Moga, Punjab).



EPP: 233, Nirmalpreet Kaur (Ludhiana, Punjab).


EPP: 2037, Mandeep Kaur (Gurdaspur, Punjab).