Our Story
CherYsh America Foundation was founded in 2010 with an aim to ‘brighten’ the lives & livelihoods of women and girl children in low-income communities in America, Sub- Saharan Africa, and India by delivering modern after-school educational programs for children, vocational programs for women, and related infrastructure systems to these communities through sponsorships and grant programs..
Our aim is to utilize our researched models, practitioner knowledge, and action applications to enable the young thrive with modern education, and livelihood opportunities for resource-poor families in low-income communities.
We have positively impacted well over 20,000 children and currently support over 10,000 families.
Founded with a mission to uplift rural communities through education, technology, and inclusion, CherYsh set out to create meaningful, lasting change—starting with the most underserved.
In partnership with local organisations, CherYsh launched 11 centres across 24 villages in Haliyal, Ponda, and Mangalore. Each centre was led by a trained facilitator and supported the education of 450 students, while also enabling over 595 women to gain livelihood skills—creating 288 new job opportunities across a wider community of 24,000.
CherYsh began implementing its Shiksha and Livelihood Projects directly, enabling deeper community engagement and hands-on support. The new approach laid the groundwork for scaling impact with local women and children at the centre.
By early 2020, CherYsh had established 57 Shiksha Centres across 44 villages, reaching over 1,700 students. Each centre was anchored by a dedicated facilitator. Five women’s groups were also formed, and 20 women received ICT training through a partnership with Intel Corporation.
With support from individual donors, five young women from Haliyal received scholarships to pursue football and higher education at St. Aloysius College. These students have competed at state and national levels. Another young woman continues to receive support to pursue higher education, recognised for her exceptional promise.
The e-Shiksha program started in the year 2020 aims to bridge the digital divide in the rural villages of Haliyal by providing quality technology education. It focuses on empowering Learning Facilitators as Master Trainers and equipping e-Shiksha centers with digital tools to foster holistic learning and problem-solving skills through coding and digital making.
By doing so, the program seeks to create an inclusive and empowering educational environment, helping students thrive in the digital age.
The e-Shiksha program started in the year 2020 aims to bridge the digital divide in the rural villages of Haliyal by providing quality technology education. It focuses on empowering Learning Facilitators as Master Trainers and equipping e-Shiksha centers with digital tools to foster holistic learning and problem-solving skills through coding and digital making.
By doing so, the program seeks to create an inclusive and empowering educational environment, helping students thrive in the digital age.
Livelihood initiatives
As time progressed, we began initiating various livelihood ventures, both individual and group-based, supporting them in every way possible. This includes conducting entrepreneurship development training in collaboration with the state government, helping artisans obtain artisan cards from the Ministry, providing financial literacy, and guiding them towards appropriate financial schemes.
We are also collaborating with agencies like Selco Foundation to offer more livelihood opportunities for women. Some of our success stories include Project Belan, where Demakka started making rotis with a machine, Seva Sindhu, where Daplin launched a Xerox center, and ventures like vermicompost manure production and quilt-making units. These are just a few examples of the positive impact we've made.
