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My Himachal, for the third year in a row, is pleased to announce HOPE SCHOLARSHIPS for financially challenged, outstanding students of Himachal Pradesh studying in various HP Government schools for the academic year 2010-11.
Last Date of application: February 15th, 2011 |
For an applicant to be eligible, the applicant must be a bona fide Himachali, currently enrolled in a HP Government School in any class from 8th – 10+2, and must have Fully Passed the lower qualifying class with at least 65% marks. The applicant’s family Annual Gross Income from All Sources as of financial year end on March 31 2010, must not exceed Rs. 55,000.
My Himachal HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils’ Education) Scholarships were introduced in the year 2008 and are designed to help deserving bona fide Himachali students, who are financially challenged, but have the dreams and drive to further their education, on Merit-cum-Means basis. The scholarships are awarded annually and fresh applications are invited each year. This is one of the initiatives by My Himachal to enable the people and the state of Himachal Pradesh prosper.
Application Form and Program details are available for download in Hindi and English.
Our goal for the academic year 2010-11 is to maximize the number of students that we can support on Merit-cum-Means basis, via HOPE Scholarships and pay for their School fees, books and School uniforms.
- Raise at least Rs 2, 00, 000/- for academic session 2010-11.
- Support at least 55 students from 8th class up to 12th class.
- Maximize grant amount per student, to cover most of education expense
For the year 2009, we received over 108 applications, but were able to reachout to only 40 of the applicants, due to limited funds.
Your Generous donation will be greatly appreciated!!!
You can help by donating online (Paypal or Facebook), or by mail (Check, Money Order, Demand Draft) in favor of “My Himachal”.
My Himachal members and subscribers residing in Himachal, are urged to download & print copies of these forms, visit their local schools and make representations to the respective school principals and contacts to encourage them to make as many copies of these and distribute them amongst the students who may wish to apply for the scholarship this year.
My Himachal members residing outside Himachal, can send these forms to their relatives and contacts in Himachal to help us reach out to students who may need financial assistance for education.
Please feel free to contact Disha Singh via e-mail, should you experience any issues with downloading applications form(s) or have questions regarding the My Himachal HOPE Scholarships.
Best Regards,
Kunjana Thakur
Secretary – Public Relations and Member Services
My Himachal
In the Upper Seraj Valley, culture intertwines with traditions and life is dominated by hundreds of deities nestled in the serene lap of the Himalayas. Only a person who has travelled into the interiors of the Himalayan region can comprehend what life here has to offer. I’ve been privileged to work as an intern with My Himachal under Mr. Payson Stevens and it has sparked a change in the way I perceive my life and witnessed firsthand how compassion and dedication can lead to a fruitful existence.
Life is but a travel…a journey towards enlightenment as per Buddhist philosophy…my work began in Shimla where I took on the role of a photojournalist sating my passion for photography and honing my writing skills at the same time. 10 days later, I shifted base to a remote village called Jibhi in the Upper Seraj Valley, Kullu District; situated at a height of around 6000 feet, mountains collapse in on this small village encompassing it on all sides livened by friendly and inviting people; atithi devo bhava still exists! I began working under Mr. Payson’s guidance…first documenting, data basing and photographing a rural health camp organized by My Himachal which saw us and a team of doctors from Jibhi CHAI trek to remote villages in dire need of healthcare.
Interacting with the kids at the schools was a memorable experience…the reality here is a stark contrast to the lives we live…a 5*5 feet room houses 50 kids and a primary school of 200 students has just two teachers. Toilets aren’t available and hence the students are forced to defecate in the open…add to this an inadequate diet and some having to walk around 8 km a day to and fro school…I reminisce about my own childhood…hard but no comparison…their happy and bumbling faces gave no inkling of the problems they face and the smiles turned into grins as I shot them…it was like capturing sunshine without the ghastly flare…
There is a chronic water shortage in these areas. Due to global warming, the sources have dried up and rainfall and snowfall has become sparse. Government supplied pipes are rendered useless due to empty sources and the villagers have to rely on more traditional sources of water such as baudi’s which is a ground water system. My major task during the internship was to visit villages with shortages and interview a group of villagers, survey and photograph the landscape and vegetation so as to establish the ground realities of the water situation there and estimate the topography of the area to simplify the planning and construction process. I did extensive research on ground water recharging, planning and techniques for future reference as well. I visited a total of 15 villages along with the field manager of MH, Mr. Padam Singh often trekking up rough trails to reach villages isolated from civilization …an alternate world of sort…no roads connect them…mobile signals are rendered lifeless…what’s enlivened though are the skies…beautiful stretches of blue on mountainous backdrops with mists swirling in an out of your vision and the true aroma of a rural Indian village.
Payson Stevens, one of 
Shimla: Are we all healthy in Himachal Pradesh? The answer to this question is unfortunately a sad…..NO. The rural villagers of the state suffer from Improper and insufficient diets, resulting in malnutrition. There are many reasons for this serious issue affecting our people and they include not only poverty but also lack of nutritional education, replacement of higher quality traditional foods, and gender issuses and inequities between young girls and boys.