Nidhauli Brain Food

THE VISION

Transforming Nidhauli's tomorrow through technology, education, and community, where every child's potential is nurtured, every aspiration is supported, and every dream is within reach.

WHAT IS NIDHAULI BRAIN FOOD?

Here at the Nidhauli Brain Food Project, we are driven to inspire and alter the way children represent themselves in society. Since 2021, Nidhauli Brain Food Lab aspires to bring about an immediate and lasting difference, one of hope, dignity, and security. We work to develop and provide tools, resources, and methods to help Nidhauli’s students create and implement solutions to bridge the digital technology gap.
We have so far built two designated facilities, each located in the heart of Nidhauli and consisting of 10 internet-enabled computers where students can access computers for free in addition to a designated tutor/supervisor to monitor each center. We don't want our work to end here though; we hope to expand our efforts with the help of our community to open more computer literacy centers in other parts of India.

AVAILABLE TRAININGS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Transforming Nidhauli's tomorrow through technology, education, and community, where every child's potential is nurtured, every aspiration is supported, and every dream is within reach.

WHAT IS NIDHAULI BRAIN FOOD?

Our initiative offers learning and leadership opportunities to women from Nidhauli's low-income community, focusing on three key components:

1 | Capacity Building

Through our weekly Capacity Building class, we promote workshops for building skills that help the next generation of Nidhauli children become employable. They are tutored by skilled local educators to learn basic GED learning targets, professional writing strategies, and conduct mock-interviews so they are able to execute these skills in future job opportunities.

2 | Mindset Development

Our Mindset Development online workshop focuses on how to establish your core personal values, setting SMART goals, fostering self-awareness, and nurturing skills essential for personal and professional growth. Community engagement opportunities empower them to apply their learning in real-life contexts, fostering a sense of social responsibility and resilience

3 | Community Outreach

Through interactive sessions with trained professionals and hands-on experiences, we empower children with knowledge and awareness on how to communicate effectively. We help students understand their fundamental rights and responsibilities not only within their community but also beyond

With approximately 1,500 students aged 9-15 out of a population of 8,400, the shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted their education. Limited to small smartphone screens, students attended classes via Zoom, took notes in paper notebooks, and sent images of their work to teachers through WhatsApp. While there are four computer centers in the village, the 40 rupee ($0.50) hourly fee poses a significant barrier, considering the average household income of 5000 rupees monthly ($60 USD monthly). That means that if a student wants to spend 10 hrs per week on a computer, that’s around a quarter of their family income, which they cannot afford.
With this being said, without proper access to schooling devices, students are not able to explore their potential or live out their dreams. In most situations (~50-60% to be exact), students have no choice but to drop out of school due to the high fees of schooling or to do agricultural work to support their families. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, my father and I are committed to providing equal educational opportunities for the students of Nidhauli.

Letters from the Locals

We asked some of the locals to write down what they need most to improve their living conditions, and the responses we got were truly amazing.

"If I had access to the computers and computer education, I would open my youtube channel, play games and help little kids in the village with their education" Says Anshul, 9th grader

"If I had access to computers, I would do online classes, help my fellow villagers, help my little sister with her homework and do video calls. We could teach little kids about computers and we could get a window into the world of knowledge" - Says Kiran, 7th grader

"If I had access to computers, I would study hard and help my brother and sister learn online. I would also take online classes" - Says Ayan, 8th grader

"If we had access to computers, we would do remote classes with our teachers over zoom" - Says Komal, 8th Grader

I (Asmita Bhatia) traveled to Nidhauli, India for my grandfather’s funeral. Touched by seeing hundreds gathered to pay their respects, I grew eager to understand the impact of my grandfather’s legacy as an educational philanthropist for Nidhauli.

Upon conversing with several schoolchildren and authorities at his institutions, I realized there’s so much to do to advance the student's learning. Why? They didn’t have access to technology outside of school since the average Nidhauli family earns roughly $70 each month. I was determined to get students easier access to technology resources.

I started with what I knew best: creating content through multimedia stories on social media. To help my followers understand the plight of the students, I made a GoFundMe and networked the campaign through Instagram and YouTube. I even had my parents share the story on their numerous WhatsApp group chats. The outcome was amazing: I raised over $8000.

Using the donations and working with seven local community leaders, I founded the "Nidhauli Brain Food Project," an initiative dedicated to providing Nidhauli students with a free teacher-led computer literacy center for more equitable education. At NBF, we value mindset development and aim to make students self-aware about values that support their personal and professional growth through in-person field visits by our Nidhauli team and weekly, leadership-evoking workshops via Zoom.

Today, the Brain Food Center has not only impacted the education scene in Nidhauli but also sparked unity by serving as an interactive community center for over 500 students.

The Mission

Nidhauli Brain Food seeks to advance the empowerment of students, starting with the children of Nidhauli. We hope to broaden our reach to other low-income communities not only in India, but around the world to create an immediate and lasting difference in society. We want to give students a mindset of hope, security, and dignity. Our learning facility gives students practical life skills, a forward-thinking attitude, and exposure to the opportunities available to them. Our goal is to empower children to better manage their lives, become self-sufficient, and actively engage in their own education as well as that of their families and communities.

Help grow our vision

Our mission begins in Nidhauli, India, but together with your support, we aspire to extend our reach and impact worldwide. By joining hands, we can pave the way for a promising future for the youth of Nidhauli. Your contribution, no matter the size, can make a meaningful difference. Thank you for standing with us on this journey.

Ways to Help

1 | Spread the Word

It is absolutely true that giving back and being a part of Nidhauli Brain Food Project’s work will not only improve the lives of so many women and children but bring you a sense of unparalleled satisfaction. Making our world a better place starts with small steps that evolve into profound transformation. Feel free to stay involved and repost our campaign on social media. Every share counts!

2 | Make a Donation

Join us in making a difference in the lives of Nidhauli's children. Your generous contribution will be one step forward in empowering a young mind to dream big and reach their fullest potential. Click the "Donate" button above to direct you to our donation site!

3 | Join the Team!

If you feel as connected to the cause as us, please feel free to contact us to be a part of our team! We are family-based at the moment but are currently looking for potential members to fill the positions of treasurer, head of event coordination, and outreach manager to help us grow our impact. Enter your information on the "Home" page to join the Brain Food Team!

The Pillars

Love

We believe that every good deed comes from understanding where people stand, and why they often do things the way they do. We respect everyone's perspective and beliefs and work in collaboration alongside our community of donors and locals of Nidhauli.

Hope

There is always an option B! We have nothing to lose by trying, and our failures have only served to teach us how to do things better. We push each other and ourselves outside our comfort zones to face challenges head-on, try new things, and come up with solutions.

Courage

As long as our words and deeds are in sync, we stand by our integrity. We treat whatever entrusted to our care with entire ownership. It requires us to exercise proactiveness, accountability, and all of that with a really brave heart in addition to being responsible people.

Meet the Team

Asmita Bhatia
Founder

Asmita is a current freshman attending the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington and has a born passion for helping others. She brings to the table her drive for success as well as practical experience with sustainable social business models with a strong emphasis on human-centric design and well-coordinated social change initiatives.

Rakesh Bhatia
Co-Founder

Rakesh, father of Asmita, has over 7 years of professional experience in non-profit sectors, and he is incredibly passionate about providing low income communities with chances for sustainable livelihoods. Rakesh has a strong interest in operational excellence and brings keen people management abilities to the table.

Anshika Rakesh
Event Coordinator

Anshika is a software development manager at Amazon and she is one of the main contributors to organizing events and programs at our Brain Food centers.

Part of our Nidhauli Team

info@nidhaulibrainfood.com +1 949-579-0096