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17000 ft
Foundation
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Exploring the books in one of the17000 ft libraries
in
the IHR, children no longer have to leave
their homes to go to schools in faraway
places. ey no longer drop out. Instead,
they can go to the nearest government
school and receive a quality education that is
customized to their needs and replete with
innovative techniques and interactive digital
content to help them learn better.
is has been made possible by
17000 oundation (17000 ), an NGO that
aims to give children in these villages access
to life-changing education. Working with
existing government schools, it seeks to fill
the gaps in their working. It upgrades school
infrastructure, setting up playgrounds,
libraries, solar lighting, carpeting and age-
appropriate furniture for classrooms. ‘Our
Library Programmes improve exposure
and better reading skills. We train teachers
to ensure access to better pedagogies and
teaching methodologies, and implement
highly specialized Digital Learning
Programmes, meant for areas with neither
electricity nor connectivity,’ says Sujata Sahu,
ounder of 17000 .
17000 ’s interventions have changed
the perceptions of the local people about
Founded by Sujata Sahu and Sandeep Sahu
in 2012
17000 ft Foundation (17000 ft)
strives to improve the quality of
and access to education in the
remotest and toughest regions of
Indian Himalayan Region (IHR).
It has continually worked towards
transforming the lives of high-
altitude frontier communities and
developing them into self-sustaining,
resilient and thriving regions
by improving the government
school education system, creating
awareness about remote villages,
generating opportunities for income
and exposure, and strengthening
communities. Envisioning a world
where geography and distances
create no barriers to opportunity
and growth for all children, 17000ft
currently has programmes in Ladakh
and Sikkim, and hopes to have a
footprint in at least three more states
in the IHR in the next five years.