Who we are
A non-profit in Hyderabad, working on the education of underprivileged children.
Kalam Foundation was established in 2023 at Santhosh Nagar, Hyderabad. We work at the grassroots with government and aided schools — foundational learning, subject support, learning hubs, school kits and recognition.
Kalam Foundation is a non-profit organisation established in 2023 at Santhosh Nagar, Hyderabad. We are dedicated to uplifting underprivileged and backward students through focused educational support and motivation — work that began on the ground three years ago and has stayed there.
Vision. To empower every child with quality education, essential skills and opportunities for holistic development, regardless of their socio-economic background.
Mission. To strengthen foundational learning, provide educational resources, and encourage academic excellence among disadvantaged students.
In practice that means six things: early childhood sessions, foundational literacy and numeracy, subject support in science, mathematics and English, learning hubs with working computers, educational kits for children who arrive without them, and recognition for the students and teachers who do well. It is inspired by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — the scientist who spent his presidency talking to students and insisted a developed India would be built in classrooms, not in announcements.
Where the money goes
We are not collecting donations online at the moment. When we do, it will be against a specific list — a school's exam kits, a home's monthly provisions, a camp's medicines — and the bills will be handed over. Until then write to [email protected].
What we hold ourselves to
Three rules, and the third is the one that keeps the first two honest.
Local first
Furniture from a carpenter in the same town, medicines from the chemist down the road, volunteers from the next street. Money spent locally stays local, and the repair happens faster.
Look, then promise
Two volunteers visit before anything is promised. After delivery, photographs and a list of what was bought. After a year, a note on what broke.
Somebody has to keep it working
A shelf needs a teacher who lends the books. A computer needs someone who will switch it on in July. No caretaker, no programme.
The inspiration
A scientist who kept talking to students.
Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015) grew up in Rameswaram, studied aeronautical engineering, and spent his working life at DRDO and ISRO, including the project directorship of India's first satellite launch vehicle. He led the country's missile programme, was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997, and served as the eleventh President of India from 2002 to 2007.
What he did after the presidency is why this foundation exists. He taught. He asked every institution he met one question — what are you doing for the student who has nothing? — and he insisted that the answer would be found in classrooms, not in announcements.
His idea of a knowledge society is the line on our badge, and the test we apply to our own work: does this leave more behind than it consumed?
Where we work
Hyderabad, and the districts a Sunday can reach.
The work, in short
| Programme | What it means |
|---|---|
| Early childhood education | Learning, language and play in the years before school. |
| Foundational literacy & numeracy | Reading, writing and arithmetic in the primary years. |
| Primary & upper primary support | Science, mathematics and English for classes VI to X. |
| Learning hubs | Computers, spoken English and digital skills, in a room that is used. |
| Educational kits | Bags, slates, notebooks and study material for children who arrive without them. |
| Recognition & motivation | Awards for SSC toppers; felicitation for headmasters and teachers. |
Where we work
Hyderabad, Telangana — the schools, homes and functions we are invited to.
Reach us
- [email protected]
- @kalam_foundationts
- Phone
- +91 81799 44490
- Address
- Plot No. 6, Sri Satya Sai Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500097
Work with us
An hour on a Sunday is genuinely enough to start.
Tell us your part of the city and what you can give — time, a car, a skill, or the name of a school or a home that needs a visit.