Kusuma Young Achievers’ Award

Supporting promising students to continue their education

Sixteen-year-old Angoth lives in the remote Indian village of Madipallythanda. His parents work as farm labourers, but their low wages meant the family struggled to make ends meet. They couldn’t afford to keep paying for Angoth’s education, and they needed him to earn money to support the family.

The Kusuma Young Achievers’ Award was set up for young people like Angoth. The scholarship programme gave 1,200 promising students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds the support they needed to continue their education

Our grant of £736,126 funded each student to receive a stipend, tutorial support and career guidance.

The Kusuma Young Achievers’ Award supported 1,200 14-16 year olds with a score of 60% and above in their Class 10 exams.
In 2008, 1,000 young people were selected for the Award. 406 of them achieved 70 per cent and above in the Class 12 exams.
A second cohort of 200 students was inducted in 2009 to receive support for Classes 11 and 12.

Making sure high achievers get results

We partnered with Pragathi Seva Samithi, an organisation based in Warangal that worked closely with colleges and universities to secure reductions in admission fees – 16 institutions provided generous discounts for Kusuma Young Achievers.

After learning about the Kusuma Young Achievers’ Award, Angoth studied hard and was accepted into the scholarship in 2008. He joined a junior college and saved his stipend for two years to use it for college fees, transport and books. He scored 94% in his Class 12 examination and passed the Engineering, Agriculture, Medicine and Common Entrance Test, ranking in the top 12 per cent.

In 2011, Angoth was accepted into the Kakatiya University Engineering College at Warangal.

“Support from Kusuma and Pragathi Seva Samithi, who organised the workshops, seminars and college visits, helped me shape and realise my dream,” said Angoth. “My mentors provided me with all the information and support I needed to achieve this result.”

‘Pragathi Kusumalu* has helped me to connect with other fellows and also come in contact with a new cohort of Kusuma fellows. Together, we have shared our experiences of being a fellow and the opportunities that we obtained through the programme.”

Kodishala Vinay, Kusuma Young Achievers’ Award recipient

* Pragathi Kusumalu is an annual two-day residential event where fellows come together and celebrate their achievements.