Achievements

Major Achievements Over the years

• Consistently strong academic results: from 2005-2016 - 105 graduates
• High number graduates (69) since 2005 going on to tertiary study
• Low incidence of academic failure
• Low incidence of drop out - over 11 years and 200 students only 3 have dropped out (due to home sickness & parental death.
• Increased number of applicants - this year (2016-17) there have been over 253 applications for the 6 spaces available.
• Improved new premises and attendance in a better quality high school.
• New India based financial structure, which means greater financial security, independence, as well as organisational autonomy.
• Local loyalty of the staff to the program shown by the longevity of it's Director, a social worker who has been working with Veerni for 15 years and is currently undertaking a PhD based on his work with Veerni and the changes seen in the traditions of the rural villages. Veerni's nurse has been working for 10 years.
• Improved health outcomes (such as disappearance of anaemia) due to, individual health plans, regular doctors’ visits, live in nurse, vaccinations, nutrition plans, hygiene instruction, including women’s health.
• The major achievement has been as a result of consistent academic success by 21 girls from the Dalit village and that village deciding, in December to stop the cultural tradition of child marriage, thus allowing girls to choose to annul their marriage.

Proud Moments

• Protecting child brides from husbands and keeping the girls safe till 18. 40% of the students at any one time are child brides.
• Proud to see them so happy and healthy.
• Proud of the overall educational results and the number of graduates from Veerni continuing tertiary education.
• Moments like the selection of a neglected rural 11year old girl – 1 of 10 siblings, undernourished, discarded by her family, unable to speak, and a mere 1 year on as a Veerni student thriving, articulate, winning an in-house dance prize and performing well academically.
• Our most recent proud moment from the Dalit village deciding their married Veerni daughters were permitted to annul their marriages.