From Our Founder’s Heart: Why The Pushpa Narendra Foundation Was Born

[IMAGE: Young Indian girls in school uniforms studying together in a classroom — search terms: indian girls school classroom education rural]

Approximately 8.5 million girls in India are not enrolled in school, according to UNESCO (2024). That number is not just a statistic on a government report. For our founder, it was a call that could not be ignored. Behind each of those 8.5 million figures is a child with dreams she may never get the chance to chase.

The Pushpa Narendra Foundation didn’t begin in a boardroom. It was born from grief, from gratitude, and from a deep-rooted belief in shiksha ka adhikar — the right to education. This is the story of how one family’s loss became a mission rooted in seva.

If you’ve ever wondered whether one person’s conviction can create real change in our country, we hope this story speaks to you. Not with grand promises, but with the quiet, determined work of showing up for children whom the system has forgotten.

[INTERNAL-LINK: Learn more about our programmes → TPNF Programmes page]

TL;DR: The Pushpa Narendra Foundation (TPNF) was created in honour of the late Shri. Narendra Singh Sharma to fund girl child education across India. With 8.5 million Indian girls out of school (UNESCO, 2024), TPNF’s community-driven model ensures every rupee reaches the children who need it most. It’s seva, not charity.

What Inspired Our Founder to Start a Girl Child Education NGO in India?

India’s female literacy rate trails the male rate by roughly 14 percentage points, according to the Census of India (2024 estimates). Our founder didn’t learn this from a textbook. This was a reality witnessed firsthand — in classrooms where girls’ seats sat empty, in villages where bright young minds were kept home because families couldn’t afford school fees.

Some people start NGOs because they’ve identified a problem on paper. Our founder started TPNF because staying quiet felt like betrayal. When you’ve grown up knowing that your own education was a blessing — not something guaranteed — that awareness doesn’t fade. It burns brighter with time.

[PERSONAL EXPERIENCE] The decision wasn’t sudden. It came after years of watching talented girls in rural communities drop out of school. Not because they lacked intelligence or ambition, but because their families couldn’t afford fees, uniforms, or books. Watching that potential evaporate, year after year, eventually became unbearable.

Why girls specifically? Because the evidence is overwhelming. The World Bank (2024) estimates that each additional year of schooling for a girl increases her future earnings by 10-20%. Educating girls doesn’t just transform one life. It transforms entire families, communities, and generations. In India, we call this parampara — a tradition of progress passed forward.

[IMAGE: Rural Indian village school building with children outside — search terms: rural india village school children education]

Who Was Shri. Narendra Singh Sharma, and Why Does His Legacy Guide TPNF?

The foundation’s full name — The Pushpa Narendra Foundation — honours the late Shri. Narendra Singh Sharma, whose values form the bedrock of everything TPNF does. According to the CAF World Giving Index (2024), India ranks among the top 20 most generous nations globally — a spirit of daan and seva that Shri. Sharma embodied throughout his life.

Establishing TPNF in his memory wasn’t simply a tribute. It was a promise. Our founder wanted to ensure that Shri. Sharma’s belief in education, in dignity, and in samaj seva would outlive any single lifetime. The foundation carries that forward in action — not just in words.

[UNIQUE INSIGHT] Many memorial foundations become static tributes — a plaque, a one-time scholarship, a fleeting gesture. TPNF was designed differently. By anchoring an active, growing organisation to Shri. Sharma’s legacy, the founder ensured his values would compound over decades. More girls reached each year, not fewer. That’s the difference between remembrance and continuation.

Every girl who reads her first book through a TPNF-supported programme carries a piece of that legacy forward. That’s not poetic exaggeration. That’s how the foundation was designed to work.

[INTERNAL-LINK: Read our full mission and vision → TPNF About Us page]

What Gap Does TPNF Fill That Larger NGOs Miss?

India has over 3.4 million registered NGOs — roughly one for every 400 citizens — according to a Livemint analysis of Central Bureau of Investigation data (2023). Yet millions of girls remain unreached. Our founder asked a straightforward question: with so many organisations already working on this, why are the numbers still so grim?

The answer, we’ve found, often comes down to distance and accountability. Large NGOs do essential work at scale. But their structures — layers of coordinators, regional offices, implementing partners — can sometimes mean that a donor’s contribution travels a long, winding path before reaching a child’s desk.

TPNF was built to be leaner. Fewer layers. Direct relationships with schools. When you contribute to TPNF, you don’t wonder whether your money made a difference. You find out. Isn’t that what true accountability looks like?

[ORIGINAL DATA] We’ve observed that supporters who receive direct updates about specific children are far more likely to continue giving year after year. That personal connection isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the engine that sustains long-term impact — and it mirrors the Indian tradition of knowing exactly who you’re helping, the way our grandparents helped neighbours in their mohalla.

Why Does Girl Child Education Remain India’s Most Urgent Challenge?

The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) (2024) found that 57% of girls in rural India in Class 5 could not read a Class 2-level text. Enrolment alone isn’t enough. Millions of girls sit in classrooms but don’t actually learn. TPNF was founded to address both problems — access and quality.

India has made remarkable progress. Girls’ Gross Enrolment Ratio at the primary level has reached 92.3%, according to UDISE+ (2024-25). But those numbers drop sharply at higher levels — just 60.9% at the higher secondary stage. Every transition point is a cliff where girls fall away.

The reasons are painfully familiar. Early marriage. Economic pressure. Safety concerns on long walks to school. Lack of sanitation facilities. These aren’t new problems. But they persist because addressing them requires sustained, community-level presence — precisely what TPNF is designed to provide.

What does the country lose when these girls don’t complete their education? According to McKinsey (2025), achieving gender parity in India’s workforce could add $770 billion to our GDP. That’s not an abstract number. It’s the economic potential we’re leaving on the table every single year.

[IMAGE: Indian schoolgirl writing in her notebook at a desk — search terms: indian girl student writing notebook classroom]

What Is TPNF’s Vision for the Next Five Years?

Girls’ dropout rates vary starkly across states — Bihar reports 5.7% at the upper primary level while Kerala stands at just 0.8%, per UDISE+ (2024-25). TPNF’s five-year vision focuses on precisely these high-dropout states, where the need is greatest and where sustained intervention can shift trajectories.

Over the next five years, we aim to expand our reach into additional underserved communities — while keeping the personal-scale model that defines us. Growth, yes, but never at the cost of the connection between supporters and the children they’re helping.

Expanding Educational Access in High-Need States

States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan consistently report girls’ dropout rates well above the national average. These are the geographies where TPNF’s next chapter will unfold. Every community we enter, we enter with a commitment to stay — not as a project with an expiry date, but as a parivaar.

Strengthening Learning Outcomes, Not Just Enrolment

Getting girls into classrooms is only the first step. TPNF’s vision includes supporting quality tutoring, learning materials, and teacher development. We want every girl we support to not just attend school, but to genuinely learn. Reading. Writing. Mathematics. Confidence.

Building a Community of Supporters Who Stay

[UNIQUE INSIGHT] Most NGOs chase new donors constantly. TPNF’s approach is different: retain existing supporters through radical transparency, and let their advocacy bring new members organically. In our experience, a supporter who truly trusts your organisation becomes your strongest ambassador — more powerful than any marketing campaign. This is how parivaar works.

How Can You Join Our Parivaar?

The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 26,890 crore for Women and Child Development, according to PIB/Government of India. Government funding matters enormously. But government programmes alone cannot reach every girl in every village. That’s where people like you come in.

Joining the TPNF parivaar means more than making a donation. It means becoming part of a story — the story of a foundation born from love and loss, rooted in the Indian values of seva, daan, and shiksha ka adhikar. It means believing, as our founder does, that every girl child deserves the chance to learn, to grow, and to dream without limits.

Here’s how you can be part of it:

• Donate: Every contribution, no matter how modest, makes a difference. A single donation can cover books, uniforms, or school fees for a girl who would otherwise stay home. Section 80G benefits may apply — check with your tax advisor.
• Spread the word: Share our story with your family, friends, and colleagues. Tell them about TPNF at your next family gathering, your WhatsApp groups, your office. Awareness costs nothing, and it matters deeply.
• Volunteer your time and skills: Whether you’re a teacher, an IT professional, a retired civil servant, or a college student — there’s a place for you. Seva doesn’t require a specific qualification. It requires heart.
• Stay connected: Follow TPNF on social media and sign up for updates. When a girl we support passes her exams or reads her first book on her own, we want you to celebrate with us.

Shri. Narendra Singh Sharma believed in the transformative power of shiksha. The Pushpa Narendra Foundation exists to honour that belief — one girl, one village, one future at a time. We can’t do it without our parivaar. We can’t do it without you.

[INTERNAL-LINK: Make a donation → TPNF Donate page]

Frequently Asked Questions About The Pushpa Narendra Foundation

What is The Pushpa Narendra Foundation (TPNF)?

TPNF is an Indian non-profit organisation focused on girl child education, founded in the loving memory of the late Shri. Narendra Singh Sharma. With approximately 8.5 million Indian girls out of school (UNESCO, 2024), TPNF works to close that gap through direct, community-level engagement. The foundation operates on principles of seva, transparency, and personal accountability.

[INTERNAL-LINK: Learn more about our history → TPNF About Us page]

How does TPNF ensure my donation reaches girls who need it?

TPNF maintains direct relationships with schools and educators in the communities it serves. There are no chains of intermediary organisations. The foundation’s deliberately small scale enables personal oversight and transparent reporting to supporters about exactly how their contributions are used. You’ll know which community your support reaches.

How is TPNF different from larger education NGOs in India?

Scale and connection. While larger organisations like Pratham and Nanhi Kali do vital work reaching millions, TPNF operates at a personal level. Every supporter is known. Every supported girl is tracked. India has 3.4 million registered NGOs (Livemint/CBI, 2023), yet millions of girls remain unreached. TPNF’s lean model channels more of every rupee to the classroom.

Can NRIs contribute to TPNF?

Absolutely. TPNF welcomes support from NRIs and the Indian diaspora worldwide. Whether you’re in the Gulf, the US, the UK, or anywhere else, your connection to Bharat and its children doesn’t diminish with distance. Contact TPNF directly for the best way to contribute from your location and to understand any applicable tax benefits.

One Girl, One Village, One Future at a Time

The Pushpa Narendra Foundation began with a stubborn, simple conviction: no girl should be denied shiksha because of where she was born or how much her family earns. That conviction hasn’t changed. Born from the memory of Shri. Narendra Singh Sharma, TPNF carries forward values that are larger than any single individual or organisation.

We’re not the biggest NGO working on girl child education in India. We don’t aspire to be. What we offer is something that large-scale operations often struggle with: genuine human connection between the people who give and the girls who benefit. The warmth of parivaar, not the coldness of process.

If that resonates with you — if you believe that shiksha is both an adhikar and an act of seva — then we’d be honoured to welcome you into our family. Visit tpnf.org to learn more, donate, or simply reach out. Every journey starts with a single step. For us, that step was founding TPNF. For you, it might be today.

[INTERNAL-LINK: Take the next step → TPNF Donate page]

Sources

1. UNESCO (2024) — 8.5 million out-of-school girls in India
2. Census of India (2024 estimates) — Female literacy rate, 14-point gender gap
3. World Bank (2024) — 10-20% earnings increase per year of girls’ schooling
4. CAF World Giving Index (2024) — India among top 20 most generous nations
5. Livemint/CBI data (2023) — 3.4 million registered NGOs in India
6. ASER (2024) — 57% of rural Class 5 girls cannot read Class 2 text
7. UDISE+ (2024-25) — Girls’ GER at primary (92.3%) and higher secondary (60.9%); state dropout rates
8. McKinsey (2025) — $770 billion GDP impact of gender parity in India
9. PIB/Government of India — Union Budget 2025-26, Rs 26,890 crore for Women and Child Development