KISS

• Member since February 12 2013.

• Personal Background

  Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is a residential institute for 16,500 neglected and deprived tribal children located in the eastern part of the country at Bhubaneswar, Odisha (India). As a model institution in the country meant for the tribal population (covering 62 tribes including 13 primitive tribes), it provides education (from Kindergarten to Post graduation), accommodation, food, health care, study material, clothing, vocational training (farm and non-farm sector), games and sports, computer education etc. to the students totally free of cost. It was established in the year 1993 looking at the growing problems of illiteracy, poverty, malnutrition, child labour, growing Maoism / insurgency concerns, etc. among tribes in the poverty stricken districts of Odisha which constitute about 23% of the total population. KISS been designed to provide an integrated system of learning in which, besides regular education, children are also oriented and equipped to become independent by taking up some gainful activities primarily relating to vocational training. These young men are encouraged to bring in desirable changes in their village by actively participating in the transformation process - rather than looking for greener pastures elsewhere. They are molded as ‘change agents’ of their community Students from the remote tribal areas from different parts of the country come together and get a platform / forum to excel in their life and achieve heights which otherwise would have been difficult to even dream about. They are primarily first generation learners. KISS and the students have achieved some remarkable distinctions. Some of it being ISO certification for KISS, ‘Limca Book of Records’: Being the Largest Residential Tribal Institute of South Asia. UNESCO has partnered with KISS for the project of “Ground Water for Emergency Situation (GWES)”, UNICEF has set up its Centre for Children’s Studies at KISS for strengthening research and knowledge management on children in Odisha, UNFPA has set up its centre at KISS campus that provides life skill education; US Embassy has supported the English Access Micro scholarship Program Centre; Rugby team keep on traveling abroad to play matches and had won Under-14 world championship in London; KI SS students have achieved cent-percent results in the exams; many national / international organizations and corporate bodies are partnering with KISS for various activities and programmes, etc.