Who We Are
Founded in 2009 by Tushita Travels, for more than 40 years now one of the key actors of tourism in India, the Tushita Foundation is a trust intended to promote a betterment in the living conditions of the less fortunate in the country. It is our belief that given proper education and opportunities, everyone can have a chance at succeeding in a developing country such as India.
In 2010, the Tushita Foundation opened a home of learning and empowerment in Amer, a town that was chosen for being a major tourist centre to which Tushita wanted to bring recognition. Being located in the middle of the town, the Tushita Foundation was strategically positioned to welcome children from all communities without any distinction.
At the project inception, Tushita Travels was solely responsible for the Foundation, but a chance visit in 2013 opened the doors to a fruitful collaboration with the Caforio family. Isabelle Lambotte Caforio, sharing our vision and values, has since been contributing her time, enthusiasm, ideas and resources with very tangible results, especially by enlarging the scope of action to health care prevention.
The objective of the Tushita Foundation is to spread self-respect and confidence in the context of universal human values, irrespective of caste or creed. Because there cannot be harmonious growth if too many people are left behind, in a small, connected world, we hope to make a difference.
What We Do
The Tushita Foundation serves the people of Amer who have asked for support with their children’s studies. We offer after-school classes in English, because English is a very powerful tool of advancement. We promote reading through a large availability of books in our library. We instil good eating habits distributing fresh fruits every day. And all the 300 children enrolled wear the same uniform that we provide in order to erase every social difference. For them the Tushita Foundation is a safe space where they can learn at their own rhythm and where they can express themselves openly in a respectful environment. And because only a healthy child is free to learn and play, we organise health prevention camps every year to check our students’ and their family members’ health conditions. We also propose health awareness workshops for the women in the community.
We empower eight local young women with the position of teachers, and our “earn to learn” project continues to have a powerful impact in their lives and on the entire community that sees them as “role models”.
The Tushita Foundation also invites students from top global universities to volunteer with us, ideally for one entire academic year. They teach in English a subject they are passionate about through interdisciplinary activities and other creative endeavours aimed at empowering the children. Volunteers are offered free accommodation in Jaipur city, private transportation to and from Amer and home cooked meals. The volunteers bear only the cost of the Indian visa and their airfare.
Last, but not least, being travel agents and cultural facilitators, we love to take the children on memorable excursions. The pupils of the Tushita Foundation have already visited the Taj Mahal, the Amber Fort, the City Palace and the Observatory in Jaipur, the painted havelis in Shekhawat, the planetarium, the Abhaneri bauli and more.
They have even been invited by the House of Samode to visit their Palace and have lunch in style in their splendid gardens.