Engineer Helps 90,000 Rural Indian Kids Stay in School

Bethala Veera Swami still remembers watching his childhood classmates abandon their textbooks to work long hours in the fields. Determined to break that cycle, the engineer has spent the past decade ensuring thousands of children in rural India never have to make that heartbreaking choice.

Swami grew up in the village of Yernagudem in Andhra Pradesh as the son of daily-wage agricultural workers. He saw firsthand how easily financial hardship could derail a bright student's education and future.

Through perseverance, Swami earned a degree in mechanical engineering and eventually secured a career in Abu Dhabi. Yet, his professional success abroad only deepened his desire to lift up the community that raised him.

In 2011, Swami teamed up with childhood friends to launch the Pragathi Association for Rural Development, known as PARD India. They began with just 50 students in fourth and fifth grade at the government primary school Swami once attended.

Their after-school initiative offered children guided learning six days a week in mathematics, English, and science. Instructors also monitored attendance closely, stepping in early to support families before economic strain led to classroom dropouts.

To ensure rural students kept pace with technology, Swami personally invested 800,000 rupees in 2012 to establish a local Village Knowledge Centre. Equipped with 15 computers, the hub opened doors to free digital skills training, career counseling, and job searches for village youth.

As the mission grew, PARD India introduced dedicated scholarship funds covering textbooks, transportation, and school supplies for the most vulnerable students. These resources protect children who have lost parents or face severe hardship, keeping them enrolled through graduation.

The Ripple Effect

What started inside a single classroom has expanded across 110 villages and more than 550 rural communities. PARD India reports that its educational initiatives have reached more than 90,000 young learners across the region.

By easing family financial pressures and providing academic guidance, Swami and his team are turning potential dropouts into confident learners. Their grassroots model proves that targeted community support can dissolve generational barriers to learning.

Every classroom Swami supports stands as living proof that a child's birthplace should never determine the boundaries of their potential.