Every Child Deserves a Strong Start
In Nizamuddin Basti, most families can’t afford preschool, and plenty of older kids have had to leave school to work or help at home. Our education programs meet children where they are, from toddlers to teenagers sitting their Class 12 exams.
Créche
A safe place to be while Mum works
Many of the mothers we work with are raising children on their own or are the sole earners in their household, earning a living as domestic workers or rag pickers. The Hazrat Inayat Khan Crèche gives them somewhere safe to leave their little ones during the day. Children get a nutritious meal every day (milk, eggs, seasonal fruit), weekly check-ups from our health centre, and lots of time for stories, clay and games. The Hope Project has room for 50 children and gives places to the families who need them most.
Iqra’s family came to us after her father, who is visually impaired, lost his income. While her mother trained as a tailor at The Hope Project, Iqra grew healthier and more confident in the crèche, just like her older brothers before her.
In 2024 – 2025 there were 45 children enrolled in the Créche Program
Pre-Primary
Getting ready for big school
Children aged 3 to 5 join our Nursery and Kindergarten classes, where trained teachers help them build the basics they’ll need in formal school. Nursery is about play and learning to get along. In Kindergarten, kids start reading and writing in English and Hindi and learn their first numbers. Everyone gets milk daily and regular check-ups with a pediatrician. When it’s time to move on, The Hope Project staff works with parents to secure appropriate formal school placement.
Momina is currently enrolled in the Pre-Primary. Her mother works as a house helper while her father earns a modest income as a rickshaw puller. The family of six lives in a small rented house facing significant financial challenges. Momina and her three siblings are all enrolled in different levels of the Hope Project. They receive a free education, stationery, books, lunch, and other essentials, allowing the sisters to study together and support each other academically. After school, Momina attends the creche until her siblings finish classes, and they all return home together.
107 children enrolled in 2025. 45 of them moved on to formal school this year.
Non-formal School
A second chance to finish school
Many young people in the community left school early to work or support their families, and some never enrolled at all. Hope Non-Formal School offers them a structured path back.
Students begin at the level that suits them and work toward recognized certificates through Open Basic Education (OBE) and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), up to Class 12. These qualifications open the door to college and university.
The Hope Project runs the program as a full school day, with uniforms, assemblies, lunch, and classes in music, art and vocational skills. Students also lead their own council, the Bal Panchayat, and receive regular health check-ups.
Aafreen joined Hope at our entry level and kept going through years of hardship, including her own health struggles. With steady support from our teachers, counselors and clinic, she passed Class 10 with excellent results and is now planning for further study.
In 2024–25, 13 students passed Class 10 and 12 passed Class 12.
Evening Education Program
Support to catch up and keep going
Many young people in the community work during the day in shops, restaurants, mobile repair centres and tailoring units to support their families. The Evening Education Programme helps them keep up with their studies so that work doesn’t replace school entirely.
Classes are matched to each student’s needs. Remedial and support classes help school-going children catch up and keep pace with their peers. Students who have left school prepare for their Class 10 and 12 exams through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), and those with little or no prior schooling start with basic classes before moving on.
Rahul John grew up in Punjab and lost his father in 2018. He came to Delhi for a discipleship course at the Methodist Church, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted his studies. He later returned to Delhi to support his family and took a job as an office assistant in East Nizamuddin, where he first heard about The Hope Project. Rahul enrolled in the NIOS Class 12 program, and its flexible schedule lets him keep working full time: he attends sessions every Friday and studies on his own through the week. He is now preparing for his board exams and hopes to become a lawyer.
226 students enrolled in 2024–25.