In 2011, we at Star Tours are continuing to uphold our responsibility within the society by donating £1 for every passenger that travels with us to Oxfam’s projects in India.

Uttar Pradesh is a large state where 20% of India’s poor live. Oxfam projects in UP focus on improving the number of children that complete primary school, as this is the best way for them to break the cycle of poverty.
Illiteracy is a major problem in UP, little over half the population are able to read and write, only 43% of women can read compared to 70.2 % of men, which is reflected by the number of girls who finish primary school - only 27% compared to 50% of boys, which is still far too low.
This project, supported by Star Tours, is helping Oxfam to improve education for girls and boys in four areas of Uttar Pradesh, with a special focus on girls from marginalised communities. The project promotes quality and equality in education with the purpose to improve children’s ability to read and write.
This year the project activities will include:
Σ Continuing to run the four Oxfam run schools in UP for another year whilst helping them to become more self-sustainable by finding their own funding sources from the local communities.
Σ Provide teaching materials to the four Oxfam run schools and 60 government schools including black boards, bulletin boards, charts, educational aids, play materials, and mattresses etc. These materials will supplement the school books provided by the government and aid in child centred learning.
Σ Training of teachers will be a crucial component of the programme. The in-school trainings will focus on enhancing teachers’ skills to provide joyful and child centred teaching and learning processes that capture the interest of students.
We at Star Tours are hoping to donate over £15,000 towards this amazing cause and we hope that our contribution can make a real difference to those unfortunate children in areas where education can make all the difference to a child’s future.

Oxfam registered charity: England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC 039042)

In 2010, Star Tours donated £15,000 to Pratham UK

In 2010, Star Tours donated over £15,000 to Pratham UK, and continues to promote a better life and brighter future for less privileged children in India.
Pratham was started by UNICEF in 1994 with a mission to erase illiteracy amongst India’s 100 million underprivileged children. Pratham has already reached 33 million children since the launch of its “Read India” campaign in 2007.
Pratham UK was formed in 2003 and it focuses on raising funds and awareness for Pratham’s work. Pratham UK holds several events throughout the year and the funds raised go towards supporting Pratham’s programs in India. Utilising its groundbreaking teaching techniques, the “Read India” campaign is efficiently run by mobilising over 450,000 volunteers who currently work in more than half of India’s 600,000 villages. Working with 22 state governments in India, teachers have been trained in Pratham’s ground breaking teaching techniques that help children improve their learning levels in 4-8 weeks.

Pratham UK Charity Number: 1099386

Star Tours is proud to work with the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and in 2009 we donated £15,000 to their causes

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha engages in over 150 humanitarian services throughout the World in all spheres of life – medical, educational, environmental, spiritual and social. From recharging wells in rural India to providing aid to victims of natural disasters; from creating hospitals and clinics for the most deprived members of our society to providing free education in India. Star Tours continues to support the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and the amazing humanitarian work which the foundation advocates throughout the World.