The state of Andhra Pradesh has some of the largest concentrations of working children in the country. According to recent UNICEF statistics, 25% of children aged 5 -14 years in Andhra Pradesh work as child labour as per global definition.

The objectives of the programme are:

• To ensure that every working child in the two surrounding mandals is schooled.
• To ensure that at least 10% of students enrolled in the programme will be mainstreamed each year after passing the Andhra State Board Examinations.
• That students will be mainstreamed in a maximum two-year period; no child will participate in the academic programme for more than two years.

There are around 40 students from two nearby mandals (or blocks) in the programme. They live and study on campus, with the willing consent of their parents. The students, the youngest of whom is seven years old, attend a "bridge school" that will prepare them for entrance to the local government schools. Their schooling at Rishi Valley ends when they reach academic standards commensurate with their age. At this point they transfer to schools run by government.

Within a short period of 9 months the instruction on campus enabled 11 of these students to pass the State Board Examination for class 7. All those who sat for the examination passed, Y. Sahadev received the highest grade of 78%, the rest, with the exception of two, received a first class.