Education India Project #39972

Back to school program for 150 poor children

by VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

Project Report | Mar 4, 2020
Back to school program for 150 poor children

By K R Raju | Project Director

“Village Development Centre” continued to run the seven Child Learning Centres (CLCs). The trained seven Animator-Volunteers continued to conduct classes in seven villages falling within the jurisdiction of Manachanallur block inTiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Thanks to the consistent involvement of children of Children Clubs in seven villages, the number of children participating in seven CLCs has increased from 152 to 159 children from Madhari (Cobbler) community. These CLCs are being run from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm everyday excepting on school holidays. These students mostly from 2^nd to 9^th STD are studying in these seven CLCs. They continue to use the teaching and learning materials to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in addition to learning their subjects as per the syllabus prescribed for each standard (STD).

The teachers of Primary, Middle and High schools have appreciated our efforts and informed us that there is marked improvement in the learning and writing skills of students who participated in our CLCs. The improvements are also reflected in their mark sheets too. The Animator-Volunteers should be appreciated for this remarkable achievement. It is primarily because they follow a joyful learning process. In some CLCs, the senior students took classes for junior students. Some of the educated parents, specifically mothers, too participated in teaching the children. The Animator-Volunteers continue to train children on writing and reading skills in English, Mathematics and Science.

The students are regularly attending the CLCs even if they do not go for classes in their schools on that particular day. At present the dropout rate is reduced considerably in the seven target villages. Girl children are more punctual and give cent percent attendance in our CLCs. During the reporting period, the Animator-Volunteers taught and imparted children with skills to maintain personal hygiene like brushing the teeth, washing hands at least five times a day, regular bathing, trimming the nails, etc. They also created awareness on personal hygiene and the importance of keeping the environment clean and hygienic. They identified children who did not observe personal hygiene and motivated them and their parents to remain clean and hygienic. They also involved children to keep the CLCs and the surrounding areas with cleanliness at least once in a week.

Children’s Clubs meet every weekend and on Sundays too. They discuss the problems they face in the schools and in their families. The Animator-Volunteers are teaching them about their (child) rights, the meaning of child participation and they also facilitate children to understand child protection issues. They also teach them about moral education, life skills and environmental rights.

The Animator-Volunteers are at present involved in motivating the children of CLCs to face the forthcoming examinations in mid April, 2020 with confidence and courage. They are taking extra classes for weak students to shine well in the forthcoming examinations.

The Animator-Volunteers motivated every child to come forward voluntarily to speak and express his/her problems and concerns. They categorized these problems within the ambits of home, school, social and personal. They enabled children to involve in child rights action for addressing their problems and concerns with concerned persons/authorities.

The Animator-Volunteers along with representatives of Children’s Clubs participated in the regular meetings of School Management Committees and Parents and Teachers Associations and raised some of the issues faced by children in schools. The issues include corporal punishments, absence of teachers in the classrooms, ill-treatment of children belonging to Scheduled Castes, etc.

VDC is sincerely thankful to its donors who contributed their mite in supporting this program.

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Dec 9, 2019
Back to school program for 150 poor children

By K.R.RAJU | PROJECT DIRECTOR

On September 3^rd 2019, Village Development Centre (VDC) initiated 7 Child Learning Centres (CLCs) with the help of 7 Animator-Volunteers in 7 villages of Manachanallur block, Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu, India.

VDC has provided these CLCs with teaching and learning materials. The Animator-Volunteers are involved in improving the literacy and numeracy skills of children. These CLCs cater to the educational needs of 152 children from Madhari (Cobbler) community. Students from 2^nd standard to 9^th standard are enrolled in the centres. Out of 152 children, 82 are girls and 70 are boys. The beneficiary-children are the first generation learners from the community. Most of them slow learners and some of them are dropouts.

The CLCs start their functions daily from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm excepting on Saturdays and Sundays. These two days are devoted to strengthen Children’s Clubs in the respective villages. Three well-wishers have come forward to provide space (upstairs) with light facility for 2 hours each day to conduct these centres.

The CLCs start functioning with a prayer song. Soon after the completion of attendance, the Animator-Volunteers taught children with lessons that are covered during the day and follow the same lessons to teach more on the same lessons. Students also use this space to complete their homework. The students are given ample space to clear their doubts in the school lessons.

Apart from improving the writing and reading skills in English, Mathematics and Science, the Animator-Volunteers are also involved in teaching them new subjects/topics on the basis of the school curriculum/syllabus.

In addition to covering the academic aspect of the education, the Animator-Volunteers taught them moral education, life skills and environmental rights. Each Animator-Volunteer is also involved in identifying the ability and interest of the each student individually and motivate them to enhance their interests and abilities.

The CLCs are helping children to improve their self-esteem and create confidence in the academic education. Some of the parents of these children do interact with CLCs and they encourage their children to attend the CLCs regularly.

The Animator-Volunteers have established Children’s Clubs in all the 7 villages. This is part of our endeavour to ensure child participation that would in turn improve their cognitive and articulation skills. Now these Children’s Clubs are deeply involved in identifying dropout children and they also identify eligible children and take actions to admit them into schools. Eventually, the leadership and communication skills of these children are improved and some of the children are taking leading role in the activities of their Children’s Clubs.

We have organised parent motivation camps in all 7 villages. These camps have increased the awareness of the parents and the community on the importance of education, health and neutrino. These camps highlighted various welfare schemes available in the government and informed them how to obtain community certificate from the government.

VDC thanks its donors for their continued support to our program.

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Sep 9, 2019
Back to school program for 150 poor children

By K R Raju | Project Director

Report

First of all let us thank our magnanimous donors who contributed generously to realize the objectives of the program called “Back to school program for 150 children” from Madhari (cobbler) community, the community placed at the bottom of the caste ladder in Indian society. Even though we could not receive our donations in cash from GlobalGiving till date due to problems faced by them from the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India, Impact guru came forward and assisted us with a donation of INR 150,000. We thank both GlobalGiving and Impact Guru for supporting our program.

As a first step towards realizing our objectives, the staffs of Village Development Center (VDC) involved in the process of selection of Volunteer-Animators as facilitators to run both Child Learning Centers (CLCs) and Children’s Parliaments (CPs) in the target villages. With a fixed criteria of (1) local community member, (2) minimum educational qualification of a pass in Higher Secondary Examination, and, (3) being a member of local Youth Clubs, we selected 20 young people from 10 target villages.

After the completion of the selection process, the staffs of VDC involved in training the Volunteer-Animators for equipping them with information, knowledge and skills to facilitate the functioning of CLCs and CPs. With resource persons from local NGOs, we trained them on the various aspects of conducting CLCs and CPs. The training program was intercepted with input sessions in the form of lectures by Resource Persons, plenary sessions for clarifications, group discussions on specific areas for further understanding of the concept, debates on the pros and cons of present educational system, demos on functioning of CLCs and CPS, and the concept of CP with special emphasis on child participation and child rights action.

Out of the 20 participants who participated in the training process on CLCs and CPs, VDC selected 10 efficient Volunteer-Animatorsas facilitators from 10 target villages. VDC instructed them to make necessary arrangements to organize CLCs and CPs in their respective villages. The Volunteer-Animators started involving in selecting the neediest children from their villages numbering 15 to 20 and formation of Children’s Parliaments comprising of all the children in their villages. These ten Volunteer-Animators provided VDC with data of children who need to be given learning skills and a list of other children who would be integrated in the proposed Children’s Parliament.

At present, VDC started 3 CLCs in three villages and remaining 7 will be launch on September 9, 2019. VDC will update the information from time to time.

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