Educate 3000 Marginalised Slum Children in Odisha

We are happy to present to educate 3000 marginalized Slum children in Odisha before the donor agency and all other well-wishers. While Covid-19 has created an onprecedented situation, Schools have been remain closed in Odisha in order to slow the transmission of the virus. The closures of schools have likely widened the learning gap between slum children. In this situation Ruchika continued the distance learning programmes and all the staff and teachers reached to the children through home visit. The objective was to continue the education during the pandemic as well as increase academic proficiency and targeting a significant reduction of drop-out in the schools as well as ensuring Right to Education Act, in its true spirit in the target area. 

Pandemic Interventions:

During this pandemic, Ruchika has continued the team effort to continue the education of children. All remedial teachers are now visiting to the field and teaching to the children by making small group at the Remedial centre. Odisha Govt also instructed to Govt teachers to conduct classes at the community. With the support of our Remedial teacher they become able to conduct the class at some of our centre. During this pandemic our team has identified dropout children and all children living in the slum and facilitate their movement into schools through enrolment drives. All the remedial children have taught on hand wash, use of mask and sanitizer. With this our team has provided psychosocial support to the children and their families become better prepared to cope with emergencies. However, we have continued the education for  the slum children and enrolled them in the Govt school which ensured the Right to Education.

Swarnalata and Sohan’s Rights to school education fulfilled.

Swarnalata (not real name)aged about 8 year is daughter of Maheswar Sahoo and Sohan (not real name) aged about 9 year is the son of Surendra Moharana. They live in Sastrinagar slum at Dumduma, Bhubaneswar. During Covid pandemic their family migrated to Bhubaneswar in search of a livelihood about 9 months back and live at Dumduma slum.  They belong to very poor family. After settlement, the parents started working as daily labourers.  Swarnalata and Sohan stayed at home and were engaged in the household work. They didn’t go to the school as they have not taken admission in any school. While our BEC members came to know about the issues they intervened. They informed to Ruchika remedial teacher.

Our Remedial teacher went to Bahadalpur Govt School for the admission of both the childen. The Head Master refused to admit the children and said it will be a problem if they again migrate to their native place. Then the  BEC members and the Remedial Teacher went together and strongly demanded for their admission. They threatened the Head Master if he does not taken these children in school they will meet the Block Education Officer and file petition against him. Eventually the Head Master took admission of these children. Now Swarnalata is studying in class 3 and Sohan in class 4 in the school. Both the children also have taken admission in our remedial centre. They are found much improvement in their academic proficiency. They are happily conducting online classes. The parents are also very happy as said the education of their children was possible because of the Ruchika Remedial Teacher and the Community.

Activities during Covid Pandemic:

In the past months children have understood the basic concepts of disease prevention and control. Focusing on good health behaviours, encouraging others to express and communicate their feelings being at home through innovative and creative activities. The key insights from past months students are continuing their studies more effectively and are more concerned about Covid-19. Students are improving and spreading hygiene measures through their home only. Our teachers are encouraging the children to learn a child centred approach and involving in play way method. Children have encouraged for co-curricular activity. The training on teaching methods and handling the children were also conducted for the remedial teachers. The same has been continued to ensure that children will continue to be motivated to learn. 

Free Eye check up camp for underprivileged children: 

We have organized a Free Eye check up camp in our intervention slums. All children tested their eye. The aim is to identify short sight and other eye diseases among the underprivileged children as well as provide referral services to the identified students. Those students found with low vision or short sight they have provided with a free spectacles.

Ensuring the educational rights of Slum Children:

Ruchika has good relations with the community since a long. To ensuring the education, parents and community members have aware on Right to Education (RTE) at the same time we have a good relationship with Govt school teachers to ensure the RTE. Parents meeting has been organizing once in a month. In the meeting we are discussing on progress of the children in the study, innovations for the remedial centre, enrolment of dropout students in Govt School and so on. We have formed Basti Education Committee (BEC) in our intervention slums. The group is consists with 15 members. They are looking after the development of the remedial centre as well as educating the community on RTE. However, they have ensured the education right of slum children. The aim is to provide and ensure education to all underprivileged children in the slum.                                                                                                                           

Children’s participation in project activities.

Child participation is one of the core principles of the Ruchika’s intervention, which asserts that children have the right to freely express their views and that there is an obligation of the other people to listen to children’s views. This facilitates their participation in all matters affecting them within the family, schools, local communities, institutions, government policy.

 Ruchika’s works in the field of child and youth participation reflects its International Board endorsement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This endorsement implies organizational support to the rights of children to be listened to express their opinions on matters that affect them to freedom of expression, thought, association and access to information, all while respecting the roles and responsibilities of parents and others in authority. Some of the examples are given as under.

1. The adolescent girls are working as volunteers in groups in the slums to bring a change in the slums. For examples they  counsel the peers to go to schools, counseling the parents to stop child marriage, identifying health issues including STI/STD with their peers and refer them to hospitals, counsel the pregnant women and ensure institutional delivery, plant the tree for save the environment and convince community for taking covid vaccine etc.
2. The adolescent girls are found taking responsibility to keep their slum clean and spreading message on hand washing, use mask , personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness.
3. The adolescent girls are now preparing themselves to fight against drug and alcohol that affect their lives in the slums.
4. The Basti Education Committee supervises the remedial education program and ensures that all children are going to school.
5. Balika mandal members are motivating 15 yrs to 18 yrs children and old age people to take vaccine at the right time in Hospitals.
6. “Say No to Child Marriage” campaign has been strongly originated in the intervention area.
7. Hand washing has been started in a campaign mode in the intervention area.

Thank you for your ongoing support towards empowering and educating underprivileged children in Odisha. You are truly making a difference for these children with your generous support.