Educating the Girls of The Indian Thar Desert

Report: March 2023 - June 2023

Introduction: We are pleased to present the report for the period of March 2023 to June 2023. During this time, Sambhali Trust conducted various awareness and distribution programs, empowering women and children across different centers. Our efforts focused on education, skill development, empowerment, and creating awareness about social issues. We are grateful for the support and blessings we have received, enabling us to make a positive impact in the lives of women and children.

Key Highlights:

1. International Women's Day Awareness Rally: On March 16, 2023, we organized an awareness rally advocating for the rights of women, especially those who are oppressed and less fortunate. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from women across our projects.

2. Distribution of Sewing Machines and Scholarships: With your support, we distributed 356 sewing machines and 235 scholarships to the women and children of Sambhali Trust. This initiative aimed to empower women with a valuable skill and provide educational opportunities for their children.

3. International Transgender Visibility Day: We collaborated with the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and Kanta Bhua, the Head of Transgenders, to celebrate International Transgender Visibility Day. This event aimed to raise awareness and promote inclusivity for the transgender community.

4. Assistance during G20 Summit: We had the honor of assisting the Municipal Board during the G20 summit in Jodhpur. Our team's efforts were recognized and felicitated by Jodhpur's District Administration for beautifying Shaheed Tarachand Circle.

5. Global Edu Icon Award: We are delighted to share that we received the 'Global Edu Icon' at the Global Edu Icon of the Year 2022-2023 Rendezvous with Excellence Personified held on April 29, 2023, in New Delhi. This award recognized our outstanding contributions and impact in the field of education.

6. International Visit: Honorable Mr. Tariq Mahmood Ahmad a British businessman and a conservative life peer. He was appointed Minister of State for commonwealth and Development office from UK visited Sambhali trust.

7. Pride Parade: Women from the center participated in the Pride Parade organized by the Garima project, showing support for LGBTQ+ pride, acceptance, and equality.

8. Transgenders Camps: Camp was organized by the trust for the transgenders to help them out to get their Transgender ID cards, Voter ID cards, Ration Cards, Aadhar Card, Pan card, also to link them with Chiranjivi Yojana.

Boarding Homes:

During the months of March, April, May, and June 2023, the girls at the boarding home experienced a series of enriching activities and opportunities. They celebrated cultural festivals like Holi and Sheetlashtmi, performed well in exams with the help of dedicated tutors, and eagerly awaited their transition to a new school. The boarding home organized awareness programs on child marriage, conducted workshops on inspiring figures like Malala Yousafzai and topics like gender equality and sports careers. There were enjoyable get-togethers, welcoming new admissions from diverse backgrounds, and engaging extracurricular activities such as embroidery and dance. The girls also had the privilege of interacting with distinguished visitors, including Lord Tariq Mohammad Ahmed, who showed genuine interest in their aspirations. They went on a summer break to spend time with family and friends and would return in June to prepare for the school reopening, having gained cultural appreciation, academic support, and personal growth along the way.

Empowerment Centers (ECs) and Primary Education Centers (PEC)

We are pleased to present the report of our Empowerment Centers (ECs) and Primary Education Centers (PEC) activities. Our commitment to empowering women and providing quality education to underprivileged individuals has continued to make a positive impact. The following is a summary of the activities and achievements from this period:

Empowerment Centers (ECs):

Sewing Skills:

The students at the ECs have shown great enthusiasm in learning embroidery work and various stitching techniques. They have acquired skills in running stitch, back stitch, tata chain satin stitch, mirror work, lazy daisy, and long and short stitch. In addition, they have learned cuts, knot tying, body measurements, and paper cutting techniques. The medium and advanced classes have expanded their knowledge of stitching and have successfully prepared different types of garments using electric machines.

Education:

Despite challenges such as low attendance, dropouts, and new admissions, our dedicated teachers have successfully bridged the knowledge gap for new students. The Hindi classes focused on spelling, fruits, pet names, opposite words, and body parts. The English classes covered the alphabet, pronunciation, verbs, pronouns, and sentence formation. The math classes included counting, addition, subtraction, tables, and their use in multiplication and division.

Self-Defense Class:

Our self-defense classes, conducted twice a week, have empowered women to be prepared for physical attacks. Through partner exercises, the women have learned various self-defense techniques such as grip kicks, face kicks, grip hand control, and neck hold defense. This class has been highly enjoyable for the participants.

Self-Help Group:

The Self-Help Group members have actively contributed their monthly installments and are diligently saving for future lending opportunities. The group aims to provide financial support to its members with a low-interest rate of 1%.

Primary Education Centers (PEC):

In the Hindi classes at the Primary Education Centers (PECs), students learned the alphabet, two and three-letter words, and four-letter words. They also revised body parts, days of the week, and colors, and practiced paragraph writing and writing applications. The English classes focused on upper and lowercase alphabets for beginners, while the advanced group delved into complex nouns, pronouns, verbs, and sentence formation. Pronunciation was aided by flashcards, and tutors provided exam preparation assistance. In math classes, students practiced numbers, addition, subtraction, Roman numerals, shapes, and telling time. The advanced group tackled multiplication and larger addition and subtraction problems.

Computer Class:

Our NGO recognizes the significance of technology in today's world. To help students adapt and thrive in this digital era, we have introduced computer science education from June 2023 onwards. By equipping them with essential skills and knowledge, we aim to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in various domains. Computer classes were held twice a week at each centre, teaching students computer basics, including operating laptops, using the mouse pointer, hardware and software knowledge, and an introduction to MS Word and MS Paint.

Activities and Workshops (for PEC and EC):

Every Saturday, various activities are organized, including games, handicraft work, dance, music, and mehndi (henna). Several workshops were conducted during this period to educate and raise awareness among women. Topics covered included international Labor Day, Harappan Civilization, Juvenile Justice, emergency ambulance services, rainwater harvesting, child labor prevention, World Blood Donor Day, and International Yoga Day. These workshops aimed to empower individuals and encourage active participation.

Special Comments:

- Center Closure: The center was closed from June 22nd to June 30th for the summer break holidays.

- Volunteers visited the centers taught and conducted workshops with women and children and they showed enthusiasm for learning.

- Tutor Workshops: Tutors attended workshops on problem-solving and collegial consultation, enhancing their skills and knowledge.

We are proud of the progress made by the participants in our Boarding Homes, ECs and PECs. Their dedication, enthusiasm, and desire to learn have been commendable. We extend our gratitude to the teachers, tutors, and volunteers who have played a crucial role in making these programs successful.

We thank our donors and supporters for their continued belief in our mission to empower individuals and provide quality education. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of these women and children.

For more information and updates, please visit our website.

“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave — to embrace the strength within themselves and realise their full potential.”

 – Malala Yousafzai                                                                             

BOARDING HOMES

DECEMBER:

This month (December) was full of fun, happiness, and mindful study. The half-yearly exam for girls has started. Girls were suffering from cough and cold and were taken to the hospital. After getting the medicine, they were feeling better. The girls at the boarding house celebrated Human Rights Day by telling its significance. During this month we had two girls who were represented at the state level championship at Jhunjhunu in Self-defence. They also had certain workshops, like “International Day of People with disabilities”. In this, they were taught that people with disabilities face a lot of challenges in their daily lives,  and it is necessary to be kind and helpful sometimes. And we celebrated “Orange Day”. The global 16 days campaign is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. After exams, from the 19th the girls had their winter vacations, so girls went to their villages with smiles and excitement for the new year.

 JANUARY: 

  In the month of January, with happiness and enthusiasm as the boarding home opened after the winter break, the girls came back to their respective boarding homes and all the girls sat together to organize their daily chores in order to efficiently and fairly help each other and manage everything. During that month, the girls had parents and teachers meeting at school to get the results of half-yearly exams and all the girls got very good marks. The girls from Laadli boarding home went to Hanuman temple to enjoy the lunch arranged by the trust and celebrated Republic day by singing and dancing. And one of the Girl from the Abhayasthali boarding home left the boarding home as she wanted to help her family by opening a beauty-parlour in her village. There were 4 workshops that were conducted this month, the first one on the topic of national youth day, the second on the behaviour of animals, the third on teaching the importance of education on international education day, and fourth on the history of Indian cuisine.

 FEBRUARY:

This month was full of festivals, happiness, and cultural activities. During this time, some of the girls from Laadli boarding home were engaged in the practice of dance and drama for the Annual Day celebration which was held on 8th February 2023. Later, they went back to their studies for their Third Formative Assessment Exam, and this boarding home also had many visitors visiting the hostel and had lunch with girls and also taught them for a day for their exams and some quality time with girls. At the Abhayasthali boarding home, all the girls went to Mandore with the French guests and then the girls also celebrated Mahashivratri with volunteer guests. There was one girl from this boarding home who participated in the Miss K.N. competition. At the Sheerani boarding home there was one visitor from Germany who visited the boarding home and discussed world affairs, general knowledge, and girls’ progress. During this month, they had a workshop on the topic of social justice.

Empowerment Centers (ECs)

On average, in all the ECs, the participants were taught 4 of the in Hindi vowel signs (e, ee, u, uh) and some fitting words. The students who know these topics start with the spelling of wild, aquatic, and pet animal names, bird names, vegetable names and the 7 days of the week. The participants of ECs also learned about English fruit and vegetable names as well as the 5 seasons of indie and the 12 months of the year. As soon as this was done, we continued with new topics, like vowels and consonants, living and non-living things and the use of a/an. In the maths subject, we revised the basics like the counting of numbers from 100 to 300, wrote and learnt even and odd numbers, back counting: 50 to 0, adding fractions. We taught subtraction, multiplication, and division of higher numbers as new topics. There were some workshops done based on faces with disabilities facing a lot of challenges in their daily lives. We wanted the women to know about these challenges and that it is necessary to be helpful sometimes. Second, it was a way to write about your own life and its stories and memories and be written in different types. For example, the standard-spiritual autobiographies, Memoirs and Autofiction. Third was energy conversation. It is important for our journey to stop climate change and to save our planet. Fourth was that Frauds in India are not unusual and come in different ways and with different goals. It is important for women to know how these frauds try to steal money and personal pieces of information, and what they have to take care of.

In sewing, participants were taught different kinds of stitching styles: 2 Types of baby frock stitching es 5 types of embroidery as well which included, (magic)chain-, seitan-, Rumania-, and buttonhole stich. The work with the sewing machine was done with the way to sew simple Kurtas and salwers, including the body measurements and the right cutting of the fabric.
All these topics were well done by the students and easy to understand.They learned the fish bone stitch, magic stitch, the cross stitch, and the art of putting thread in machine for sewing purpose. At first participants were taught the cuts with newspaper then they were made to practice the cuts for 2-3 day. After that participants were provided the cloth to undertake the same.

Primary Education Centers (PEC)

During these 3 months ,the participants of primary education centres were taught the alphabet as well as 2, 3 and 4 letter words. I taught the reading and writing of colour names, body parts and weekly names, as well as recognizing words by pictures and the students had to fill through gaps to complete the words. A to Z alphabet in oral and written form, write the missing letter, identify the letters in written and oral form. Some of them are letters with the capital letters and small letters and others are learning the spelling of the words that are associated with the Alphabet. In the Hindi subject, we revised the Hindi alphabet with reference pictures and matching words. They learned 2 and 3 letter words without any vowel signs.  The new students learned the Hindi alphabets A to Aha. I also taught them about flowers and colour names with the help of a picture dictionary. The students in maths subject were taught to do a lot of revision work, like the counting from 1-100 and the tables from 2 to 6 because of some new students. The students that did these tasks well continued with the tables from 7-10. They practised orally every day and started counting English up to fifty, and also  the spelling of numbers from 1 to 30 in oral and written form, carryover of addition and subtraction, and tables from 2 to 5.

Thanks for your continous support. 

Boarding Homes:

August

In August, the girls entering their first year of university were shifted from Sheerni to Abhaysthali. They spent the month awaiting their documents and completing all of the verification requirements to obtain admission into K.N. College. The girls who were going into second year of university started to obtain their results. Some passed and some are awaiting the result of their re-evaluations. The girls at Abhaysthali take on different orders for sewing too. August had a lot of holidays, which the girls at Sheerni and Laadli celebrated wholesomely. All of them continued school as usual.  There were two workshops at this boarding home; one on Rakshbandhan and the other on Janmashtmi. Unfortunately, several girls at Sheerni suffered from some ‘minor’ health issues. They also had their first unit test, and despite all the interferences [holidays and sickness] obtained fruitful results.

September

In September the boarding home for Laadli and Abhaysthali was combined, where the girls from Laadli moved and settled into the Abhaysthali home. School for Laadli and Sheerni continued as usual. There were 5 workshops conducted at Laadli and Sheerni on; Charity, Environment, Hindi, Peace and Cinema. The sewing classes at Laadli were halted during this month, but continued at Sheerni. The girls at Sheerni also continued their self defence classes, and received results for some of their exams. Five girls at Abhaysthali went back to their villages. Manisha continued teaching at Fatima Center, and Lalita resumed college, so she stopped teaching at the center. Three girls received their exam results, two passed, and one - Lalita - has requested for a re-evaluation. Nisha is still waiting for the result of her re-evaluation.

October

In October the rest of the girls continued college as usual. Some girls from Laadli and Sheerni had their FA II exams from the 10th - 12th of October. There were two workshops at Laadli; World Students Day, and BAD Touch. Sewing resumed at Laadli and continued as usual at Sheerni. This month the girls had holiday 21st - 26th of October for Diwali for which most of the girls went home to their families.

November

The girls of Sheerni participated in Sports and two of them are selected for state level and are doing practice for it. Rest all girls are having their regular classes and the school going girls are preparing for their half yearly exams which will start in the month of December. Girls participated in International Transgender Day.

Empowerment Centers

Educational and vocational studies continued as usual at the Empowerment Centers during the months of August till November. The students started advancing further in their sewing classes, where those that were not as well versed started becoming more familiar with the machines, and fast stitching. There were some difficulties when teaching the newer women as some have never had any formal education previously, which makes it very tough for them to memorise and retain information. Some women are facing challenges in that they are unable to regularly come into classes due to household tasks and pressure. We are avidly working on bettering the lives of these women, in the best way possible where we give them the extra time whenever they find it, or repeat a subject with them if they feel that they are falling behind. The English, Maths and Hindi classes have been helpful for the women who are being purposely ignored in their own language [marvadi]. We would like to give them an opportunity to have an audience that will listen to them.

Primary Education Centers

At the primary education centres we continue to revise English, Mathematics and Hindi with the students. We faced some monsoon rains during this period and some challenges as a result, but we were quickly able to work around them with the help of our funding and drive to ensure that the students are always taken care of. Our most successful contributions to the lives of the children we teach at the education centres have been the workshops we conduct. We taught the children methods in which they could improve their memory; we taught them several of these, so that they could find out which learning mechanism suits them best. Additionally, we also conducted several practical workshops on crucial events that are occurring in the world. With such workshops we aim to improve their knowledge of the world, and introduce them to new vocabulary and concepts. We also hope that they will be able to learn about the various opportunities that the world has to offer and strive to achieve more.

In September we received District Award for our work.

Thank you everyone for your precious donations and to be the reason for someone’s happiness. 

Links:

• http://www.sambhali.org

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Friends and well-wishers of Sambhali Trust, we hope all of you are fine and safe.

There are people who don’t donate because they assume everyone else is, and there are those who take up the torch and run with it. Thank you for being the latter and for your kind and heartwarming donation. We have got a lot of work ahead of us, and your donation has made it much easier to get things done and thrust us forward. We are ecstatic for your support and for your desire to help us succeed in this venture.

Educating the Girls of The Indian Thar Desert

BOARDING HOMES

April:

This month, Laadli boarding home completed its 5^th year since its establishment on 2^nd of April. The new academic session of 2022 – 23 also started from 1^st April. The girls were all very happy to get a new book set and they covered their books and notebooks with the help of their tutors with great zeal. This month was filled with celebration for the girls as in addition to Navratri they all got to celebrate not just one but two birthdays! The students of class 5^th also appeared for their first board exams on 27^th of April and the exams of class 9th and 11^th started from 28^th April. New centers were also inaugurated in Jaisalmer. Girls of Abhayasthali got the result of the RSCIT computer course in which the girls scored well also they started participating in Sambhali Dastakar and started earning some money. They were all happy to be able to earn money that they can save and use to buy things for themselves.

May:

The girls of class 5^th to 11^th had their exams and were all busy with their studies. Their schools were then closed for summer vacation from 12^th May to 26^th June; students of class 5^th and 12^th had to stay back till 31^st May because of their exams. The girls did a lot of craft work, dancing, coloring, practice of Mehndi (Heena) design, etc. apart from that, the tutor also took extra classes and improved the students’ basic learning. Two of the boarding homes (Laadli and Sheerni) were closed from mid- May till the end of June as the children had their summer vacation and therefore, they went to their respective hometowns. As for Abhayasthali, the girls had their college exams going on and were staying in the hostel itself.

June:

3 interns reported at Abhayasthali boarding home on 6th June. A blood donation camp was organized for cancer patients. Pride month was celebrated extravagantly. An event was planned with a play and rally. A gynecologist was also present at the event and lawyers were called in too.

July:

The girls started coming to the boarding homes from 1^st July since the summer vacations got over. For the new session, girls were provided with all the necessary stationery that they would require at the school. Few new girls were admitted to both the boarding homes (Laadli and Sheerni). Interns and volunteers started visiting the boarding homes to help the girls in their academics and for the creative activities. One of the girls from Abhayasthali Boarding Home went to attend an NCC camp from 1st to 10th July. 5 girls were shifted from Sheerni to Abhayasthali boarding home as they are in college this year.

April to July:

Empowerment Centers (ECs)

On an average, in all the ECs, the participants were taught Hindi vowels and two, three and four letter words. In addition to this, regular book reading practice was also conducted for all the participants. Practice sessions were taken for vowels and consonants revision. The old maatraas were revised and some new ones were taught. Names of fruits and vegetables were taught to the participants and dictation was taken. The participants of ECs also learnt to introduce themselves, identify items, names of flowers etc, antonyms, one word substitution in Hindi and English, and in Mathematics they did counting and operations. Focus was also laid on the improvement of handwriting. Going further, nouns, pronouns, synonyms, and antonyms were also taught to all the participants in English. In Mathematics, the participants learnt counting up to 200, number names, tables from 1 to 10, and revised roman numerals.

In sewing, participants were taught different kinds of stitching styles. They were also taught how to use a measuring tape and how they can set up a sewing machine. Participants were taught the basics of sewing machines and they also started working on electric sewing machines.

Primary Education Centers (PECs)

From first week of April the PEC were started In these 4 month, the participants of Primary education centers were taught vowels and consonants in both Hindi and English along with names of vegetables, fruits etc. The students also learned counting and operations in Mathematics. They were taught complete Hindi alphabets and also to recognize pictures of objects with the help of the first letter. In English, in addition to alphabets, children were also taught to recite some poems. In Mathematics, children learnt counting up to 50 and numerical operations like addition and subtraction.

Workshops conducted in these 4 months are as follows:

Teamwork, Body Parts and Joints, Career Opportunities, Study Skills, Marital Rape, Friendship, Social Media, Public Speaking, Honesty, No Bad Touch, National Technology Day, International Biodiversity Day, Kids’ Moral Stories, Ambedkar’s Life Story, Life Story of Sindhu Tai Sapkal, Awareness of Malaria Disease,Learning Styles, Social Skill Communication, and Leadership.

We are very grateful and happy to know that so many people out there are connected to us and our mission. Many blessing from India, take care.

Sambhali Trust

Links:

• website link

Educating the Girls of The Indian Thar Desert

December: From the middle of November until the beginning of December, all participants of Sambhali were part of our yearly #OrangeTheWorld workshops in the name of the UN campaign “End violence against women now!”. Several workshops were held and everybody enjoyed to spread the word and learn more about the topic. Additionally, they had lots of fun to be creative, to decorate the boarding homes and create posters. On the 4th of December, most of them participated in Sambhali’s rally through the city of Jodhpur. 

In both Laadli & Sheerni Boarding Home, the girls had their oral exams in the first half of December and their written ones in the week before Christmas. Our tutors helped and supported them accordingly. All of them are still enjoying their weekly Computer and Self-Defense classes. After each class, one can see their happy faces and feel their growing empowerment. The older, former Sheerni girls who are living in Sambhali’s HQ/Abhyasthali Boarding Home are having their regular college. Sometimes they joined our Aadarsh project and supports Mrs. Vimlesh with her workshops in local schools. Girls celebrated Christmas and enjoyed their winter break at boarding home. Girls are all improving at school and their latest tests were good.

January: On January 15, our NGO had its 16th birthday. It’s been a long, crazy but beautiful journey since then and we could not be more grateful for everything that has been achieved throughout the years. All of you are a big part of this journey – thank you

Our girls at all three boarding homes are doing well. The older girls at Abhyasthali (located in Sambhali HQ) concentrate on their college courses, two girls started having tally course. Few girls attended workshops for instance regarding banking & accounting. Some of them have to attend online classes as their colleges are again closed due to COVID. Nevertheless, they enjoy studying and living together a bit more independently. 

We are saying goodbye to January and welcoming February with an impression of Republic Day 2022 at our boarding homes. On January 26, India celebrates its Republic Day to commemorates the spirit of independence and individuality. On this day in 1950, the Indian National Congress proclaimed Purna Sawaraj, the declaration of India’s dependence from colonial rule. Our students love to celebrate this important day with their friends and teachers at Sambhali.

February: Few girls from Abyasthali went to their homes to attend marraige functions. Their height and weight measurements are regularly taken and they are all gaining weight eating the nutritious vegetarian meals they receive at the boarding home.They have also been atttending to a lot of their minor health issues, looking at various dermatological problems the girls are suffering from.

March: Girls celebrated Shiv Ratri at boarding home in which they depict a play on the story of Lord Shiva. Everyone enjoyed a lot. On March 8th, the world, including Sambhali, celebrated International Women’s Day. For many years, our whole Team came together to march for equality. Due to the pandemic, we were not able to plan our rally in the last two years. 

This year, it was finally possible again! The event was inaugurated by the Honorable Mayor Ms. Kunti Deora Parihar. In the end, we all celebrated IWD together by throwing pink colored powder on each other. It was a great day and wonderful to see all our participants who have joined us in their pink Sambhali uniforms. Girls celebrated Holi with few guests who arrived boarding homes.

In this month the girls of both boarding homes had their annual exams except the girls of class 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th (as class 5th, 8th and 12th have their board exams) in the month of April. So, they were studying accordingly with help of Tutors.

Filled the board forms of board classes. Priya, Manisha and Vimla accompanied Mrs. Vimlesh in her Adarsh Workshop which enhance her confidence level. When college girls were free, they helped Mrs. Rajshree in Scholarship work as well.  Nisha went to one industrial trip from college's side, and she enjoyed the trip a lot. Abhyasthali girls had RSCIT exams on 6th of March and the result will be announced in the month of April.                  

Workshops conducted in all these 4  months are as follows: -

Paint the world orange 16 days activism, Workshop on awareness on Omnicron virus, Republic Day, Mensuration, About the Ajanta Caves, Save the mother Earth, About the great Martyrs, Rajasthan Divas, AIDS awareness poster making, Daily uses Sentences in English, National Youth Day, Amazing facts of India, workshop about how to control exam stress, On mountaineering, about earthquake, Tsunami, Historical Stories etc.

Thank you very much for your endless and continuous support. We are very grateful and happy to know that so many people out there are connected to us and our mission. Many blessing from India, take care.

                                            Sambhali Trust