Education for 100 street children in India

It's that time of year again!  After a 2 month break from school, all of the children at the Education Outreach Centre are now back in school.  To ensure that they didn't forget everything they learned last year (and since so many kids rely on AIC for their meals and medical treatment), we only gave them a 2 week holiday at the Centre. So despite the fact that school is just starting again now, the AIC Education Outreach kids spent the month of May attending their daily tutoring classes.  

New admissions to the Education Outreach Program took place over a week in April and included the following new additions to the program: 16 nursery students, 2 children into the kindergarten program, 4 English-medium children in upper standards (1st standard and above) and 12 Marathi-medium students in upper standards (1st standard and above).  All in all, 34 new students were admitted to the program through the April admissions process.  While it is hard to leave so many names on the waiting list, we at AIC have to be realistic about our ability to offer the highest quality of education and care to those in our Education Outreach Program, and must make admissions decisions based on that ultimate goal.  Furthermore, even though we moved into a new (bigger) building just one year ago, space continues to be a limiting factor for the program, and classes run non-stop from 7am until 8pm every day to maximize our use of the facilities! 

Before classes started again in May, On-Site Director Claudia held a "painting party" at the Education Outreach Program, and the classrooms were completely scrubbed from top to bottom and repainted in bright, cheerful colors.  We are so grateful that many local supporters and friends of AIC (as well as the Residential Program children) came and devoted their entire day to the painting party - the end result is great!  It is quite a fresh, welcome change from the whitewashed walls that we had been living with since last year when we moved in.  In addition, the nursery classroom walls were partially tiled to allow for easier clean-up, and many necessary repairs and improvements were made to the facilities over this short 2 week break from classes.  Thank you to all who helped with the painting and improvements!

With more than a month of tutoring and preparatory studies under their belts, the AIC students were excited to go back to school in the middle of June.  They have received all of their school supplies and books and are now being outfitted for new uniforms, school bags and everything else that they need to get off to the best possible start to the new year.  

We also received our 10th standard students' Board Examination results in June, and are thrilled to report that we had a 100% pass rate!  In a country where only 15% of Indians reach high school, and a mere 7% actually pass 10th standard, this is a huge accomplishment for our students.  Some of these students have been with us since the Education Outreach Program started in 2006 and we are excited to help them continue on their journey as they begin the college admissions process.  

Watching the new nursery students settle slowly into the AIC school routine, and the older kids covering their books and preparing for another school year like old pros, we feel confident that these children are on their way to brighter futures and look forward to the day when we will be helping them explore their college options and post-graduate opportunities as well. 

Thank you for your ongoing support of the AIC children and community!

Six-year-old Arjun, one of our new students in the AIC Education Outreach Program, is having an eventful start to the new school year... 

Arjun's parents are masala (spice) sellers from the Waghri community, earning about 2,000 rupees ($40) per month to support him and his four older siblings.  Last year, his oldest brother Umesh was the only one in his family who was granted admission into the AIC Education Outreach Program, due to limited space.  Umesh worked hard as a 10th standard student, and, with the guidance and support of his teachers at AIC, has now graduated from secondary school and moved on to college (11th standard).  This spring, his four younger siblings, including Arjun, were excited to be offered spots in the Education Outreach Program as well.

Shortly after his admission into the program, it quickly became apparent that Arjun has a problem with his right eye, and after some initial medical investigation, we scheduled a cataract surgery to correct the condition.  As is often the case in these particular slum communities, Arjun had never previously attended school at the time of his enrollment in the Education Outreach Program.  This means that in the span of three months, he started school for the first time (1st standard, English-medium), began attending the AIC Education Outreach Program for daily meals and tutoring, and - last but definitely not least - will be having cataract surgery later this week!  

It has truly been a busy three months for this little guy, and we can't wait to see how he continues to grow and develop once his eyesight improves and he settles into his new school and tutoring routine!

Links:

• AIC Blog from Pune