Education for 100 street children in India

Following the end of final exams and the Indian school year, the AIC Education Outreach Program children were thrilled to hear that we would be running the traditional AIC summer camp again this year. This summer's program, however, was even more ambitious than ever before, and was planned and executed in its entirety by M.K. Didi, AIC volunteer extraordinaire. 

During the summer program, the children and staff participated in a plethora of cool, educational (but also fun!) projects:

• On movie day, we watched a movie on the terrace and enjoyed lemonade and snacks.
• On craft day, we created wall hangings, embroidered cloth, made pop-up greeting cards, and drew elaborate henna designs on our hands.
• On sports day, we ran races and played football with two players and several coaches from the local professional football league.
• On dance day, we had a giant dance party on the terrace and participated in a workshop by a classical dance expert.
• On paper printing day, we used water and pigments to make beautiful designs and then wove paper strips together to make greeting cards.
• On yoga day, we did breathing, focus, and stretching exercises on the terrace with the guidance of a certified yoga instructor.
• On science day, we made box cameras, learned about the structure of the human lung, and constructed and experimented with our own microscopes.
• On scavenger hunt day, we split into groups and went to the market — the group that bought the most items on the list while staying within the budget won the contest.
• On puppet day, we watched a puppet show and learned to make origami animals.
• On music day, we listened to a guitar concert, learned about the science of sound, and performed songs.

The following week, we went for a picnic to Sambhaji Park, where children and staff alike enjoyed games, an obstacle course, toy train rides, ropes climbing and of course, some picnic treats like mango juice and chips!

Finally, to wrap up the summer camp, we held an end-of-year function, complete with dancing, singing, camp participation certificates, attendance awards (cash prizes for students with the best attendance all year, and small gifts for the students with perfect attendance for the month of March), and appreciation and acknowledgment to our local supporters. Of course, no function at the Education Outreach Program is complete without snacks, so all of the parents and children were treated to samosas and kulfi (ice cream) on their way out. 

The AIC summer camp, picnic and end-of-year function were the perfect way to wrap up the 2012-2013 school year and celebrate our students’ successful academic progression as they move one step closer to becoming the first graduates in their families!

• Article about AIC in Sakaal Times (PDF)