Education for 300 Indigenous Children in India

Glad to share children joy with you all, they have been started going to school, studying and preparing for examinations. It seems things are coming to normal and living with less impact of from   Covid pandemic.

All these years through GlobalGiving , we have helped more than 300 children from indigenous communities. Most of them have completed their high school studies and went for junior college. Some are joined in the hostels and some are going to colleges in nearby towns. Girls are attracted to go for vocational courses ( Nursing) to earn at early stage.

Many children lives changed through the project of “ Education for 300 Indigenous children in India”. It is great pleasure to all the parents and this project reduced the parental burden. This project is almost completed and now more focusing on “Indigenous girl students education”. It is biggest challenge and responsibility to bring change in the lives of girls particularly in rural areas of India.

The reasons for taking up new project ; Indigenous girls are facing many challenges. Even in normal times, most of the rural families don’t encourage their girls to attend schools and colleges due to poverty and discrimination; parents also feel girls are burden to them. Parents are forced to decide to get their daughters married before girls reach legally eligible marriage age. This kind situation happens in almost all the rural areas in India

Girls who marry in childhood face immediate and lifelong consequences. They are more likely to experience domestic violence. Child marriage increases the risk of early and unplanned pregnancy, in turn increasing the risk of maternal complications and mortality.

They live in rural areas where there are no colleges for their higher education. Some are discontinuing their studies due lack of financial resources for their higher education. Some of the girls are studying in hostels and suffering without nutritious food, pads during menses and other basic needs. Parents are not able to afford to give pocket money to their children and children are embarrassing in their schools and colleges.

Hence requesting all the donors who has been helped and involved in the project all these years to continue their support for the education of “Indigenous Girl Students”

After observing village girls from Dalith community during the last decade, I am inviting you to be part of“Girl Students Scholarship Program”.

Dalith girls are facing many challenges. Even in normal times, most of the rural families don’t encourage their girls to attend schools and colleges due to poverty and discrimination; parents also feel girls are burden to them. Parents are forced to decide to get their daughters married before girls reach legally eligible marriage age.

 Girls who marry in childhood face immediate and lifelong consequences. They are more likely to experience domestic violence. Child marriage increases the risk of early and unplanned pregnancy, in turn increasing the risk of maternal complications and mortality. It can also isolate girls from family and friends and exclude them from participating in their communities, taking a heavy toll on their mental health and well-being.

 We have to protect the girl child, ensuring that she reaches her full potential through education. By providing comprehensive financial support for Girl Children’s Education, we can significantly reduce a girl’s risk of having her childhood stolen through Child Marriage. We are confident that this Scholarship for Girls will help them to continue education instead of child brides. It is also encouragement for girl students to study and find dignified lives.

Keeping this in my mind we have been supporting 22 girls for their education and it was so giving strength to them to continue their education. We also motivating their parents and communities to encourage girl children towards their education so that they could find livelihood opportunities to live with dignity.

Childcare is very important in the family and good for healthy society. ARV’s team focused very much on childcare in terms of health and education. .   Given counseling to 500 families to take prevention methods from the COVID virus using MASKS, sanitizing and maintaining physical distance wherever they go / stay. During the family council ling provided nutritious details to improve their immunity in their bodies to keep up good health.

There are many families are scared to take vaccination and not coming forward to prevent from the COVID situation. We have educated 800 people in 10 villages to take the vaccine two doses without any fear.   They also (who are vaccinated) are motivating others in their neighborhood towards vaccination.

The Schools academic year was supposed to be started in mid of June2021 but due to COVID pandemic it is started from 16^th August 2021.   The children are slowly stared attending to schools as per Government norms.

Education system in Andhraparadesh has been improving with changes based on previous structure and practices in the schools. The National Education Policy 202(NEP20) has brought amazing changes towards children education.

Introduced English medium in all Government schools, provided text books in bilingual Language. School buildings are renovated with new furniture, Sanitation facilities and RO system for drinking water in all schools under NADU – NEDU program. With this program almost all the poor children are getting benefit from the government policy and initiation. In this regard, ARV as an organization monitoring schools whether systems are in placed or not.

Nutritious food s is helping children in the schools: All Government schools are provided free Mid-Day-Meals (MDM) program providing with different nutritious menu each day. ARV monitoring schools and ensuring food quality, preparation in hygienic conditions.

It is very tough time to ARV in mobilizing resources in implementation of the project.

It is very sad to share the Covid pandemic situation in our project locations, Most of the children parents were affected with covid positive and children situation is very panic with sufferings, When parents were admitted in the hospital or home isolation children are facing many problems and affecting the mindset of children with fear.

ARV has been creating awareness to protect from Coronavirus through, using mask, maintaining safe distance, sanitization and avoiding mass gathering in our project locations.

ARV distributed soaps and sanitizers and masks for needy children in Narayanapuram colony , Marchilipatnam,

Children academic year disturbed due to covid and most of the schools maintained with online and some of schools are  offline. Children missed the fun and joy due to covid and affected particularly their education.

ARV distributed Food Essential Kits for 500 poor families with the support of Habitat For Humanity and HSBC in our project locations. Parents got benefited with food grains and other provisions as their situation is very poor particularly in this pandemic.

ARV has already been started campaigning on IMPROVING IMMUNITY and VACCINATION for all. Provided information on immunity boost up for malnutrition children and lactating mothers in 10 villages. The campaign started in all the 10 villagers about vaccination as they are getting fear about side affects of being taken vaccination. ARV volunteers taken vaccination to educate rural people and campaigning.

This is the time now for donors who has been helping ARV for several years to support once again to help the people in this covid pandemic.

It is very challenging for children to overcome Covid-19 pandemic as it is being terribly made the living situation in the schools, homes and even in the villages.

Children did not go to school as it is very dangerous for the lives of children. The Government of India has been taken very much precautions to save the lives of children. Most of the children participated in online classes in the cities but rural children did not get opportunity as they have no mobile phones as well as no internet connections in the villages.

The entire academic year disturbed and children did not improve their knowledge in their subjects. Psychologically children mentally affected due to restrictions of covid -19 and fear of death.

However, created awareness on health and sanitation for all the children and the importance using masks and hand wash. Children followed as we demonstrated in the villages.

We distributed soaps and masks to all the children and informed them to stay at home safely.

At the end of year children are safe and did not face any corona virus till the end of this quarter.

During this pandemic , children and parents understood the importance of nutritious food , vitamins to keep up the immunization in the body to face the corona virus.

Last month cyclone hit our project area and most of the children and their families suffered and lost many household items and livilihood for some time. One side covid and other side cyclone disturbed the lives of people and children financially and physically and mentally. We did survey and seeking support for relief.