'Holistic Development'for 300 Poor Kids in India

Dear friends ,

Happy Diwali to you & your family ! 

In Maharashtra Diwali vacation has started on 22 October . Children will get holidays for 10 days. Just before the holidays , they had terminal examinations in school . Due to the festive mood in the air , the focus of  IDEA activities also shifted from educational to entertainment and celebration mode. Children had ‘ Diwali party’ in all the study centers . Sweets were distributed to children. Children- from single parent families / orphans staying with old grandparents or other relatives received festival dress. A corporate invited our children to their office to celebrate ‘ Diwali ‘ with the employees . It was indeed a fun filled outing for our children : they enjoyed dancing , bursting crackers and playing games with the  employees in this company . They also enjoyed having ‘ Diwali’ delicacies and gifts from the company. Besides that it was the very first opportunity for the children to visit a Corporate Office!  

Now an update on our programs during last couple of months: 

1. Educational activities in the study centers.  

The supervisors have completed the pre-decided syllabus and also the evaluation of children on their achievement levels. Due to the hard work and interventions of  our counselors and the interesting way of teaching in the centers , we  could ensure the regularity of attendance of children in the centers . 

1. Parents meetings. 

  The attendance of parents in the monthly meetings in the study centers have shown remarkable improvement , from 20 to 40 % in the beginning to 70 to 80 % in September . Along with discussing the progress of the children with the parents, these meetings are also a platform for us to conducting sessions on best childrearing practices & other parenting tips. 

1. Extra-curricular activities for children. 

‘ Art & craft’ classes conducted once a week in the study centers are appreciated by the children and the parents. This has helped to boost the enthusiasm of the children in the centers.         

An update on our experience with Global Giving : 

1. The recordings on the online training programs conducted by Global Giving are very useful for us to update & enhance our capabilities.
2. A few of us got an opportunity to attend a workshop organized by Global Giving in Pune on ‘ online fund raising alternatives . Our thanks to Global Giving Team, especially Ms. Manmeet Mehta for the training .
3. We are also thankful to Ms. Manmeet for spending some time to visit one of our study centers, in spite of her busy schedule in Pune.  Her visit and appreciation was a great motivation for IDEA staff & the beneficiary children.      

New initiatives and a request from IDEA 

IDEA has started a new project to bring about an attitudinal change in young boys & girls towards gender issues by educating, sensitizing & empowering them. This project engage them in peer education , empower girls by improving their health, education, and imparting skill based training for enhancing their employability .  This project is part of the GIRL EFFECT CAMPAIGN of Global Giving and the challenge will end on 31^st Oct 2011. Twelve winning projects will get funds from GIRL EFFECT FUND for a year . 

We would like to request you to  support us and suggest your friends to make a  donation to our project :

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/engage-empower-girls-and-boys-for-girl-effect-in-india/

Thanking you for your continued support.