From Child Labour to a Chance at School

Updates of last quarter.

The typical day at the center starts with morning prayers. Then the class is divided into three groups. Group one which is for the children who have no introduction to education, Group two where children learn basics like alphabets, words, numbers, shapes etc, Group three is where children learn how to form sentences, higher maths, English. Then for 2 hours each group do some studies. After that its snack time, everyday different snack is served as per the nutritional chart prepared by the experts to make sure proper nutrition is given to children. After snacks its play time, children play different indoor and outdoors games. This takes care of the physical activities in children.In last quarter along with Approach foundation, which is an Ahmedabad based organization, Saath has been conducting diverse activities for the psycho-social development of the children at CFS, who are getting exposure of the wider world, which will develop a broader perspective and awareness besides the classroom learning they are acquiring at the CFS set-ups.

 Activities conducted during the last quarter include-

1. Five mehndi making workshops were conducted during the months of August and September. Children from different centres participated in a huge number.
2. Children from          CFS classes took part in a session on how to operate camera. One such session was organized in a park and children learnt to use the techniques of clicking pictures. Even children from a regular school accompanied them with their own camera.
3. Navratri is one of the most colourful festivals of Gujarat and the Garbas are in the blood of Gujarati people. Resource persons from aProCh Foundation taught them Garba steps at Law Garden. Two such sessions were conducted, the other being at Vastrapur Lake.
4. End of October was the month of Diwali celebrations. During pre-Diwali period, diya decoration workshops were conducted twice at Parimal Garden. 25 children from three centres participated.
5. 78 children from five centres were taken to Cinepolis at AlphaOne Mall for an animated movie “Motu-Patlu” with support from aProCh Foundation. This brought an immense joy as they usually do not get a chance to visit multiplexes. Children from construction site classes and slum classes, who assist their parents in economic generation activities, participated.
6. Woollen work was taught to interested children. Twenty children from two classes participated.
7. Employees from the Novotel Hotel conducted a clothes donation drive for the students of slum class in the locality on 20th October.
8. Another paper craft activity was organized in Prahladnagar Garden.
9. As part of employee engagement activities, KPMG visited one of the centres and taught the children craft items. They also celebrated Diwali with children during pre-Diwali days. It was celebrated on the 28th October.
10. Yet at Godrej Garden City centres, children engaged in creative aspect and prepared Rangoli in the class.
11. On the 30th October, children from some of the centres were taken at a venue where they can have practical shopping experience. Donated clothes were piled up and new stationery items such as colours, compass box, lunch box, etc. were displayed. They were given false currencies through which they could buy whatever they wished. A few parents also participated in the event.
12. Through donor’s support, 20 shortlisted children have been enrolled to an art activity centre named Sky Blue. The short listed children are from the slum classes for a specific reason. They will be going to art classes for a year or two. Though there are good talents in children of construction worker, their stay for long term is not ensured. They go to the centre once a week for two hours. They learn innovative arts and crafts activities that would enhance their skills to greater heights. A van has been arranged by the centre to pick from and drop them to the class.
13. Interns from Nirma University conducted various activities across the centres. They taught children science concepts through innovative methods, painted walls of the classes, made cardboard desks for children for class work, showed them animated films, did art activities, etc.
14. A new centre at Savvy Swaraaj site was started towards the end of November. About 75 children from 0 to 12 years attend the class regularly.
15. The Marriott group organized a ride for the children on the occasion of ‘Joy of Giving Week’. They took the children out for a joy ride in a big car.

A new CFS centre at North One was set up and currently there are 15 children coming to the class.

1. Further exploration for setting up new sites is taking place.
2. Teachers’ monitoring meeting was conducted at Saath Head Office on December 8th. Teachers shared and discussed their class specific challenges and learnings. This becomes a platform for them to share the grievances as well.
3. Again in December on the 17th, 15 children were taken to Cinepolis at AlphaOne mall for the movie Jungle Book. Total 59 children from across the centres participated.
4. A medical check-up was organized at Savvy Swaraaj site.
5. A drawing competition was organized at Courtyard by Marriott for children on the 27th December. The selected paintings were then converted into New Year cards by the Marriott group as official greetings for their clients.
6. Another medical check-up was organized at the two Labour Colonies of Godrej Garden City in November. As per the need of children, supplements were provided.

SUCCESS STORY

Education Matters!

Here is one more instance where education among labourers has proven to be a differentiating factor for a smooth process of development. When there are many parents unwilling to send children to the centre on site, there are a few exceptions who can appreciate the set up and system and happily enroll their children to the centre. These are the parents having some, though limited, background of education. One such instance happened at one of our Centers. Khushbu Darji (name changed) a four-year-old child, whose parents have studied up to primary education. They visited the class and themselves approached teacher for their children’s enrolment.

The Darji family moved to Ahmedabad from Sultanpur of Uttar Pradesh in search of better livelihood. Back home, there was only the father who used to provide for the family through masonry work. But the frequency of work availability was inconsistent and the money earned was insufficient. The mother had to stay back home to take care of three children, Khushi and two younger children. After enrolling their children to our centers, mother also started working and the family income has increased.

Khushi used to study in class I back home and was good in grasping activities. After coming to our class, she has become more active and her siblings are learning a great deal from Khushi. She maintains discipline in class and is one of the cleverest children in class. She knows numbers by heart and teaches other classmates in free time. She is a super confident child. She maintains proper hygiene independently, pays attention to each and every activity, and mingles well with all with an ease. She is so likable that everyone enjoys her company. Her parents are very keen of sending children to school and are request the teachers to help them with admissions and all the other documentations.

She observes her teachers keenly and dreams of becoming one like them.

• Progress Report September - November, 2018 (PDF)