Give a smile to 3000 slumchildren to attend school

Education where learning is not limited with mere Academic Proficiency

The organization who is working for the underprivileged children, with its 30 years of exertion it builds the future of the children with its most primitive weapon –‘Education’. It believes the education should not limit with the proficiency in Academic qualification but with all round development associated with the childhood to develop a responsible citizen. Along with the formal education it aims to widen the inner skill of the children. It elevates their spirit to participate in different competitions and win in the race of life.

‘Educate Girl Educate India’

 Out of 3000 slum children in the Remedial education centre majority are the girls. A painting Exhibition was organized by “Ruchika Social Service Organisation” on theme ‘Educate Girl Educate India’ on 21^st February,2015. 300 remedial girl students from 105 centers were draw their painting and exhibit it at Ruchika SMART office. The Chief guest are Mr. Vineet Nayyar, Executive Vice Chairman of Tech Mahindra and Mrs. Reva Nayyar, Director in Essel Social Welfare Foundation, Sri B.K Mishra, Senior Vice President of Tech Mahindra ,Hyderabad and many associates of Tech Mahindra Foundation, Bhubaneswar were visited the painting exhibition and appreciated the endeavor. The best ones are praised to participate on next corporate painting competition

The Exhibition inaugurated by Mrs. Reva Nayyar, Director in Essel Social Welfare Foundation in the presence of the Mr. Vineet Nayyar, Executive Vice Chairman of Tech Mahindra. All of them visited the exhibition. They highly praised the painting of the students.

“Madhukatha Pratiyogita”

Know about the life sketch of eminent persons in the society / country and take part in the debate/ one act play / fancy competition relevant to these peoples – an initiation from the organization for these marginalized slum children.

In the eve of foundation day of Utkal Dibasa, “Madhukatha Pratiyogita” organized. Children from several organizations, schools and institutions participated in the competition. Topics are debate/ one act play / fancy dress competition on life sketch of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das  Known as 'Madhu Babu' by the common people. Madhu Babu worked for the political, social and economical upliftment of the people of Odisha and served the mother-nation as a lawyer, social reformer and patriot. He founded Utkal Sammilani which brought a revolution in the social and industrial development of Odisha. By his long political fight he unite Odisha & modern Odisha took birth on 1st April 1936. This date is celebrated as Utkal Dibasa. 18 numbers of remedial students participated in the events and Rojalini Sahoo from Narayan Basti remedial centre awarded with 3rd prize in one act play on Madhubabu Besa Posaka.

Taking part in different competitions not only build the self confidence among the children but also it accelerate their inner talents to become a successful & responsible citizen in the future. The organization in its day to day intervention with the children tried to fruitful the slogan “Today’s child is the future of tomorrow”.

We try not to be too eager to tell children that things are like this - we give them time: a truth they found out for themselves will stay with them and give them strength for entire life. NCF focuses on the life oriented education than traditional textbook centric Edn. RTE is implementing all over country since 2010. So the aim of the RSSO Education project was “materializing RTE for slum children in the age group of 6 to 14 years in Bhubaneswar through remedial coaching, empowering and mobilizing the community and sensitizing the school teacher.”

The slum children are provided with remedial coaching to ensure retention and to fill up the quality gap of school education and increase academic proficiency. Attempts is to be made to advocate with government school authorities to allow the remedial teachers to work inside the school campus , so that they can impart special education to late starters, not starter, slow learners, academically weak children and children with specially needs inside the school which is to be helpful to prevent dropouts. Govt. of Odisha is planning to matrerialised it very soon . In addition this year the organization has to form children’s groups in the slums and empower them to generate demand for quality education as part of its plan for sustainability.

RSSO believes that if the children trusted and cared for, growing of children usually know the right balance between challenges that they can undertake and when they need support, when given freedom, they learn that what is challenge for one of their peers need not be so for themselves. They learn to respect difficulties of their classmates, share in the happiness of overcoming them. In Education field it firmly belief is the one and only catalyst to improve the status of children, to give them a chance to improve their livelihood in the future and advance them an opportunity to upward social mobility. Therefore, RSSO seeks to ensure that a quality school education is imparted to all children within our target group of street and slum children.

Event: Little Scientist- V

Since inception Ruchika Social Service Organisation has taken series of initiatives to encourage and promote creativity and innovation amongst the slum children of Bhubaneswar. Organizing Science Exhibition viz. Little Scientist is another step to promote scientific outlook among the unprivileged children and prepare them as positive contributors of the society. “Little Scientists-V” organized from 11^th to 12^th December 2014 at Tech Mahindra,S-1,Maitreevihar,Chandrasekharpur,Bhubaneswar witnessed involvement and participation of students from different slums of Bhubaneswar. The students displayed 90 science models which were indeed eye openers on various topics related to Mathematics, Energy, Innovation in the fields of Communication, Agriculture, Technology, Bio- diversity, Health and Environment. Total 1500 slum children and government school students were visited the Exhibition.

This year the programme was organized in partnership with Tech Mahindra Foundation and Ruchika Social Service organization.

The main objective of the Science Exhibition was

• To promote interest of students in the subject of science and develop a scientific attitude and outlook
• To create awareness about the role of Science and Technology as a major instrument for achieving goals of self-reliance and socio-economic development
• To highlight the applications of scientific concepts and technology advancements in the field of agriculture, energy, industry, health, natural resources, transport, communication, computers, Bio-technology and many other emerging fields.
• To create awareness about the role of Science and Technology in producing good quality materials for use of society.
• To develop awareness amongst the learners about the importance of Science and Technology in the national development vis-à-vis the global changes.
• To provide opportunity to students to give shape to their creative ideas and innovations.

Guided by 90 teachers 180 Little Scientists from different slum and street corners and railway stations have developed science project models.

The Exhibition Inagurated by Sri Naveen Pattanaik, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha in the presence of the Chief Executive officer Sri C.P Gurnani, Tech Mahindra ltd. Minister of Culture Sri Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of Information Technology Sri Pradeep Kumar Jena, Sri Ananta Narayan Jena, Hon’ble Mayor, BMC , MP, Bhubaneswar Dr. Prassna Kumar Patsahani and MLA Sri Bijaya Kumar Mohanty and Sri Priyadarshi Mishra. All of them visited the exhibition and interacted with the little scientist.

In the closing function Sri B.K Mishra, Senior Vice President of Tech Mahindra ,Hyderabad graced the occasion as Chief Guest and Sri Prsannajit Singh ,Chair person Location council Head of Tech Mahindra, Bhubaneswar and Prof. (Dr.) Narayan Rao, Secretary, RSSO were present as Guests of Honor 

They highly praised the project models and the endeavor of little scientist. The guests shared their life achievements and success stories with the children to stir up the inner talent of these children. At last all three dignitaries distributed certificates and take home gift to the little scientists and inspired the children and audience.

Apart from the exhibition, quiz competition, magic show and cultural programmes were some other major attractions of the exhibition.

We sincerely express our heartfelt gratitude to our supporters for their magnanimous gesture towards the children living in oppressed and deprived of their minimum basic right to go to school .

Links:

• Science Skills of Slum Kids Put on Display- Ruchika Social Servi

Neeharika Tummala is an in-the-field traveler for GlobalGiving for the India and Bangladesh region.

Of the 50 organizations I visited across India and Bangladesh, Ruchika will remain one of my favourites. I spent 4 days here, as I was hosted by Ruchika in Bhubaneswar and I loved every day there.Ruchika is one of GlobalGiving's oldest organizations so it was a great feeling to connect with such a respected and well established organization. 

I started off my formal visit by visiting various after-school programs in different slums. Despite being in slums, all the schools were well lit and cheerful! What fascinated me the most is that the children combine traditional studying with peer learning where one child reads aloud to another child. If there are any mistakes, the other corrects and the teacher is walking around as well. This gives students confidence to practice while also owning the responsibility of correcting the other. I also saw cute little arguments of 'its not pronounced that way, its like this!' It was great to see all of the learning!

In addition to school work, Ruchika is famous for their pioneering launch of the Child Line and Women's Help Line. Both programs have been adopted by the government and will be replicated across the entire state, whereas ChildLine has already gone national. Both these programs offer 24-7 emergency support where anyone can report the case of a distressed child or woman. These women are then brought into the short term Ruchika home, right behind the office. One of the best memories I have is hanging out with the staff into the late hours of the night with a cup of tea and learning all about what they get to see and experience. 

It is also almost impossible not to bond with the girls and boys at the Ruchika dorms. When the girls first ran up to me, it was because they were fascinated with a young girl travelling, speaking english and in pretty clothes. But as they braided my hair and did my nails, I got to hear their stories and realized that life is so much more complicated for them. They would tell me things like 'I'm not sure if my parents will come and get me' or 'I quit school when I was in 4th standard but I want my son to study in an english medium school. Many of the children wait while an investigation takes place and next steps are determined and Ruchika often plays a key part in that process by working closely with authorities. But despite their individual stories, the girls and boys were so uninhibited in playing me with or giving me a hug and asking me what I did that day. 

On one of those four days, we had an earthquake! Minor as it was, the building shaking led to a lot of screaming and all of us running out of the building. We hung out there for several hours there that night and even though we had just had an earthquake it quickly turned into another opportunity to play! I can't think of a better space when I think of the word safehaven and Ruchika will always embody that for me. 

Thank you Ruchika for teaching me so much and giving me some unforgettable memories! 

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and standards. Ruchika also believes that the most basic education instills a sense of confidence, purpose and insight that is necessary for successful and productive participation in any society without which the children and adult lack the ability to adequately support themselves in a legitimate profession or trade and thus often fall prey to all forms of exploitation, corruption and abuse.

In response to the growing and apparently formidable challenges faced by the children on the street and of the city slums, Ruchika started an innovative fun school program viz. “Platform school” in April 1985. Presently the organization reaches out to over 7,000 children and their indigent families in about 150 slums of Bhubaneswar and 11 major railway hubs of Odisha with multifarious programs. Through a diverse and large variety of educational innovations, the organization has dedicated itself to the ideal that: “If the child cannot come to the school, then the school must go to the child”.

In response to the growing rate of drop outs from the formal school system Ruchika started Remedial Education program in 2009. Presently it reaches out to 4000 children with 105 primary and 67 elementary remedial education centers spread across 105 slums of Bhubaneswar.

Rajashree a distinguished little scientist:

 In the word of Rajashree a girl studying in class 7th “I live in a slum of Bhubaneswar established in the base of urban waste, dumping yards and always feel suffocated & have a dream to build an eco-friendly environment by proper utilization of wastages. This promotes me to see a dream to become an Environmental scientist in my life. When I got a inspiration to demonstrate my project while studying in Ruchika Remedial Education Centre. I had prepared a model on proper utilization of waste output of urban community, and my project was exhibited in  the Ruchika Science Exhibition program and was selected as one of the best model by the jury of National Children’s Science Congress, Govt. of Odisha. I am so glad to present my model in the 21st National Children’s Science Congress, Khordha Dist. Level competition and would like to thank Ruchika & its supporters for building the first ladder of my dream in the future- to be an Environmental Scientist”

• Progress report9 (DOCX)

We try not to be too eager to tell children that things are like this - we give them time: a truth they found out for themselves will stay with them and give them strength for entire life. NCF focuses on the life oriented education than traditional textbook centric Edn. RTE is implementing all over country since 2010. So the aim of the RSSO Education project was “materializing RTE for slum children in the age group of 6 to 14 years in Bhubaneswar through remedial coaching, empowering and mobilizing the community and sensitizing the school teacher.”

The slum children are provided with remedial coaching to ensure retention and to fill up the quality gap of school education and increase academic proficiency. Attempts is to be made to advocate with government school authorities to allow the remedial teachers to work inside the school rooms, so that they can impart special education to late starters, not starter, slow learners, academically weak children and children with specially needs inside the school which is to be helpful to prevent dropouts. In addition this year the organization is trying to form children’s groups in the slums and empower them to generate demand for quality education as part of its plan for sustainability.

RSSO believes that if the children trusted and cared for, growing of children usually know the right balance between challenges that they can undertake and when they need support, when given freedom, they learn that what is challenge for one of their peers need not be so for themselves. They learn to respect difficulties of their classmates, share in the happiness of overcoming them. Education it firmly believes is the one and only catalyst to improve the status of children, to give them a chance to improve their livelihood in the future and advance them an opportunity to upward social mobility. Therefore, RSSO seeks to ensure that a quality school education is imparted to all children within our target group of street and slum children.

Activities and Achievement

1. Activities with the Community

Basti Education committees have been working effectively. They monitor the working of remedial centers running in their respective slums.

• Monthly meetings of BECs are conducted religiously and resolutions are made unanimously.
• Community awareness programme have been taken up the following responsibilities.
• Community Mobilization

1. Visit the family and discuss with parents about the children’s performance.
2. Organize Community meeting & BEC meeting.
3. Create Community Awareness

• Work with Govt. School Teacher to ensure realization RTE prevision as follow.

1. Greater involvement of communities in school development and management.
2. Special Prevision for out of school children.
3. Universal enrolment and retention.
4. Creating a barrier free environment in the environment in the school.
5. Enrollment at all times and no stagnation.
6. Making school a punishment free zone.
7. Admission in age appropriate class and special provision for filling the proficiency gap.
8. Comprehensive and Continuous Evaluation – CCE.
9. Minimum facilities for sanitation ( separate toilets for boys and girls)
10. 25% reservation in private schools for SC. ST and BPL students.

Activities with Children

• To enhance the scientific outlook among the children and to identify their creativity in the field of science, a Science Exhibition was organized near our office premises at Samantarapur on 7^th & 8^th November2013. 100 science models were exhibited by 200 children. More than 4000 children visited the exhibition. In addition to science models, science quiz, science magic and cultural programs were organized by the children. Sri Anata Narayan Jena, Hon’ble Mayor, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation inaugrrated the exhibition. A number of dignitaries Dr. R.N. Ray, Chairman, National Children’s Science Congress, Sri W. Bliung, IAS, Addl. Secy. Deptt. Of Sc. & Tech. Dr. A.M. Srivastav, Director, & Dr. S.K. Patra , Asso Prof. Institute of Physics, Dr. C.R. Misra, Scientist, Kalinga Foundation Trust , Sri S. Pattanik, Dy. Director, Planetarium in first day ceremony. Closing function the Chief Guest ws Sri Bijyashree Routray, Hon’ble Minister, Deptt of Forest & Environment, Odisha and Sri Bhabani Charan Pattanayak. Chairman, Kalinga Foundation graced the occasion as Guest of Honour. They also encouraged the children and appreciated the programme.
• Dr. Bhagyadhar Boi, Sr. Scientist, Regional Reserch Laboratory, Bhubaneswar, Dr. Chittaranjan Mishra, Eminent Scientist were present in the program , and graced the occasion as Guest of Honour. They also encouraged the children and appreciated the program. Four numbers of Science Project on “Energy Source” has been selected for State Level Science Congress held as Khurda.
• Evaluation and Assessment – Six Competency based tests have been completed. About 80% children have completed all competencies as planned.
• 20 children of Ruchika remedial centers of Kancha Sahi, Sriram Nagar, Adeikhala B, ICPS Bhubaneswar Station, have participated in State Level Children Science Congress held at B.J.B. High School Khurdha.

C) Activities with Schools

        School Management Committees have been constituted in all the nearby Govt. Schools. Near about 50 numbers basti people of our intervention are nominated as the member of Govt. School SMC. Our teacher are meeting the members of SMCs and educating them about the RTE, explaining them various provisions laid down in the RTE and how these provisions can be realized for the children.

1. RTE Sensitization

The teacher maintains good rapport with the School teachers. They help the teachers and Head Masters have to learn a lot on RTE – 2010 and plan to implement it. They have to come out of stereotype mind set and dynamically advance opportunities for the children to learn in a free and enjoyable environment. The Cluster Educators will be given responsibility to work with the government.

1. Orientation on success methodologies.

Ruchika has experimented a number of success methodologies of teaching. To make the learning creative and enjoyable it has adopted two new strategies. All methodologies of teaching and assessment need to be replicated in government schools the innovated ideas and skills need to be transferred to government schools.

1. Support Service

The organization is continuously providing support service to identify children with special needs, plain to address the needs of these children, prepare effective MIS systems to monitor the progress assist them to make effective teaching learning materials (TLM) for the schools, support them to initiate Child Right Cells in the schools. Train the teachers on Right of the Child and prepare plan of action to prevent child right.

1. Co – Curricular Activities

The organization also has developed expertise in organizing different co curricular activates for the slum children. The schools in the targeted area will be helped to organize different sports activities, talent search programme, science exhibition, Math camps, English camps, Shaitya Sansads and other creative programs for the students.

1. Other activities done during this quarter

o   05 numbers of Teachers’ training were done.

o   09numbers of Teacher meeting were done

o   03 Numbers of staff meeting were done

o   One supervisory training was done

o   Base Line Exam was analyzed by all the teachers of remedial centers and steps have been taken up to improve the children’s development.

o   11 Numbers health camps we are done

o   70 Numbers health checks-up we are done.

o   27 Numbers of community empowerment meeting we are done on RTE-2010.

o   A Science exhibition (Little Scientist) has conducted

o   A State Level children Science Congress (Participated by children) has done

Outputs and Outcomes:

Outputs

1. Those children enrolled into the remedial centers, all are studying in the government schools.
2. The mission runs smoothly with expertise and well settled remedial teachers.
3. 80% students have been completed all competencies in Math and English.
4. 103 Basti Education Committees have been constituted and monthly meetings are conducted regularly.
5. All the records of the project are in place.
6. Base line assessment has been conducted.
7. Intensive training materials have been supplied to the schools as per need.

Outcome

1. The academic proficiency of the targeted slum children have increased to greater extent.
2. Dropout rate in the school has been checked almost completely.
3. Children are attending the school happily because all their home task are done in the remedial centers and all their problems are solved.
4. A positive Eco friendly environment has been created in the slum to love there center and to be interested in study.
5. Govt. School teachers are gradually   accepting our teachers and appreciating the methodology that Ruchika Social Service Organisation adopts in Pedagogy.

We sincerely express our heartfelt gratitude to our supporters for their magnanimous gesture towards the children living in oppressed and deprived of their minimum basic right to go to school.

Links:

• Demonstration of Appropriate Technology for Healthy childhood fo