By Aparna Nayampalli | M&E Head
2021-22 was another year of uncertainties with schools opening and closing their doors several times through the school year. Finally in January-February 2022 when schools finally opened their doors, the excitement of our students (and teachers!) knew no bounds! We were finally able to get back from online to physical sessions in schools.
During the last few months of the program year, student groups are enocuraged to take up local issues as projects. Every program year ends with an annual showcase event where student learning is celebrated and effort recognized. It is a community-wide event where parents and community members are given an opportunity to see how far their children have come. Students showcase their project solutions during these showcases and also participate in imprompu challenges. In 2021-22, 260 students across rural schools in Dharwad district and urban schools in Bengaluru and Pune participated in our Lego program and the year-end showcases.
In the rural program in Dharwad district, some of the projects students presented are:
(a) Building a Lego model of a cotton sowing machine and using the model to build a real working prototype model.
(b) Building a Lego-bricks based tool for effective farm and garden cleaning. Students went on to build a real working prototype model based on the Lego model.
(c) Building a Lego model to spray farm fertilizers. A real working prototype was them developed based on the initial model. Students also researched on preparation of safe organic fertilizers using coconut fibre, kitchen waste, cattle dung and earthworms.
(d) Students used Lego bricks to create models to depict our food supply chain and the issues faced by small farmers in this supply chain
In the urban program in Bengaluru and Pune, some of the projects presented are:
(a) Building a model school with all basic infrastructure, from a child's lens
(b) Building a Lego model to clean and store fresh fruits and vegetables so as to increase their shelf life
During the showcase, parents and students took part in various challenges. For example, building as tall a tower as possible, building a stable bridge that follows certain specifications and conditions, etc. It was an opportunity for parents to experience the program that their children attend.
Depsite very difficult pandemic years, our students have shown amazing strengh, resilience, discipline and creativity - critical leadership skills which our programs focus on inculcating in students. Without your support, bringing programs like ours that focus on preparing children without the means to thrive today and in the future, would not have been possible. Our children thank you for the opportunity and we hope you will continue to support their learning journey.
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