By Samy Joanes | Assistant Manager - Donor Documentation
Name of Project: Preventing school dropout of 400 children in India
Project Period: Ongoing
Reporting Period: 01st January to 31st March 2021
Specific Objectives of the Project:
Achievements of the Project:
Number of beneficiaries: 275
Key Activities:
Challenges:
Sahaarabelievesthateverypersonhasadream,andourworkcentersaroundensuringthat vulnerable and marginalized persons can achieve their dream. Children living in Mumbai juvenile homes and red-light areas are some of the most marginalized children in Mumbai. Institutionalized and overlooked, these children are most often from highly poverty-stricken Government Homes and families+.
However, with the onset of COVID and schools closed early to curb the spread of the virus. Many parents of these children could not earn a living as many of them were daily wage workers. Sahaara reached out to them during this critical hour of need. Many families migrated back to their villages and hometowns. Despite these challenges, there were many who remained behind. These children upgraded their skills from regular learning to navigating online zoom calls for their learning. Regular counseling sessions also helped them keep a positive mindset in the middle of all the COVID challenges they faced.
Growing through Acceptance
Akash* is bright 10-year-old boy studying in Chembur Children’s Home (CCH), a government home for children in need of care and protection. He has shown considerable progress in his studies and has grown in confidence. However, this is not how someone would describe him a few years ago.
Akash was the only child in his family. His father worked in a building as a sweeper and his mother died when he was just 3 years old. After that, his father remarried to start his life afresh. However, Akash’s step-mother disliked him causing his father to admit him in CCH in 2017. Akash was 7 years old at the time
Sahaara conducts remedial education for children in government homes like CCH in order to help these children achieve grade level competency in school.
When Akash joined the Sahaara class, he was a very disturbed child as his father never came to meet him. Akash was struggling with a sense of rejection and loneliness. However, our teachers showed love and care towards him. In the initial stages, he was very poor in studies but our staff gave him special individual attention in our remedial class as well as in the special help class.
Through various fun and creative methods, the Sahaara teachers taught him and provided a safe-space for him to express himself. With this help, he started to perform well and became bright in studies. He is now in the 5th Grade and doing well almost reaching grade level competency.
His dream is to become a policeman someday!
*Name changed to protect identity.
Links:
By Samy Joanes | Assistant Manager - Donor Relations
By Samy Joanes | Assistant Manager
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