Preventing school dropout of 300 children in India

Name of Project: Preventing school dropout of 400 children in India

Project Period: Ongoing

Reporting Period: 01^st April to 30^th June 2020

Specific Objectives of the Project:

• The children in Government Homes and red-light areas gain academic, vocational, and life skill education.

Achievements of the Project:

• Many children have continued with the remedial education online
• Children have understood the importance of hygiene and wash habits with respect to COVID
• Children are remaining connected to their learning through personal calls from their teachers who also sent them educational videos and worksheets.

Number of beneficiaries: 75

Key Activities:

• Remedial Education
• Youth session
• Awareness and Counselling to prevent school dropout
• Awareness sessions and counseling about hygiene and wash habits

Challenges:

• COVID lockdowns in India caused many to migrate to their hometowns, hence the number of students dropped
• The immediate requirement was relief in rations and hygiene kits
• Initially, both children and teachers needed to upgrade to online education as they had little knowledge of how to operate zoom for these classes.

Sahaara believes that every person has a dream and our work centers around ensuring that vulnerable and marginalized persons can achieve their dream. Children living in Mumbai juvenile homes are one of the most marginalized children in Mumbai. Institutionalized, these children are most often from highly poverty-stricken Government Homes.

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.

Hope in the darkness

Asha* is a young girl pursuing her 12th-grade studies at the Sanpada Orient College. She used to be a person with very low self-esteem and always comparing herself with her peers and not having a very good opinion of herself. She did not like meeting anybody and did not like talking to anyone. She always liked to be alone.

              Sahaara’s youth mentor worked closely with her to help her break out of this struggle. She was given a lot of success stories to help her lift her spirit. Asha started becoming curious and wanted to know how these stories could relate to her life.  She began sharing her strengths and weaknesses.

As she was mentored, she began to take more interest in her studies. She has become more open and is now dealing with her insecurities. She is also becoming a positive influence on her younger sibling and her own mother. Her new growth-oriented approach has become a beacon of hope within her own home.

(*Name changed to protect identity)

Links:

• Sahaara's COVID Relief work this year
• Remedial Education online