Name of Project: Impart computer literacy to poor children in India
Project Period: Ongoing
Reporting Period: 01st January to 31st March 2020
Specific Objectives of the Project:
Achievements of the Project:
Number of beneficiaries: 04 beneficiaries
Key Activities: MSCIT course sponsored for Total of 04 Candidates
Sahaara believes that every person has a dream and our work centers around ensuring that marginalized persons can articulate and work towards achieving 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 families.
As a part of the holistic intervention therein, Sahaara imparts computer education to the children between fourteen to eighteen years of age in juvenile homes. Sahaara’s in- house computer course delivers a fitting foundation to the children preparing their skills for the technology-driven world outside the homes. The children attending the computer training get a start which will help them break out of the poverty cycle and fulfill their dreams of a stable future.
Below is the story of a child who has benefited from the MSCIT course conducted by Sahaara.
Sunil*, his younger sister and mother lived in a very small settlement on the outskirts of Mumbai. Sunil belongs to a very poor family. He lost his father at a very young age. His mother was unable to provide necessities to the children, so in 2015 when Sunil was 6 years old, she admitted him at the Chembur Children’s Home (CCH). Within a few months, he ran away from the hostel as he missed his family but when he realized the acute poverty at home, he decided to return to CCH, and ever since he has not attempted to run away again.
We at Sahaara try to provide support to such children in building them up academically and giving them growth through vocational training and increasing computer literacy. Sahaara works with the State Government to provide computer literacy to its beneficiaries through the Maharashtra State Certificate in Information Technology (MSCIT).
Sunil likes to hang out with the office staff at CCH and has always been very intrigued by computers. He was very happy to get enrolled in the MSCIT course and diligently attended all classes. He enjoys working on computers and says, “Thank you for this opportunity, this will help me achieve the bright future for me and my family that I have always dreamed of.” This year he is in 9th grade & doing well in his class.
*Name changed to protect identity.
Sahaara believes that every person has a dream and our work centers around ensuring that marginalized persons are able to articulate and work towards achieving their dream. Children in observation homes are one of the most marginalized populations in Mumbai.
The children who live in these Homes come from different states of India and are educated in a Marathi medium school run by the Home. The language difference makes it difficult for them to learn. Remedial education helps in coaching the children in the Marathi language as well as their school subjects thereby helping them understand what theyare learning and maintaining their interest to continue education once discharged from the Home.
Our Staff have been conducting an After School Remedial class at the Chembur Children’s Home for several years. Many of the children have traumatic pasts and are faring badly in School. Unable to cope with the Grade Level Requirements, they are falling seriously behind in academics. Consequently, it was observed that many children from Grade 3 – 5 had struggle in reading letters in the Marathi alphabet and even counting till 20.
Thus,with the support and permissions of the Home & the School authorities in 2017, we decided to launch a three stage Remedial Program for catering to the educational need of thechildren.
This program involves diagnostic testing in the initial stages, after which the child is introduced to an appropriate curriculum which is designed around his needs. Innovative methods are used to help the child to learn and succeed.After we had run this course we were able to see improvement in the academics of the child thus building confidence in them to flourish in theirstudies.
During the period October to December 2019, 95 children were provided with remedial education.
Ray of Hope…
Payal* lives in a high-risk locality of Ghatkopar red light area in Mumbai, housing numerous brothels. Her parents have never been to school and their financial condition is very unstable. Her parents are daily wage workers and find it difficult to make ends meet. Payal* is regularly exposed to Police raids, and riots. Being a girl, she is at a high risk of being gulped into Human trafficking. She was a weak and feeble child. Academically she was very poor and had difficulty with even the basics of her preschool syllabus.
Sahaara runs an education Centre for vulnerable children in the Ghatkopar red light area in order to impart remedial education, life skills and higher education opportunities and nutrition to children who otherwise would lack the same. Payal* joined our education Centre 2 years ago. Academically she required a lot of special attention. With regular counselling and nurturing she has progressed very well. Her academic performance is evolving successfully.
Payal* likes to be punctual to all the classes, she likes to spend time in the education center and enjoys playing with educational aids. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
*Name Changed to protect identity
Sahaara believes that every person has a dream and our work centers around ensuring that marginalized persons are able to articulate and work towards achieving their dream. Children in observation homes are one of the most marginalized populations in Mumbai.
The children who live in these Homes come from different states of India and are educated in a Marathi medium school run by the Home. The language difference makes it difficult for them to learn. Remedial education helps in coaching the children in the Marathi language as well as their school subjects thereby helping them understand what theyare learning and maintaining their interest to continue education once discharged from the Home.
Our Staff have been conducting an After School Remedial class at the Chembur Children’s Home for several years. Many of the children have traumatic pasts and are faring badly in School. Unable to cope with the Grade Level Requirements, they are falling seriously behind in academics. Consequently, it was observed that many children from Grade 3 – 5 had struggle in reading letters in the Marathi alphabet and even counting till20.
Thus, with the support and permissions of the Home & the School authorities in 2017, we decided to launch a three stage Remedial Program for catering to the educational need of the children.
This program involves diagnostic testing in the initial stages, after which the child is introduced to an appropriate curriculum which is designed around his needs. Innovative methods are used to help the child to learn and succeed. After we had run this course we were able to see improvement in the academics of the child thus building confidence in them to flourish in theirstudies.
During the period July to September 2019, 95 children were provided with remedial education.
Bright Future…
Viren*, a 10-year old boy came from a broken family. He used to live with his father who would him regularly. Viren, to get rid of the abuse and he ran away from home. He had nowhere else to go, so he would sleep at railway stations. One day the police picked up Viren from a railway station and put him Chembur Children’s Home (CCH).
When Viren came to Sahaara’s remedial class, he was very slow in studies and he could barely read. He had no interest in studies and was very mischievous. When he first came to class he would fight with his classmates and talk back to his teachers. We tested his skills and put him in Level-1. We began teaching him right from the basics, the sounds, the alphabets, etc. We enrolled him in our special help class where we provide individual attention in teaching through flash cards, various games, craft activities.
The teachers then taught class rules and life values through instructions and stories, on how he must respect his elders, teachers and those around him. Through an incentive model the teachers put in place, it got him to realize that he needs to change. That if he behaves well, he would get more stars based on evaluations. The more stars he got, the happier he was.
He is now doing well in his monthly tests. He has more self-confidence and interest in studies. When he grows up, he wants to become a cricketer.
*Name Changed to protect his identity
Sahaara believes that every person has a dream and our work centers around ensuring that marginalized persons are able to articulate and work towards achieving their dream. Children in observation homes are one of the most marginalized populations in Mumbai.
The children who live in these Homes come from different states of India and are educated in a Marathi medium school run by the Home. The language difference makes it difficult for them to learn. Remedial education helps in coaching the children in the Marathi language as well as their school subjects thereby helping them understand what theyare learning and maintaining their interest to continue education once discharged from the Home.
Our Staff have been conducting an After School Remedial class at the Chembur Children’s Home for several years. Many of the children have traumatic pasts and are faring badly in School. Unable to cope with the Grade Level Requirements, they are falling seriously behind in academics. Consequently, it was observed that many children from Grade 3 – 5 had struggle in reading letters in the Marathi alphabet and even counting till20.
Thus, with the support and permissions of the Home & the School authorities in 2017, we decided to launch a three stage Remedial Program for catering to the educational need of the children.
This program involves diagnostic testing in the initial stages, after which the child is introduced to an appropriate curriculum which is designed around his needs. Innovative methods are used to help the child to learn and succeed. After we had run this course we were able to see improvement in the academics of the child thus building confidence in them to flourish in theirstudies.
During the period April to June 2019, 75 children were provided with remedial education.
Runaway Child…
Vikash, an 8-year-old boy, who lived with his parents, a brother and a sister. Vikash comes from an abusive household, where his father was an alcoholic. His father would regularly come home drunk and beat up Vikash.
One day, when Vikash couldn’t bear the regular beating, before his father could return home ran away from home. He was caught by the Police on CST railway station and was put in the New Observation Home at Mankhurd. After some time, he was transferred to the Chembur Children’s home by the Child Welfare Committee and admitted in the fourth grade. On February 2019 he was admitted in Sahaara remedial class by CCH authority. When Vikash first came to Sahaara he was extremely quiet and dull. He couldn’t understand much and would therefore sleep in class, as he didn’t go to school when he was back home.
At Sahaara We encourage Vikash to study well, we have even put him in special help classes where the teacher teaches only five children at a time to be able to provide individual attention to the children. The teacher is teaching Vikash from scratch with numbers and alphabets using flashcards and different games, to which Vikash is responding very well and picks up quickly what is taught. This made him interested in studies and began doing well. So much so that the teacher made him the monitor of the special help class and gave him responsibilities to distribute books and help the teacher. This helped build his confidence. The teacher has made a behavior chart and has put it up in class. Vikash now want his name to come in chart, so he’s constantly trying to improve his behavior.
Vikash now enjoys his studies and doesn’t sleep in class anymore. He loves studying and is now able to read Marathi letters. His aim is to be able to cope up with the syllabus so he focuses on his studies and comes to class every day.
*Name changed to protect identity.
Sahaara believes that every person has a dream and our work centres around ensuring that marginalized persons are able to articulate and work towards achieving their dream. Children in observation homes are one of the most marginalized populations in Mumbai.
The children who live in these Homes come from different states of India and are educated in a Marathi medium school run by the Home. The language difference makes it difficult for them to learn. Remedial education helps in coaching the children in the Marathi language as well as their school subjects thereby helping them understand what they are learning and maintaining their interest to continue education once discharged from the Home.
Our Staff have been conducting an After School Remedial class at the Chembur Children’s Home for several years. Many of the children have traumatic pasts and are faring badly in School. Unable to cope with the Grade Level Requirements, they are falling seriously behind in academics. Consequently, it was observed that many children from Grade 3 – 5 had struggle in reading letters in the Marathi alphabet and even counting till 20.
Thus, with the support and permissions of the Home & the School authorities in 2017, we decided to launch a three stage Remedial Program for catering to the educational need of the children.
This program involves diagnostic testing in the initial stages, after which the child is introduced to an appropriate curriculum which is designed around his needs. Innovative methods are used to help the child to learn and succeed. After we had run this course we were able to see improvement in the academics of the child thus building confidence in them to flourish in their studies.
During the period January to March 2019, 89 children were provided with remedial education.
Level 1:
Mathematics
• 36 % of Level 1 children Exceeded the Required Learning Levels.
• 7% of Level 1 children Met the Required Learning Levels.
• 25% of Level 1 children are at Beginning or Approaching Levels and they require Remedial Help.
• 32% of Level 1 children have joined the program in the middle of the academic year and will remain at Level 1 during the New Academic Year.
Marathi
• 61 % of Level 1 children Exceeded the Required Learning Levels.
• 7% of Level 1 children are at Beginning Level
• 32% of Level 1 children have joined the program in the middle of the academic year and will remain at Level 1 during the New Academic Year.
Level 2
Maths
• 50% of Level 2 children Exceeded the Required Learning Levels for the quarter.
• 35% of Level 2 children Met the Required learning Levels.
• 15% of Level 2 were at Approaching and Beginning Levels. They require Remedial Help to progress to the next level.
Marathi
• 56% of Level 2 children Exceeded the Required Learning Levels.
• 26% of Level 2 children Met the Required Learning Levels.
• 18% of Level 2 children are at Approaching and Beginning Levels, and will require Remedial Help to progress to the next Level.
Level 3
Maths
• 26 % of Level 3 children in Level 3 exceeded the Required Learning Levels in Maths
• 44% of Level 3 children Met the Required Learning Levels.
• 30% of children are at Approaching and Beginning Levels. Some of these children have fared badly due to poor attendance.
Marathi
• 48% of Level 3 children exceeded the Required Learning Levels in Marathi
• 19% of Level 3 children met the Required Learning Levels Marathi.
• 33% of Level 3 Children are at Approaching and Beginning Levels.
THE GARDENER
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them”.
Delhi…… the capital of India, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Sandeep* is a ten-year-old boy who hails from a slum which is a really tough neighbourhood to survive in. At a very young age he lost his father. Day to day survival became really hard for him and his mother. The financial condition became really critical and they were unable to make ends meet. After his father’s death, there was an absence of a father figure in his family and because of that, his relatives started to dominate and emotionally harass them. They quite often beat Sandeep and physically assault him badly. It was becoming an unhealthy living condition for young Sandeep.
All these hurts and traumas were transforming Sandeep into a dormant volcano waiting to erupt soon. One day Sandeep was so frustrated and angry after being beaten up, that he ran away from home at the age of eight. He sneaked onto a train and landed in Mumbai. On his arrival he was caught at Mumbai railway station by the Railway Police after they noticed him alone and pegged him as a runaway. He was sent to Observation Home where the Probation Officer tried to trace his home and his parent’s whereabouts but failed.
In 2017, he was transferred to a Government Children’s Home where he was with other orphans and semi orphan boys. Sahaara staff has been working alongside the government providing educational support to children in such homes. It was during one such field visit in May 2017 that Sahaara staff met Sandeep. It was tough for young Sandeep to heal from the hurt and trauma which was quite evident in his behavior. Sahaara staff noticed that he was distant and lonely, and always used to seek isolation. He was unable to focus and be attentive in class. Sahaara staff decided to help him to bring about change in his behavior and improvement in his academic progress.
Then one day, Amit, one of Sahaara’s ex-beneficiaries now a teacher and staff of Sahaara, shared his life story with him and explained how Sahaara helped him. Sandeep was encouraged, motivated and felt that he could relate to Amit’s story. Gradually with proper nurturing and caring he started to share his feelings with the staff about how much he missed his parents, his feeling of bitterness, of being rejected and all the hurt he has faced.
Sandeep willingly started to approach teachers requesting their help with studies. He was provided with special attention in our remedial classes. Mathematics is his favorite subject. The feeling of acceptance and security has been one of the catalyst to a positive change in his behavior.
Sahaara has a vision to fulfill dreams of the vulnerable and marginalized in society and hopes that Sandeep realizes his dreams and is able to fulfill them.
*Name changed to protect identity.
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