Education & shelter for homeless children in India

Dear friend of the Rainbows

We hope you are keeping well. With Covid situations at a fluctuating rate and vaccinations happening across the cities of India we are at a stage where the schools, colleges, coaching and other educational institutions are slowly opening the doors for regular learning and teaching. With this happening the home staff is all geared up to protect the children going out and those staying at home with online learning. This quarter we bring you brief updates of the children from the city of Chennai - the southern part of India. 

As we have just passed Diwali and Dusshera festivités many children went home for the holidays. With schools reopening they are coming back in small numbers and getting themselves back in the physical routine of classrooms. For children still with their guardians are residential teachers do télé calling to check up on the students, their safety and well-being. With heavy rains predicted for the city of Chennai, our staff is currently ensuring the availability of food, ration and clean water. Waterlogging in low lying areas is one common problem with heavy rains which halts the movement and commute to and fro in the homes. With this, another caring area that becomes a top priority is children not falling sick in the changing weather. For this, the public health care centres, regular doctor clinics etc remain on standby to oversee any emergency or illness happening. Warm water is a constant companion and is regularly given by the home mothers for children with cold.

Deworming in young children is a common practice that ensures children do not suffer from any pathogens and worms which later on causes weight loss and other health deterioration problems. The Primary Health Centre in the city helps the homes in making sure all children are dewormed and healthy with the practice of de working camps. BMI (the body mass index) assessment with other general health checkups helps keep track of the progress of underweight, malnutrition children. For them then the doctors with the help of dieticians give us prescribed charts to follow which is administered by the home mothers. Around 16 such children are slowly gaining good health and 3-5 children are overweight who are doing exercises. 

Separate space for sick children in every home is allotted for isolation and observation. Home Manager makes arrangements for covid test for children if any child shows any symptoms. 

In education, the education coordinators are having regular teachers meetings to discuss teaching methodology to tune the upcoming schoolwork, setting up lesson plans for online children and monthly assessments to help children not feel burdened with the school curriculum. Individual child plans help us take care of three segments of children namely - Drop out(those who have dropped out of regular schooling), Drop out and back, regular enrolled(those who have been regular to schools). Currently, the 9th-grade children are going to physical classes in schools from their homes. Bridge courses are running for 5-6 children to ensure they come on par with school learning in their classes once the schools open for them. 6th to 8th-grade children are still undergoing online classes in English, Maths, Science and Computers. While the 1st to 5th-grade children are inducted and taught online classes by a group of regular volunteers - Bhumi. The SSA board (government school board) have handed out worksheets according to their grades for the children to practice and work on. This is where our residential teachers dedicated their teachings t facilitate the learning. Later on, the school teachers grade the worksheets and assess the performance of the children. 

while undergoing an online learning Program one student stated - "We learned science and math not from blackboard but through games and fun activities. I felt the Science concepts are very simple when we understand from practical inputs. I shared my learning with my school teacher, and they felt happy”.

Under Extracurriculars, our group of volunteers, coaches and teachers have been teaching the children to play Football, the Carom board, Shuttle, Cricket and Chess. We use the nearby government playgrounds for outdoors activités. Children undergo a rapid change in team building, leadership skills and better their communication with peer groups through play.

Our strategic partner and supporter for these homes have come out to initiate a mentor-mentee program where children get a specific mentor - a learned professional so far in the age of 14 plus around 19 children have successfully enrolled for this pilot program. We hope we see good results with these efforts. Other miscellaneous activities include - yoga, dance, computer coding and learning, waste management classes, photography fundraiser and awareness learning sessions, slogan writing on national observance days, drawing and oration competitions, rainwater harvesting sessions etc are some of major highlights of this quarter. 

We love when the children respond to a dedicated effort and blossom showcasing their innate hidden talents and gaining confidence for themselves. With your support, we aim to better these efforts in shaping their childhood to independent adulthoods.

Warm regards from the Rainbow Team