Street to School - Mainstreaming Street Children

Aasraa aims to bring every vulnerable child under the umbrella of literacy. The first step to this is our Street Smart program in which we provide basic education to all the children that are brought in to our centers by our Outreach team. A baseline survey which assesses a child’s ability and grasping power is our 1st step towards their education.   No child can study well if they are not hearty and healthy, which is why we provide them with adequate nutrition so they can learn to the best of their abilities.

Under the loving guidance of our teachers, the students are made to feel at home so they can be open and develop healthy friendships with their peers.  After the assiduous efforts of the children with guidance from the teachers, we mainstream them into regular schools.

The most exciting among the recent developments at Aasraa is the triumvirate partnership between Aasraa Trust, The Education Alliance and the Government of Uttarakhand. This partnership gives us the opportunity to convert 6 under-performing government schools into centers of quality education. The project, School Quality Enhancement Program(SQEP), has helped us enhance the quality of education for the students already enrolled in these schools, as well as the out of school children that Aasraa has mainstreamed to the school through our Street Smart centers.   

Because of the SQEP program, now we can supervise all facets of their further education and ensure that they are receiving the best possible guidance. With Computer Aided Learning(CAL), the students are able to grasp concepts better.

One such student, who was mainstreamed from Street Smart, Haven to one of our SQEP programs is Radhika. She’s a quiet child but with a cheerful disposition. She is exceling at academics and all the teachers are proud of her relentless progress.                                     

In a family of four brothers and six sisters, the means of livelihood often fall short. Her father is an alcoholic who doesn’t try too hard to provide for the family, leaving them in miserable living conditions. Two of her brother’s ran away from home to get married to their choice of bride. The family lacks bread earners.

Even in such conditions, Radhika continues to study hard and participate in extracurricular activities like drawing and dancing. One of her strongest qualities is her ability to empathize. She has developed a strong attachment to one of her teachers and is always delighted to spend some time with her and learn from her. She has an inclination to help those who seem emotionally troubled.

With help of our benevolent donors, we are able to help children like Radhika and rescue them from the vicious cycle of poverty.  Our heartfelt and grateful thanks to each one of you for joining us in our crusade to educate the underserved.