Transform Outcomes for Children at Risk In India

As we enter the last phase of the year, ‘a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, we are overwhelmed by a sense of thankfulness. There is a sense of plentitude and completion. However, true to the Keats poem, this time has its own music too-music that is serenading, invigourating and energetic. At MAD too, while we look back at the year with gratitude for all things achieved, we prepare ourselves every minute for all that is to come.

Standing at this exciting juncture of our journey, we realized that one thing that continues to bind volunteers across age, time and space is children. And indeed, our operations through the year strongly reflect it. We continue to develop and design our programs around these children than committing the cardinal error of making them adapt to us. Our Education, Foundation, Transition Readiness and Aftercare projects thus continue to develop while incorporating the best practices we keep hearing from the field! In Ed Support for example, lesson plans are customized as per the requirement of a particular class with a readymade central repository available for all! Here’s a story we heard about Sahil,

“There is a kid named Sahil. He was unable to retain things for a long time. His teacher was demotivated and worried about how he would clear the 9th grade and cope with 10th. He couldn’t even read properly or understand words in English. He was struggling in basic arithmetic as well. We struggled a lot but then realised that creative lesson plans using activities immediately helped him understand simple concepts. We also started breaking down concepts into tiny steps and started explaining it to him. At the end of the year, he was able to read a paragraph in English without our help. Earlier he would take 10 minutes to solve an addition problem but by the end of the year, he was able to do so in 2 minutes. Working together, we were able to figure out a way to help him. Now he is much more confident too and willing to learn and try hard in class”

Like Sahil, there are thousands of children across the country who are able to overcome the hardships thrust at them by the society for their unmitigated spirit. And behind this spirit, lies the support of a community, a network of supporters who through their gesture of kindness, love and faith truly heal these children. To express our gratitude and at the same time observe our 12th birthday, we celebrated a week of happiness dubbed ‘MAD Week’. With its philosophy of “Happiness is Contagious”, several volunteers in their respective cities spent the first week of November either visiting old age homes, distributing thank-you cards, arranging a ‘Diwali Mela’ for children in shelters or even distributing tea to those whom we often fail to acknowledge or thank. Overall, MAD Week was a time for us to take a pause and revisit the humane values of love and kindness that indeed, make the pulse of a civilization.

The love that we share and the love that we receive make us believe that the future is bright! With this, we start designing our annual Dream Camps which is an outbound experiential camp that provides exposure, builds confidence and motivates children to connect to their dreams. Needless to say, these camps also provide an unforgettable holiday experience to these children who are often bereft of this experience. The sessions are designed in collaboration with ‘Dream A Dream’ and navigates ‘an arc of transformation’ for children. The camps are a unique mix of learning and fun, comprising sessions like ‘Beautiful You’ that help children with self-love and acceptance to an arranged fine dining experience where they learn etiquettes (and have a whale of a time!)

To make these dreams come true and arrange for the camps (along with ensuring smooth flow of other projects), the volunteer base irrespective of their individual profiles get together to raise funds! Known as ‘Community Fund Raising’, the project is more about approaching people and encouraging them to take responsibility of children, rather than the amount involved. To mobilise volunteers for the same, city circles were organized in several cities with sixteen cities holding CC on the same day! The enthusiasm of volunteers was unparalleled as they made calls to their families and acquaintances and pledged to raise funds.

The road that lies ahead of us to long and full of hope. Even while we prepare to close the year and immerse ourselves in festivities, we continue to energize ourselves for tomorrow-a bigger, better and brighter tomorrow. The future is here, and the future is bright!