Educate 300 marginalised children in Bihar, India

Dear wellwishers,

Hope you find some respite from COVID-19 this festive season!

 Thank you so much for your generous contributions to Diksha Foundation. We have achieved some remarkable milestones through these contributions. We are extremely elated to share with you that we completed 10 years of community service this year.  

Through these quarters we had to keep our KHEL Centers in Patna and Hilsa closed due to government regulations and to prevent the spread of COVID -19. We had to find alternate approaches to stay connected with our students and to ensure that learning continues even in these difficult times. The idea to solve these 2 problems was suggetsed by our students in collaboration with the team.

 We came up with the solution named “Khel Ki Door, Aapke Ghar Ki Oor”. Through this campaign the middle school and high school students volunteered to teach younger students in a small group of about 10 children. We believed that if Diksha could reach out to the students at their homes and conduct sessions and activities, it would encourage student’s participation within Diksha while also maintaining the safety and precautions norms against COVID-19. Thus, around 13 adolescents volunteered to be a part of the campaign as student teachers/youth volunteers for our students between classes 1 to 5. We also distributed workbooks and stationary items to our students.

 In further news, we have continued our “Annapurna Campaign” through which we provide ration kits to students and their families. So far we have distributed about 750 kits to the families of our students and other needy families. The kits include all the necessary items that are essential to sustain a family for a month. We have distributed these kits in 6 phases to ensure safety and precautions of COVID-19.

 Major Activities:-

 The children celebrated Gandhi Jayanti with much enthusiasm. They prepared speeches and tributes based on the lives of Gandhi and his principles. We screened “Midnight’s Children” for our children at KHEL Patna. They also submitted essays based on the movie that reflected their perspectives on the same.  

 We celebrated our 10 years anniversary virtually this year. The children prepared short videos of themselves commemorating their fond memories of Diksha. Children enjoyed the virtual event in which there was a virtual band performance Manzil Mystics. It was telecasted virtually across our social media platforms. 

 Plan Ahead:-

 English Access Microscholarship Program (Access) in collaboration with RELO and US Consulate, Kolkata is a program that is helping students in improving their English language skills and making them global citizens. The program is already being run virtually, however, we are hoping to start offline classes. 

 Further, we have strengthened our library setup to ensure  a better accessibility to our children. This will help in developing reading skills of our children, expansion of knowledge base and innovative thinking skills. 

Links:

• Diksha Foundation

Dear Contributors,

Greetings from Diksha!

Thank you so much for your faith and belief in us during this period. This has helped us in achieving some remarkable heights. We are working constantly to make this a better and safe place for children, through various measures.

We are happy to share with you our quarterly updates. This quarter we had to close our KHEL Learning Centre in Patna and Hilsa Due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, in this quarter we are proud to share that 6 children (4 boys and 2 girls) passed their class 10th board examinations with good marks. In the class 12th board exams, 5 more children ( 4 boys and 1 girl) passed the exams with flying colours.

We tried to engage our students through online classes. However it proved to be difficult as most of the students do not have smartphones. Thus, we provided them with tele counselling so that they could cope with the difficulties of lockdown during the pandemic. We also conducted a survey through telephone to understand the issues our children have been facing.

We are also extremely proud to share that 2 girls and 1 boy from our Centre got part time teaching jobs in a Coaching institute. They plan to pursue their higher studies while earning so that they can be independent. In the DCA (Diploma in Computer Applications), 3 girls and 2 boys successfully completed the programme. 

Further, our MLMF programme came to an end with 105 participants successfully completing the course in Patna and Hilsa. After the course, most of them shared that they felt more confident in sharing their thoughts and feelings with their parents. The students have developed better public speaking skills. They also participated in an event organized by Oxfam where they had prepared a youth manifesto regarding upcoming Bihar elections. It included our youth’s perception about a responsive and equitable society for gender equality.

Major Activities -

At  Diksha we believe in celebrating everyday with equal zest. The quarter started with the celebrations of Holi. Children celebrated eco friendly holi in order to save water, earth and environment. The children were preparing for an Art Exhibition that was supposed to be held in March end. However, we had to postpone it due to COVID-19 outbreak. 

In the telephonic followup, most of our students mentioned that they had been facing hardships due to the lack of ration. We spoke to their parents in order to understand their financial conditions and well being. In order to help our children, we started the Annapurna Campaign through which we have been providing ration and personal safety equipment kits to our students’ families in Patna and Hilsa. So far we have distributed 110 kits to our students and their families in Patna.

Volunteer Activities -

Volunteer activities spiked before the lockdown came into force. We had incorporated 2 more volunteers who wanted to teach students various subjects. 1 volunteer also celebrated her birthday at the Patna Learning Centre. This helped in engaging students in understanding the importance of community sharing and learning.

Future Plans -

We plan to extend our Annapurn Campaign to meet the needs of 110 children at Hilsa. This will help our students and their families in combating the hardships of lockdown. Most of our students mentioned that their parents had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. The campaign will provide 1 months supplies of essential items that are required to sustain a family.

In the future we want to build a digital library for our students in Patna and Hilsa. This would help us in combating the difficulties we experienced during the lockdown. Most of the students mentioned that they could not access online classes as they did not have a smartphone. We are hoping that a digital library at Diksha’s Learning Centres would help in conducting classes online if the situations do not improve or we face a similar situation in the future. 

We are happy to have you with us on our journey. It is important for us to share our updates with you so that we could have partnerships in building a safe and innovative society for our children to grow up in. 

Greetings from Diksha!

Dear Contributor,

Thank you so much for all your confidence and faith in our work. We are constantly working hard to make this world a better place for children, the first step for which is education. 

Last year in 2019, the money raised was mostly used to enhance activities, build capacity of existing staff, modify Library and upgrade KHEL Learning Centers.

Despite only a short time passing since our last update, we are happy to reconnect with you and share updates about our project. In the last quarter, we have experienced improvements in the overall percentage of girls over boys and we are thrilled to inform you that with 60% of girls in Patna and 54% in Hilsa, with a total of 291 active and regular students in the last quarter, our goal of empowering girls and making them independent adults is moving forward. 

“To be able to present our thoughts and the luxury of being listened to, has developed a belief in oneself and confidence in us”, 

two of our kids from the youth group, Dharamver and Mithun, who got a chance to take part in the MLMF Funders event at New Delhi, shared this in a Facebook Live Video. This program at KHEL has really helped develop some public speaking skills in our children.

 How a random day at Diksha look like?

1. In a group activity, children searched for pollution related news in the newspaper and also discussed solutions for it. Children also jotted down plans on how they can overcome this at a community and broader levels. Group reports were beautifully made on chart papers.  One chart paper, two newspapers and colour pencils were utilized by the children of Groups B and C, (age group -10-15) for this activity.
2. Saturdays are devoted to creativity and innovations with paint brushes. Children made some beautiful pictures on greeting cards for New Year which showed their skill and articulation ability.  Kids from all the groups have come together and decorated the center and also made a Christmas tree. 

Nurturing self-confidence through:

1. BAL Sansad focuses more on values and respect for children's opinions and capabilities. This innovative platform provides students with the opportunity to actively participate in the running of the center through a democratic process that is above gender, caste, creed or economic situation. Some decisions taken by our Bal Sansad members in this quarter are - Complaint and suggestion box will be prepared by the Ministry of Art.
   - Advisory committee needs to be formed as soon as possible for the Sports Ministry.
   - There should be language inclusivity in math classes.
2. Matrix Mela, the yearly activity at KHEL, is a reason to celebrate Maths and remember the great mathematician Dr. Ramanujan. The games and activities like counting the balls, Raja ka paisa, Tera-Mera, on the day of Matrix Mela have a purpose of igniting an interest and love for Maths in children. Children organized many mathematical activities for this day and the day was celebrated well. Parents and community members also joined us in this Mela and it helped to increase the interest of children towards learning math and also developed their leadership skills.

Celebrating Life!

1. Makar Sankrati, the day was jam-packed with activities like Kite-making, informatory sessions in the classroom and both the staff and the children flying kites on the terrace. 
2. Our children are growing and are becoming aware; they now understand the Constitution. With some civic as well as Environmental Education thoughts in our minds, we devoted this year's Republic Day to Part IV of the Indian Constitution - the Directive Principles of State Policy - Article 51-A (g), making them realize that it is their duty to protect and improve the natural environment and to have compassion for living creatures. Children prepared and made presentation in groups on 'climate change'.

Volunteerism

1. Volunteer activities have also increased at our center in the last quarter; they have come up with some vibrant energy and a wave of enthusiasm for our children. We took help from four Volunteers on the theme of Self-development and organized a session on incorporating the Art of Self Love with the Group C students. The day of Love has got a new meaning, at the end of the session they expressed their understanding through the paintings.
2. Nitika Satya (Miss Corporate India Universe) visited our KHEL center and shared about her journey, inspiring our kids to follow their dreams and aspire high to achieve it. Such sessions demonstrate innovative career paths to the youngsters.  She briefed the kids from Groups C and D (age group 13 to 22)  about the pageant. There were games like Dumsaraz, dance and all where everyone enjoyed their best

Workshops and Trainings

Diksha is devoted to creating learning experiences for youth through workshops, field exposure, internships, camps, and projects

1. We understand that in the journey of becoming Global Citizens, the first step starts with strengthening the roots, the very culture of Bihar. Fifteen children from KHEL participated in “Parivartan”; an event organized by HDFC Bank and got to know about the cultural history of Bihar.
2. Our staff member Shivam attended a self exploration and rural immersion program at Ahmedabad. This program was organized by Youth Alliance where around 30 youth from all over the country came up and participated. There was also a rural visit at Kutch Gujarat where the facilitator learned about the socio-cultural norms of the state and one another. It was an overwhelming experience overall. 
3. Our Communications coordinator, also participated in the first L1 Facilitator Training & Educator Prep Workshop, towards expanding our understanding of SEE Learning and the commitment to use and implement the tools of love and compassion necessary in a classroom.

We thank you for accompanying us on the journey of seeking education to bring in the cultivation of inner values and skills to our children.

As a partner, we believe it is important to let you know your resources are well managed and truly serving the children.

If you would like a complete copy of our Annual Financial Report, please send us an email on contact@dikshafoundation.org

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We are happy to share that in the last 3 months there was an addition in the number of students, we are now an extended family of 334 students at both our centers of Patna and Hilsa. The bifurcation of this number in terms of boys and girls are 145 and 189 respectively.

It is a great pleasure to share with everyone that a number of 103 young boys and girls have started their journey with our program named “My Life Mere Faisley”, where they are building and nurturing their decision making capacity and skills which will help them in the long run, and will make a difference in the society.

We also have a Vocational Training Program which runs in both the centres, there are about 28 girls and 09 boys who are currently enrolled in this program. Over the last 3 months, 05 girls have already completed this training program.

Contributing towards building a better society, this year, we are going to start the Jagrik with 250 adolescents. The Jagriks will take initiatives based on Fundamental Rights and Duties, and SDGs within their communities. The program aims to create awareness about rights and duties amongst adolescents and inculcate constitutional values in them. We are hub of Bihar collective which comprises of 12 youth and adolescent centric organizations. Each organization is going to take the Jagrik program to the ground with 250 adolescents each.                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                The blend of Democracy, International Day for Child Rights, Gandhi Jayanti and Constitution Day in one quarter (Sep-Nov) in a way helped our children understand their rights, duties and the kind of change they can bring about in the society with their actions. The Climate Strike was such learning and a wakeup call for all.

Over the past three months, some of the key highlights at Diksha are as follows- 

1-    In the memory of the great philosopher-author and our first vice president Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, on 5^th of September children celebrated Teacher’s Day and made it a memorable event for all of us. They surprised all the teachers with their creativity. They made an appreciation box, a beautiful piece of art made out of plastic bottles which showed their creativity and jugaadu skills in this area.

2-      Children celebrated the International Day of Democracy on 15^th September. Times change in politics and also the people in power but what doesn't change easity is the fallen benchmark and what we sow for the future. We tried to enhance and enrich their understanding and knowledge regarding the same. Children were able to understand that democracy is built on inclusion, equal treatment, and participation and it is the fundamental building block for peace, sustainable development and human rights. They also had child parliament election in same session where they became part of this festival of democracy.

3-      Authentic and meaningful communication should be the goal of classroom activities. Other than the local dialects, Hindi remains an important language for our learners. 14th September 'Hindi Diwas' was a good day to know the history and importance of the most spoken language in India. The Alphabet tree made by the children at our center was another creative technique to involve the children in classroom activities.

4-      Globally called movement “Fridays for Future” was to demand some aggressive actions from the government and the international community and it was organized at Patna on 27^th of September. Understanding the rising pollution levels and the need to act the earliest, our children participated in a rally from Patna Art College to Income Tax crossroad. Students from various colleges of Patna participated in the event. This initiative by the kids was an awareness campaign for the locals and the children aim to continue doing so in the future for environment safety. 

5-     “Be the Change you want to see in the world”, the ideologies and thoughts of Truth and Non-violence shared by Gandhi needs to be taught to all generations. Children shared their views on Gandhi Ji and self-reflected at the current scenario of the society By applying the thoughts of Gandhi in one's life and by following the path shown by him, only we can pay tribute to Gandhi Ji, .

6-      We celebrated the Indian culture and diversity in its togetherness by organizing Garba dance during Navaratri. Team and children performed their best and enjoyed every bit of it.

7-      We try to celebrate the festival of lights “Diwali” in the most eco-friendly way. Rangoli competition was organized on 26th of October where all the ministries of children’s parliament showed their talent via their Rangoli, making the learning center a colorful space.

8-      Children’s day- We organized a session on children’s Day where they were told about their rights which they have got through the constitution. On this occasion we remembered Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru our first prime minister of independent India.

9-      UNCRC-30- the 30^th anniversary of United Nations Convention of Rights of the Child was observed. On this occasion children were made aware about their 54 rights which they are entitled to and that are mentioned in UNCRC. We also discussed on how we can identify and claim for our rights in the society. We have tried to inculcate the values (Love, freedom, prosperity, hope, trust, equality, rule of law, peace, dignity) on which these rights are based. They also made a beautiful painting on this occasion.

10- Constitution day- We celebrated the Constitution Day on 26^th Nov with the youth and adolescents, they talked about the soul of the Indian Constitution, the Preamble. In this, the underlying words like non-aligned, socialism, secularism, freedom of expression were discussed. The amendments till date and the future possibilities of amendment in the preamble have also been discussed.

• Workshop-Our two adolescents participated in a workshop on “Un-stereotyping Cinema” based on gender issues which was organized by Oxfam India. The workshop basically focused on how critically the message intended in the movie is reviewed from/by highlighting the women’s rights and gender equality. They came to know about the concept of Gender stereotype and its impacts through collaborative learning, discussions, group exercises and experience- sharing during the workshop.

Volunteer’s participation-

There was an engagement of 21 volunteers in total. They have incorporated their learning and knowledge into the kids and made learning fun, what Diksha even aims at. They helped us in various ways throughout the learning procedure especially during the club activities and English classes.

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Greetings from the Diksha Foundation! 

You subscribed to stay connected with our work that seeks to educate 300 marginalized children in the Indian state of Bihar through the GlobalGiving platform.

Over the past three months, our overall engagement has been with 301 children studying at our centers in Patna and Hilsa in Bihar. Of these 301, the number of young girls, now at the center is 172, and 129 young boys. 

We take pride and joy in sharing that One hundred five of our young girls and boys have completed one-year curriculum of My life Mere Faisle program supported by Pravah. During the program, they developed their understanding of decision-making ability in their lives with awareness and capacity building activities. Our two youth facilitators are going ahead with their group to implement the social action plan on early childhood marriage and child labor.

We are happy to share that Diksha is going to start the next session of MLMF with 116 adolescents and youths for July 2019 - June 2020. The session will focus on nurturing their social skills and enhancing the decision-making capacity with awareness, in them.

We had a fun time with lots of learning in this period (June-August) where children made an impact in different areas whether it was, supplementary courses or national and international celebrations such as Eid, Environment Day, Father’s Day, International Yoga Day, Nelson Mandela day, National parents day, World Nature Conservation Day, Friendship Day, Raksha Bandhan, or Independence day. The focus revolved around children becoming eco-friendly and friends to environment.

Over the past three months, some of the key highlights at Diksha have been-

1-      On the occasion of the World Environment Day, we conducted a session with children for encouraging the awareness to protect the environment. Children developed understanding upon environment and its importance for life. Children showed their love and concern towards environment by planting trees and drawing pictures.

2-      On the occasion of Eid, children prepared “Sewai” for all, with their sweetness mixed in it. Celebrations of festivals are opportunities for children to develop love and togetherness which is beside all the boundaries of religion, caste and gender.

3-      We organized sessions in Patna and Hilsa on the occasion of International Day of Yoga and explained to the children that Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India and how it helps to balance the life.

4-      World Nature Conservation day was celebrated on 28^th of July at our center by sharing sessions where children had discussion about how a healthy environment is the foundation for a stable and productive society. It is important to ensure the well-being of present and future generations, conserve, and sustainably manage our natural resources.

5-      Friendship Day- Diksha kids celebrated the friendship day at our centers in Patna and Hilsa and promised each other to keep the bond intact forever. It was an opportunity for them to let their friends know how important they are for each other. They were able to know that it is not only to celebrate friendship with friends but also the culture of peace, and respect for all as well as equality, care and harmony in our society between men and women, human and animal, human and environment and everything that surrounds them.

6-      Eco- friendly Raksha- Bandhan with handicrafts- This year our kids made eco-friendly Rakhis and passed the message to protect the environment and take stand in welfare of anyone around them. As for the handicraft Rakhis, they are made from clay and natural colors like Geru and rice paste for the threads. It is symbol of the bond that siblings share and this is not only for brothers to protect sisters but this role changes vice versa and expands to other relations like relation with parents, relatives, pet and environment.

7-      Independence Day- Diksha’s kids celebrated the Independence Day in Patna and Hilsa by hosting the flag and giving speech on this special occasion. We organized a special session on this occasion where the children shared their views on freedom that is the actual meaning of freedom as citizens of India. They expressed their views and developed an understanding that the right to freedom of opinion and expressions, act and the pursuit of happiness without unnecessary external restrictions is the meaning of true freedom. 

• Workshop- We had one-day training program with Mrs. Patricia Mathew at Diksha. She oriented us on many different topics by giving a scenario. She developed a good understanding to team upon collaboration, problem-solving skill, negotiation and communication skills. Mrs. Patricia, along with her team, introduced us to different levels of diplomacy.

Volunteer’s participation-

We had 09 resource persons and 06 volunteers in this quarter, which made this quarter complete with a lot of learning and fun within and outside Diksha by sharing the learning to children and volunteers.

As we move into the festival months, we wish you beautiful vacations and family time, filled with joy - one of Diksha’s core values. May this season be an accumulation of many stories and experiences of laughter and happiness with famiy, friends and loved ones.

In gratitude for your continued support,

I along with the Diksha team wishes you a beautiful festive season!

Gautam Gauri.

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