Gyanam has enrolled nearly 150 street children in Government Schools of Ajmer city, with the help of our CSR partner Hindustan Zinc and for which has received many awards.
The project goal is fulfilled by ensuring that the children belonging to the underprivileged sections of the society get primary education. Gyanam plans to run bridge schools besides; the existing schools will be strengthened, as the principal portal of learning with the provision of necessary information and institutional support. Gyanam pursue to bring change in the existing mindset. We promote a positive culture and provide environment that would lead to major restructuring of education and its reconstruction in the coming years, which alone can re-invent the schools as the abode of learning centers.
The short-term goals of the project being achieved are:
The long-term goals of the project are:
Interventions Proposed
Gyanam proposes the following to improve the present education status of the area.
The main components of the project under which the grant will be used are mentioned below:
Bridge Course Centers
Education centers with specifically designed curriculum for non-school going children and dropouts will be conducted for one year. After attaining the stage of class 3 the children then join the formal system.
1) Barefoot Teachers (BFT)
Barefoot teachers are the most vital component of Project. It was experienced that children learn faster in a friendly environment from teachers who understand them. Mostly women who have studied at least upto 10th Class will be identified, selected and trained. The other main criteria for selection are love for children, a desire to learn and credibility in the area.
The Bare foot teachers will receive special and ongoing training for managing and conducting classes, designing and using appropriate teaching aids, meeting parents individually and in groups, arranging study tours and outings, and, creating awareness about the importance of education. They also interact with regular schoolteachers for understanding children. Barefoot teachers eventually manage school independently.
i) Training programmes to SHGs, CBOs
Training is one of the important components of the project. Project will be successful only if, training is effective. The trainings will be imparted in three different phases. The main objective of these training programmes is to strengthen the existing CBOs and the local SHGs. The trainings will be imparted to address the following points:
ii) Training to Teachers
Training is essential in view of the low qualification of the teachers. The teachers are mostly school dropouts, who need constant training to improve the quality of teaching and upgrade the knowledge base. Teachers training will be organised for a period of 20 days in two phases in a year
iii) Formation of Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
The role of Parents in children’s education is very important. The parents should be sensitized on inclusive of Education of girl children and person with Disability. The teachers should strengthen about their roles and responsibilities. So, associations of teachers and parents will be formed and strengthened by giving awareness trainings. A quarterly review meeting of the parents and teachers will be conducted for better relations among them.
B.Teaching Learning Materials
All the children will be supported with the teaching and learning materials like slates, pencils, pens, exercise books, drawing materials, slate pencils, text books etc.
i) Curriculum and Teaching Aids
The curriculum of Project conforms to the formal state approved curriculum. The content is modified to be area specific to enable children learn concepts through familiar examples. It also enables children who lag in school to catch up with the school curriculum. The preschool curriculum has been designed so that children are able to cope with schools as soon as they enter the first standard, and do not lag during primary school. Teaching aids and methods are also designed to make learning fun, creativity inducing and relevant. Games, puppetry, model making, singing, experiments, drama are widely used. Teachers will be trained to design, prepare and use inexpensive teaching aids.
The project is implemented in Ajmer district and its rural area where most families rely on the incomes generated by agriculture. Economically isolated, the region suffers drastically from the climate change. The droughts and floods have a devastating effect on the agricultural activities of the local population.
The general objective of the project is to contribute to the social and economic empowerment of women in rural South India. A Self-Help Group (SHG) is formed by 12 to 20 women who decide to pull together their resources in order to maximize their economic resources and incomes. Thus, the program encourages the creation of economic activities by providing women the necessary support to develop income generating activities.
The women participate to several training impart them vocational skills and train them to self-manage their economic activity. The training enables them to reinforce their capacities and to gain qualifications which can directly be applied to their activities. By pooling their resources together, the women gathered in SHG have access to subsidized micro-credits with preferential rates as the government wishes to facilitate the development of economic activities.
The program “WINGS FOR WOMEN” also aims to address social problematic which affect women in rural areas. Awareness campaigns and dedicated training are organized to discuss the taboos and prejudices which persist against women in Indian society. The discussion groups are usually organized on special occasions, such as International Women’s day, to encourage women to be active in politics.
Gyanam helps in raising funds for the project and plays a role of intermediary between the donor of the project and SAKHI. We also provide tools to SAKHI to improve the follow-up and evaluation of the project and is also in charge of the reports for the donor.
The beneficiaries come from the disadvantaged Dalit and Tribal communities. We focus on the women who are socially excluded, such as widows, single mothers, prostitutes and women with disabilities. All the beneficiaries live in the district of Ajmer which make it easy for them to attend the training in one of the four training centres owned by Gyanam.
Identification process of the beneficiaries
Our program partner SAKHI’s social workers travel between villages to present the organization and the SHG project. After this presentation, the women willing to participate in the different training programs approach SAKHI and the social workers identify the eligible beneficiaries based on their motivation and on their economic status. Women are always selected on a voluntary basis. This process ensures the women’s interest in the project. It is crucial for long lasting results and for a real involvement of the population in addressing the needs of the community.
Expected Outcome
The development of an income-generating activity allows women to become independent from their husbands and / or their households. They attend a comprehensive training and awareness program that help them build-up their capacities. On the long term, the living conditions of the beneficiaries improve, they gain in well-being, undertake and assert themselves more. Women beneficiaries are empowered so that they can better define their position within their home, community and village.
From Solidarity to Autonomy
Gyanam Education and Social Welfare Society aims with the objectives of uplifting the socio-economic conditions of poor and marginalized women of our society through the provisions of building capacity and skill building through this project. 25 Self-Help Groups (SHG) have been created so far and more than 200 women have been able to follow the vocational trainings (sewing, boutique designing, beautician, cooking, baking, leather bag making, basic computer training, spices making).
