Bhumkar Vasti Survey by Udaan Volunteers

Volunteers from Udaan-Pune visited construction sites in Bhumkar Vasti area of Hinjewadi. Huge constructions - residential, commercial, and industrial - are coming up in this side of the city. Almost all of these construction sites host large labour camps, where labourer families live with their children.

 

The volunteers found 15 children who are of school-going age but are not going to school.

The details of children have been collected and admission process will start soon.

Thank you Udaan-Pune, for taking these children forward on path of progress!

Preparatory Camps

During survey of 6 to 8 years old children under Every Child Counts campaign, volunteers and field staff come across communities living in highly fragile environments. All elder members in the family are out earning, while children of very young age are often left to fend for themselves. There is even ignorance towards health and hygiene of the children, let alone their education. The children of all ages are seen loitering or picking rags.

At such communities, "Preparatory Camps" are conducted by Door Step School. The objective is to help children get interested in "school", a concept they have never seen or experienced. These camps are conducted in temporary shelters set up closer to the communities. The teachers gather children from huts and shacks, and keep them engaged for two to three hours a day. Since these camps are run for very short time (during May and June, till the schools reopen for next academic year), very few educational tools are available for children. Most of the activities involve singing, story telling, and interactive games. These Preparatory Camps are also used to set up a dialogue with parents in the community and to create awareness about importance of education and provisions of Right To Education Act.

Last year, 20 such camps were conducted in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and on the outskirts, reaching out to around 500 children.

ECC in GIAN EduJesuit Editorial

Here is an excerpt from article published on edujesuit, the communication and participation tool of the Right to a Quality Education of the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN) -

"...There are several simple strategies which have been tried successfully by other organisations, for example: Every Child Counts (ECC), launched initially by Doorstep School in Pune, is a campaign which inspired him (Trevor Miranda, SJ, Core group representative for India and Nepal  in the GIAN for the Right to Education) with its simplicity and capacity to create change at a low cost. It involves essentially taking the time to find, encourage and inspire children to enrol, utilising the right of every child of 6 years (whether included in the census or not) to receive an education. The method of action is a detailed Survey of parishes and schools to identify children of 6-8 years, Enrolment of the children in the nearest municipal school, and then Follow-up with both the children and the school to ensure regular attendance, with organisation of out of school activities continuing during holidays to instil the importance of continuous education to both students and parents. There are challenges involved of course, there are difficulties involved in making the campaign systematic and consistent, locating out of school children, ensuring availability of places in municipal schools, providing transport etc… however there are ways to overcome this; through the successful implementation of ideas such as this, and through the avocation of the rights of children to a quality education to policy makers."

Read full article at - http://edujesuit.org/education-goal-2025

'Every Child Counts' campaign now in Nashik

The 'Every Child Counts' citizens' campaign initiated by Door Step School in Pune and PCMC is now expanding its reach to Nashik. Under guidance of Door Step School, the campaign team at Espalier Experimental School, Nashik has initiated survey of 6 to 7 years old children from migrant communities living in the Panchavati area of Nashik city. The survey and RTE awareness activities are being conducted with help of citizen volunteers. The campaign team has also launched a helpline number (8983335555) for citizens to report out-of-school children seen anywhere in Nashik. The campaign is being supported by office of the Labour Commissioner and the National Child Labour Project (NCPL), Nashik. The ECC Nashik team is appealing citizens of Nashik to volunteer for finding out all 6 to 7 years old children in the city and helping them get their right to education. For more details about the campaign and to join hands with ECC Nashik team, please contact 8983335555. A small effort from you can help a child get formal education and build its career!