Future awaits us at a construction site...

I work with Every Child Counts campaign, which aims at enrolling all six years old children in corporation schools by June 2012. Mostly, these children are from migrant labor families, working at construction sites, brick-kilns, and other such places in Pune. As there is no other pre-schooling facility for these children, ECC tries to conduct school preparation classes, wherever possible.

Visiting a school preparation class at a construction site is not new to me. And yet, when I visited the construction site where Every Child Counts is yet to start a class, reality continues to shock me. In spite of being aware of the statistical data of out-of-school children, when you come face to face with these unseen, unaccounted children, how can you remain unaffected?

So many children! Today these children have gathered here not by chance but by the determined efforts of a few at ECC. After an initial survey of the construction site, permission was taken from the concerned builder to allow us to meet the children’s parents - the laborers who work on the site- and gather some basic information about the children living in the labor camps in the vicinity. The builder has allowed us to hold a class for the ECC campaign. And today, here they are…..all the children in full force!

But there are so many children! A four or five month old baby fast asleep on a cement sack and 36 other kids sitting around a teacher with curiosity written all over them. Those who should be in school (about 6-7 of them) have younger siblings in tow. Their once-upon-a-time school days almost belong to another world. Being uprooted is linked to their parents’ livelihood. A new place, a new language, new insecurities….so school remains a thing of the past and a distant dream for most of them.

There are about 12 children 6-7 years of age. They are on the centre stage for the ECC campaign but they are not aware of it as yet. All the children are asked if they would like to go to school and the answer is a resounding ‘yes’!

Of the others, most of them have never been to a school of any sort. Nursery/pre-primary schools are unheard of. But their faces light up when they play with puzzles, repeat an action song line by line, or listen to a story. They may not be six years old but they sense there is something exciting happening here. The teacher distributes a few picture story books. They hold it hesitantly but then soon turn pages and point out interesting things they’ve discovered in it. They are waiting and ready to be guided towards the learning mode.

After some time all the children play a game: “Majhya aaiche patra haravale…..te mala sapadle…”. An enthusiastic group has learnt two sentences in Marathi without realizing it.

The builder has arranged for some biscuit packets to be distributed to the children. And as we say bye- bye, they ask us to come the next day and the next and the next!

Yes, that is exactly what we would like to do, but we have to overcome many obstacles in the way: permission from the builder, identifying and training teachers, paying their salary, collecting and making suitable teaching aids and so on. We hope the builder agrees to sponsor this site. That will not only help and encourage us but also develop a symbiotic relationship essential for development in the true sense.

And of course, every child counts, has a right to education, and deserves every opportunity to attain it!


Archana Vyavaharkar
archana.vyavaharkar@gmail.com
everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.com

ECC news in Maharashtra Times

Every Child Counts campaign was covered by Marathi newspaper Maharashtra Times on 6th February 2012.

सहावं वरीस शाळेचं!

एज्युकेशन हब, आयटी-बीटीचे शहर म्हणून दिवसागणिक विस्तारणाऱ्या पुण्यात शालाबाह्य मुलांचे प्रमाण 'लक्षणीय' आहे. शिक्षण हक्क कायदा, सर्व शिक्षण अभियान यासारख्या योजना कागदावर परफेक्ट दिसत असल्या तरी मुलांना शाळेपर्यंत आणण्यात त्या कमी पडत आहेत. त्यामुळेच आता केवळ सरकारी यंत्रणांवर या मुलांची जबाबदारी ढकलून न देता सहा वर्षाच्या प्रत्येक मुलाला येत्या जूनमध्ये शाळेच्या दारापर्यंत नेऊन पोचविण्यासाठी 'एव्हरी चाइल्ड काउंट्स' हे विशेष शहरव्यापी अभियान हाती घेण्यात आले आहे...

'महाराष्ट्र टाइम्स'च्या वेबसाइटवर संपूर्ण बातमी वाचा - http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/11770831.cms

'एव्हरी चाइल्ड काउंट्स' कॅम्पेन

भारतीय राज्यघटनेनं प्रत्येक मुलाला मोफत शिक्षणाचा अधिकार प्रदान केला आहे. परंतु आजूबाजूला नजर टाकल्यास आपल्याला दिसून येतील अनेक अशी मुलं जी आजही शाळा, शिक्षण, अभ्यास यांपासून दूर आहेत. काही आर्थिक कारणांमुळं, काही सामाजिक कारणांमुळं, किंवा काही कौटुंबिक कारणांमुळं. उदाहरणार्थ, बांधकाम मजूरांची मुलं. कामाच्या ठिकाणी चार-सहा महिने वस्ती करुन नंतर दुसर्‍या ठिकाणी स्थलांतरित होत राहणारी ही कुटुंबं. यांची मुलं कुठल्या शाळेत जातात? त्यांच्या शाळा-प्रवेशासाठी पालकांना वेळ मिळतो का? दर चार-सहा महिन्यांनी नवी शाळा शोधणं आणि पुन्हा प्रवेश घेणं त्यांना जमतं का? शाळा, शाळेतले शिक्षक त्यांना कितपत सहकार्य करतात? आणि या सर्व सामाजिक परिस्थितीत एक सुजाण नागरिक म्हणून आपली भूमिका काय?

पुण्यात मुलांच्या शिक्षणासाठी काम करणार्‍या काही संस्था, काही व्यक्ती या मुद्यावर एकत्र आल्या आहेत. आणि सुरु झालं आहे एक नागरिक अभियान - सिटीझन्स कॅम्पेन - 'एव्हरी चाइल्ड काउंट्स' अर्थात्‌ 'एक एक मूल मोलाचं'. निश्चय केला आहे पुण्यातील प्रत्येक सहा वर्षांचं मूल शाळेत धाडण्याचा. जून २०१२ मध्ये इयत्ता पहिलीत प्रवेश घेण्याच्या वयाची सर्व मुलं शोधून काढायची आहेत. त्यांना जवळच्या म.न.पा. शाळेत प्रवेश मिळवून द्यायचा आहे. आणि यासाठी लागणार्‍या सर्व गोष्टींची जुळणी 'एव्हरी चाइल्ड काउंट्स' च्या अंतर्गत करण्यात येत आहे. पुणे हे विद्येचं माहेरघर म्हटलं जातं ना? मग जून २०१२ मध्ये पुण्यातली सगळी सहा वर्षांची मुलं शाळेत गेलीच पाहिजेत, हा निश्चय आम्ही केलाय. तुम्हीही तुमच्या भागातील अशी मुलं शोधून त्यांना शाळेपर्यंत पोचण्यास मदत करू शकता. एक जबाबदार नागरिक म्हणून या मोहिमेत सहभागी व्हा. हे कसं करता येईल त्याची संपूर्ण माहिती तुम्हाला मिळेल.

आमच्याशी संपर्क साधण्यासाठी कॉल करा -
रजनी परांजपे ९३७१००७८४४
मंदार शिंदे ९८२२४०१२४६

http://everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.com

Volunteering Opportunities with ECC Campaign

If you want to join 'Every Child Counts' campaign as a group or institute, you can take responsibility of your own area - for finding and enrolling children in schools. The information about schools and admission procedure will be provided to you during induction programme. In case of any difficulties, you can contact the campaign team for support.

There are several ways of contributing to the campaign, some involve field work while some can be done from home.

1. Field Work
- Survey of construction sites in your area where labour camps are seen;
- Data collection for all 6 years old children in labour camps;
- Talking to construction labour, preparing documents for school enrolments, talking to corporation school teachers, etc;
- Actual admissions in June-2012 and subsequent follow-up for one academic term;
- Reporting the enrolment data and observations during enrolment drive.

2. Home Work
- Mapping of your area or other, with corporation schools and construction sites;
- Addressing students' or citizens' groups in your area;
- Publicising the campaign through newspapers, classifieds, radio, etc;
- Promoting the campaign through social networking websites and forums;
- Writing blogposts, updating Facebook/Twitter accounts for the campaign;
- Raising funds for campaign activities (can be done through some tee-shirt printing+selling, street-play, etc. events).

Citizens are also welcome to suggest their own ways of contributing to the cause.

Do not think you can not do much; believe us you can... because you are not alone.
Together, we can! All you need is desire to help.

ECC Banners for Websites

Now you can show your support to Every Child Counts by displaying any of campaign banners on your website or blog. These banners are designed in various sizes to fit in layout of your blog/website.

Visit the Downloads page on ECC blog:

http://everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.in/p/downloads.html

Citizens' Campaign

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'Every Child Counts' - Citizens' Campaign

Every child has right to get education. But due to social, economical, or family problems, some children are deprived of this right. ‘Every Child Counts’ is a campaign initiated for such children. ECC plans to reach out to all 6-7 years old children in Pune who should be in schools and to ensure their enrolment in corporation schools by June 2012. If you feel every child counts and every child should get education, please join ‘Every Child Counts’ campaign that offers localised volunteering opportunities to all willing citizens in Pune. Contact Rajani Paranjpe at 9371007844 or Mandar Shinde at 9822401246 or e-mail to everychildcounts.pune@gmail.com. For more details, visit http://everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.com or http://on.fb.me/eccpune or http://twitter.com/eccpune.
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'Every Child Counts' Presentation

'Every Child Counts' Presentation