Aaranyak: A Rural Alternative Learning Space

The months of November-January had a mix of slow pace and in depth understanding of child rights and other themes. Thus, activities were crafted with utmost care and interesting for children to connect to these sessions, without feeling too abstract.

After children came from their Diwali vacation, we set the pace with fun science experiments and hands on activities. This was followed by celebration of Child Rights Week Celebration (CRW) from 14th-21st November. A set of activities including am movie screening (Neighbours), a skit by facilitators, a demonstration and finally a patriotic song explored the ideals of fraternity, non-violence, humanity and living together peacefully irrespective of differences.The Balsena children in Bhavnagar came up with this proposition of doing the CRW under the themes of peace and communal harmony because of growing instances of violence in the country.

Learning Computer

From December, we began laptop sessionsin the MMRCwith priority given to children in 6th and 7th grades of Aashramshalas and 9th gradegirlsand we havecompleted 33 sessions with the children, majorly working on basics.

Family Groups for Peer support in Aashramshalas

We had made family groups in Aashramshalas and children were hesitant in theinitialmonths to always sit in family groups. Also, these are mix gender groups and older childrenwereshy andwerehesitant to express and work together. Currently there are considerable changesobservedin this behaviour. There was a heartwarming instance where girls and boys of grade 8 were playing together in the family group without our initiation.

The efforts for creating spaces where children in all genders inAashramshalascan play and do activities together is continuing. There has been encouraging instances and observations that boost us to keep our efforts consistently. Family groups are playing its part to bridge this gap.

For instance, during the laptop sessions, we did not separate children based on gender or any other basis for seating. But organically in one ofAashramshalasthey sat together and learnt computer together. They helped and supported each other in learning a new skill.

In one another session, when girls and boys were asked to work together, they hesitated at first. Then a girl showed courage and said: "We study together and are in the same class, so we must be also doing activities together”.

Mental Health

Children have begun to openly recognize and express emotions during the dailyemotioncheck in time.Majority of children(70.3 % of total sessions)are in the mid-rangeof the emotion check in scale(50-75% of children canidentifyand expressemotions)

At one of the Aashramshala, children share their feelingsandthe reason behind it.Once a child expressed being feeling guilty becauseshe hada fight withher friend oreven feelingconfidence because ofbeing appreciated by teachersduring athletics.Sometimes children share their feelings in detail like Today I feellonely becauseI am missing home.

These instancesis a shift in vocabulary of children for expressingtheir feelings as it is not narrowed tojustbeing happyorsad.

Leadership Camp with children:

As a pilot initiative, we conducted our first leadership campwith20 children from two Aashramshalas. This camp is part of our long-term plan to develop peer leaders who will eventuallyfacilitatesessions with other children, boosting overall confidence. Initially, the children were shy to share about themselves. The older girls took the lead in sessions and team-building games, while the younger children in grades 7 and 8participatedenthusiastically butalsodemonstrateda need for stronger reflection skills.

Child Rights Sessions in Aashramshalas:

This year we developed new child rights sessions that are easier for Aashramshala children tocomprehend. Based on last year's learnings, children found Right to Protection and Right to Participation concepts difficult. The new sessions address these challenges.We were able to complete the four rights till the month of January, We employed games, role plays, real stories of the children to make children understand about each right. A total of 343 child right sessions were completed in these reporting months.

In the Needs and Wants session—a precursor to child rights discussions—most children ranked parental love and affection above all other needs and wants, with a safe home and surroundings also topping the list.

After the Right to Protection sessions, children were surprised to learn that teachers cannot beat them or use any form of corporal punishment. Some children showed confidence that they will report such violence to responsible adults. We have currently asked children to share any such instances with us first to avoid blame or penalty falling on them.

A total of 172 exhibitions were also carried out through MMRC for visual comprehension of child rights.

Building Trust and safe space in Aashramshala

In oneAashramshala, afourth-gradegirl experienced her first period and felt scared due to lack of prior information. Some older girls teased her, questioning how menstruation could begin at sucha young age. These reactions deepened her discomfort, but she courageously chose to share her fears and frustrations with us. We reassured her that this is normal and that menstruation can begin as early as age eight. We also spoke with the older girls, explaining that menstruation results from hormonal changes and can start at different ages for each girl. We emphasized how they could support her emotionally and create a sensitive, caring environment. The older girls understood and agreed to be respectful, showing their willingness to support their younger peer—a promising step forward.

AAMLI TIMLI

In the month of November after children came from their Diwali vacation we began with midline assessments. Through games and activities their understanding and skills on language, writing, time etc were addressed. For smaller children of grades1-5, we focussed on language and numeracy these reporting period. We used a 17-part language learning series called Bhasha pothi to make children identify each Gujarati letter and spot those letters in common items. Following that we began doing the numeracy sessions. With the help of low cost TLMs using bottle caps, pebbles, Balgeets ( songs) and stories we facilitated a total of 78 sessions with children in this period.

In the month of December, we also began experimenting with keeping a facilitator in a single Aashramshala for the whole day. Here the person takes each grade from 1-5 separately giving children of each grade ample time and attention. This has shown great improvement in children’s attention and their interest in learning. We are looking forward to positive results, 

Staff Training

In the month of October and First November when Aashramshalas were closed for Diwali holidays, we had an intensive 10 days team train on child rights, Shaishav’s values and refresher on Shaishav’s mission and vision, Learning and Development Goals. In addition to this AVEHI Abacus, an organisation based in Mumbai also did an training on their first part of Me and My body.

The months from July to August have indeed been a learning journey for Aaranyak team and for the children in 16 Aashramshalas.

During this reporting period we engaged with over 2700 children ( 1424 boys and 1279 girls of age 6-14 of 16 Aashramshalas in Dediyapada block of Narmada district. Of these Aashramshalas three of them are visited three time a week under the Aamli Timli program. Under this initiative, we aim to build and strengthen the conceptual clarity of children of ages 6-10. We specifically focus on language, mathematics and general science.

We engage with children of ages 11-15 weekly on themes of life skills and other adolescent empowerment sessions.

Program Journey

Building Connections Through Play and Family groups

We began with simple yet powerful games that facilitated free flow of conversations and breaking of ice between children and with facilitators. This helped to children to know each other names, especially newly enrolled ones. Other games deepened friendships as children discovered shared interests

25 family groups with children were created and this induces a sense of belonging, with older children naturally taking responsibility for younger ones

In the month of July, Aaranyak program inaugurated the custom built MMRC (Multipurpose Mobile Resource Centre ) As the name signifies, MMRC is multipurpose in nature with its library, laptops, performance stage, exhibition panels, Teaching Learning Materials , science toys and all other resources for effective engagement with children. Acclaimed Gujarati writer, Professor Minal Dave graced the event along with children representatives from Aashramshalas, principals and other well wishers. After the formal inauguration the Mobile Bus began its routine around the Aashramshalas. When the Mobile Multi-Resource Center (MMRC) bus arrived at schools, children's eyes lit up with excitement and curiosity. "A bus is coming for us!" they exclaimed. The realization that learning could happen in such an engaging space—complete with movies, exhibitions, and interactive activities—transformed their perception of education itself.

Creation of a National Play Manifesto

Shaishav along with Bachpan Manao and other national partners was involved in the creation of children led National Play Manifesto. Shaishav engaged with 1,239 children (602 girls, 637 boys) from Dediyapada to create their own “Play Wishlist” and imagine their Dream Playgrounds. Through drawings, games, and discussions, they shared their needs, concerns, and vision for safe, inclusive, and joyful spaces. Some of the demands expressed by children included clean, shaded grounds with swings, sports areas, toilets, and drinking water, equal opportunities for girls and boys and a call for play to be made part of everyday life and recognised as their right, not a privilege. Question-and-answer sessions revealed the genuine challenges children face during play—challenges we, as adults, had overlooked. Children voiced their demand and concerns through group discussions and creating their dream playground. Children also reflected on the existing time they get for play and how different is accessibility to play time and safe space for different age and genders,

Life Skills Development

This concerned period we engaged with 2128 children 1140 boys and 98 girls through 260 sessions.

We focussed on themes of Creativity and Communication. MMRC was used for creative facilitation of these activities. Games in MMRC motivated the children to perform and express in stage. This initially caused hesitation but about 50% of children could participate comfortably. But with encouragement, more joined in, building confidence and with each turn especially girls tried to pushed their inhibitions and gave best efforts. Through activities like ‘30 circles’ and ‘100 uses of a thing’ and puzzles encouraged curiousness and stimulated their creative spree. These creative games have generated overwhelming enthusiasm among children and they have demanded to bring more puzzles like these.

Creative Breakthroughs through MMRC

A group of fifth-graders created a working speaker model from simple materials for the ‘Advertisement creation’ activity. Children after the activity commented that "We didn't know we could create something like this." These activities gave them the space to discover and express their potential.

Children at Kundiamba designed an advertisement for MMRC itself. A mobile learning bus complete with movies, phone connectivity, location tracking—all running offline on battery power. "This bus can go anywhere and bring learning and fun to children everywhere," they explained. When given the chance to present on stage, their confidence soared as they shared their vision with pride.

For Communication Skills, we focused on empathetic listening and effective communication

Through fun and interesting games and drama children were able to recognise the components of listening and how to exhibit empathy towards the person opposite to us. Children expressed a profound realization: "When we don't listen carefully to someone, it makes them feel bad. So we should listen to everyone—family, friends, teachers, and anyone.” The realisation that it’s not always necessary to give advice for an effective communication was breakthrough for them.

Children of smaller grades made telephones with paper cups and was fascinated to hear and talk through it. Simple science became a doorway to understanding communication.

Educational sessions that covered mathematics and science was also held with children of grades 5-8. Children and teachers both demanded the same as the examinations were nearby. 64 such sessions were facilitated with children.

AAMLI TIMLI

In our daily intervention we did 120 sessions with children of grades 1-5. We began with a game based assessments to capture the existing knowledge of children. Profile of each child is made with their baseline assessments recorded digitally. Initial assessments revealed gaps in basic skills like recognising color and shape, reading fluency, and arithmetic. When we shifted to activity-based learning, children are absorbing concepts remarkably faster. We employed everyday objects, dice games, and LEGO towers to make children confident on arithmetic and stories and songs for language mastery. Even struggling learners showed confidence when they are learning through play.

PROGRESS OBSERVED.

Through our daily emotion check in we have observed that Children can now identify and name different emotions confidently. In one of the Ashram Shala, during the Check in one boy pointed to "happiness" and shared candidly: "I'm happy today because the teacher who always scolds us didn't come." This honest expression marked a breakthrough in emotional literacy and throws light on protection violations in the campus.

In Aamli Timli, trough Bhasha pothi, an activity to enhance language skills, Children progressed from word recognition to identifying objects and animals. Group reading has helped hesitant readers gain confidence and some children have begun writing their favourite stories in their notebooks from the library book they read on their own. Attendance and engagement in sessions have increased noticeably. Peer support in studies and daily activities are also slowly becoming a practice.

Children who previously avoided math and science are now showing curiosity and engagement, asking questions, and attempting problems independently.

In one of the Aashramshala, Swati* demonstrated excellent leadership in the communication games. She encouraged hesitant peers to participate. When asked to work in mixed groups, she spoke up courageously: "We study together and are in the same class—we can work together too."

Girls feel more secure and supported during the sessions. They have begun taking ownership and encourage teammates and performs exceptionally. Life skills activities have fostered mutual understanding and respect and even in mixed gender teams children have begun to recognize each other's strengths.

Kavya’s * Transformation Story

The Beginning

When Kavya first joined the Shaishav activities last year, she was a bright but quiet girl. She rarely spoke up in class and felt scared to stand and talk in front of everyone. The thought of speaking on stage made her anxious and shy. She especially felt uncomfortable sitting and talking with boys during group activities. Though she was intelligent, she kept to herself and avoided taking any leadership roles.

The Journey of Change

Everything started changing when Kavya began participating in Life skill games. The group activities were particularly helpful - they mixed boys and girls together, and slowly she became more comfortable. She learned to talk with everyone and, most importantly, to listen to others.

One memorable experience was the MMRC bus activity. She got to sit in an AC bus, watch TV, and do activities inside - it was exciting and fun. The bus also became a place for learning, where she solved math puzzles. At first, some puzzles seemed difficult, but then ideas came quickly and she could solve them fast.

Then came the stage advertisement activity. She had to create and perform an advertisement with her friend. They chose to advertise soap. Despite her initial fear, she went on stage and discovered how much fun it could be. This was a turning point in building her confidence.

Discovering New Skills

The word "communication" was completely new to Kavya. Through games she understood what communication really means. In Chinese Whisper, one sentence was whispered from person to person, and by the end, it completely changed. She realized it was not just about people forgetting - it was about speaking clearly and listening carefully.

In another activity, three people had roles - one spoke, one listened, and one observed. When her friend did not listen to her, Kavya felt angry and frustrated. That moment changed everything. She suddenly understood how others must feel when she did not listen to them. Now she listens to everyone with full attention and speaks clearly herself.

The New Kavya

Today, Kavya is a different person. She no longer feels shy sitting and working with boys. She actively participates in group activities and shares her ideas.

In one of the creative challenge game, she wrote the most uses for a dupatta (scarf) and confidently came forward to read them to everyone. Kavya, who once barely spoke, now communicates with everyone. In group activities, she explains things to others in simple language they can understand.

Kavya now wants to learn painting and be good in mathematics. From a shy, quiet girl who was afraid to speak, she has become a confident young person who knows the importance of communication, listening, and working with others.

*names changed