By Priti Bhombe | Director
Thank you, your first-class support of our project is paying dividends.
This year has been a really succesful one with our children showing great progress in their school results. This was possible as we have researched and developed our own syllabus of books for our night classes which complement and consolidate children’s learning in school. Our books have received praise from school teachers who want to use them to replicate our model in their own classrooms and homework. Kudos to the dedication of the education wing of our Balbhavan team.
Balbhavan is not just night classes. Home visits and surveys have seen us reenroll 461 children in school. Thanks to our per educators, the children who would be otherwise working as labourers/ rag pickers or would be attracted to other unwanted vices are attending school regularly. This has been possible only because of the regular surveys and continuous persuasion by our Balbhavan volunteers and peer workers. The survey team has really done a great job in counseling the parents of these children and made them undersatnd the value and importance of education.
Our SSC (School Secondary Board) 10th standard results came out last month, with our Balbhavan achieving an 95% pass rate with top marks of 82.80% going to Karuna, a bright student with an ambition to become a top ranking officer in the civil services. The results of the 12th Standard board exams also looked very promising with 28 out of 35 of our children securing very good marks.The highlight of the results was each girl student getting a 1st class in the 12th board exams which was a great achievement for them and our project staff who are truly invested in their success.
We are now expanding our horizons beyond our district. We have opened our first balbhavan in our neighbouring district of Aurangabad. Our new after school for children is in the predominantly Muslim area of Osmanpura and we made our mark the day after being handed the keys to our new home by hosting one of our Educate. Empower. Lead. roadshows campagn with Malala Fund.
Our team of peer mentors and volunteers traversed the lanes of slum dwellings gathering children to attend the event. Just as we were about to start our program the long-awaited monsoon arrived! Unfortunately the downpour stopped many in their tracks but those who braved it were rewarded with presentations from our team on equality in education, the story of Malala, sexual abuse awareness and, when the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started, some fun games and self-defence demonstrations.
Overall it was a great start to our new educational year. We are now busy planningn for 12 July, Malala’s 21st birthday, which will be marked by special celebrations by our students. There will be a unique workshop for girls which will include games, interactive sessions about girls rights and menstrual health, competitions with a lot of interesting prizes to be won. Every girl attending the workshops and celebrations will be given the skills, knowledge and training to be an Ambassador for Girls education in her own community, thus carrying forward Malala (and Snehalaya's) dream.
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