From Child Labour to College: Support Her Future

Jyoti Aher is a teacher at a preschool in Karule, a small village near Sangamner. When Jyoti joined, the school was struggling with difficult learning conditions, run out of a small room in a rented house that had many structural problems. Children were not coming to school regularly and some suffered from malnourishment.

With help from the project, Jyoti set out to turn the school around. The project has provided Jyoti with extensive training in childcare, education, nutrition and health sanitation, including malnourishment prevention training. The project also provided Jyoti with guidance about how to raise funds within the community to aid the preschools development.    

Jyoti raised enough money from the community to buy educational materials for the children, a cooker, and to nicely decorate the centre. She also contributed her own money to the centre, buying a small T.V and a chair.

Due to Jyoti’s efforts, one villager donated land so that a new, more suitable centre could be built. In this centre, Jyoti has created a good learning environment. Now the children have sufficient space to learn and play.

Her playschool educates 31 boys and 35 girls aged 0-6. Due to her work there are no malnourished children in the area.

Because of the project, Jyoti has become well trained in her work. She also takes responsibility for organising training for members of her local women’s self-help group.

Jyoti is thankful to the project and its supporters for supporting the transformation of her preschool and for positively shaping her future as a teacher.