The Power of Perseverance: Sonam's Journey to Education
In a remote village in Singrauli District, Uttar Pradesh, eight-year-old Sonam took on the responsibility of caring for her father and brothers after losing her mother at a young age. Despite her challenging circumstances, Sonam had a deep love for education. However, the village faced a crisis with limited job opportunities, child labor, and undervalued education, especially for girls.
Educate Girls' field coordinators discovered Sonam's potential during a survey and persistently convinced her father to let her enroll in school. Initially hesitant due to financial constraints, her father was swayed by evidence of Sonam's intelligence and progress. Finally, he granted permission for her to attend Government Pre-Secondary School, supported by a remedial learning curriculum.
This intervention became a turning point in Sonam's life, empowering her to pursue her dreams and become an advocate for girls' education in her village. She vowed to help others access education and break the cycle of limited opportunities.
Sonam's story showcases the transformative power of education in undervalued communities. With the efforts of Educate Girls supported by NPCI and Sonam's resilience, doors were opened to a brighter future, inspiring hope for her village and beyond.
Sonam's Journey to Education
About 1350 kilometers away from Charbatapara is nestled the tribal heartland of Maharashtra, the district of Gadchiroli. Maharashtra. The district is home to diverse tribal groups, who have preserved their unique customs and indigenous knowledge for generations. These resilient communities face socio-economic challenges which also affects the overall well-being of children in the community.
Due to many reasons like accessibility, risk of wildlife movement, schools have observed low enrollment rates and attendance through the year.
The installation of 8 playgrounds around the Gadchiroli district are a welcome infrastructural development to increase these rates. Colourful playground make a learning space more relatable and enjoyable for a child. The addition of such activities have been attributed to building more interpersonal skills and communication. With the inputs and observations from the school authorities, the Block Education Officer of Wadsa observes that children are excited to come to school and attendance rates are increasing. Bringing children back to schools can boost their socio-emotional skills, physical and cognitive development ensuring a well-rounded childhood.
A playground can truly become an identity of a school, a community or even a village!
Increased attendance Rate
Safe drinking water for all!
Washim is one of the drought-prone districts of Maharashtra, the available sources of groundwater have high levels of Alkali which makes it susceptible to illnesses in the long run. ZPPS Pangarikute from Malegaon Block of Washim District is one of the schools which faced this issue. The community members along with the schoolteachers and students relied on hand pumps and bore wells for drinking water.
As part of STP, an RO Plant was installed in the school. The project team during their visit observed that the students take filled water bottles home to drink after school hours this ensures the availability of potable water for students as well as their family members maximizing the benefit.
Students fetching water for drinking and taking home
This school has strength of 442 students from class 1st to 10th along with only one Science teacher. The problem is that no Math teachers have been appointed there. Despite this, students get access to MSC on a regular basis while the teacher is watching over them. Mrs. Maya Singh oversees the students' math and science instruction in addition to their regular MSC practice. She is naturally very cooperative, and we provide her all the assistance and training she needs to make her teaching more straightforward and student-friendly. Teacher of Science subject has been provided training on Mini Science Centre and the usage of the exhibits by STEM Learning Master Trainer through Teachers’ Training Programme (TTP) manner.
In the village of Korar, a remarkable young boy named Roshan Baghel has emerged as a catalyst for change through his unwavering commitment to education. Facing a shortage of volunteers for children's clubs, Roshan's determination to make a difference became evident during a parent meeting at the RPI Centre. His eagerness to assist the children in his community was met with admiration and appreciation.
Despite prioritizing his own studies, Roshan took it upon himself to provide invaluable support to the children's clubs. For the past three months, he has collaborated with the Pratham implementation team, dedicating his time to teaching and mentoring 10 to 15 children daily. Through his involvement in educational activities like summer camps and math quizzes, Roshan has inspired the youth to visit the RPI Centre and expand their learning opportunities. Driven by a passion for continuous learning, Roshan completed an online course on Youth Net facilitated by the RPI Centre. This newfound knowledge enabled him to impart computer skills and nurture the artistic abilities of the children, empowering them with essential tools for their future.
Roshan actively engages with the community to create awareness of the RPI Centre and the transformative power of education. Through his efforts, he has inspired a positive shift in attitudes towards learning within Korar, fostering an environment of support and encouragement. Roshan Baghel's selfless actions have left an indelible mark on the children he teaches and the entire community of Korar. His unwavering dedication to education serves as a shining example of the profound influence an individual driven by passion can have, ultimately shaping a brighter future for all.
Roshan in the RPI Centre of the village supporting the child in their studies
Hanumant Sawant, a resident of Ovaliye village in district Sindhudurg, Maharashtra is an enthusiastic farmer, He is part of The Corbett Foundation (TCF) & National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI)’s Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP) in the area of Amboli. He willingly undertook the vermicomposting as part of the livelihood component of IRDP.
Sawant completed the training arranged by TCF and learned the know-hows of the establishing, managing and running a vermi compost unit. He got his vermi compost unit set up in his premises. By meticulously following his learnings from the training, Sawant successfully produced his first lot of vermicompost within 45 days of setting up the unit, which was a quantity of whopping 100 kg!
Hanumant Sawant had taken the training in December 2021, and since then in the past 9 months he has been regularly producing vermi compost; each time around 100 kg. So far, Sawant has produced at least 420 kg of vermi compost. The market rate for vermicompost is Rs. 15 per kg. Thus, Sawant has produced vermicompost worth Rs. 6,300/-
However, instead of selling vermicompost Sawant has been using it in his own orchard for 300 cashew trees, 28 coconut palms and 50 mango trees. Interestingly, Sawant did not need to buy any fertilizer or pesticide from the market for these trees. Thus, with the vermicompost set up he managed to reduce his production cost and at the same time took a step towards avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides for considerably large number of trees in his orchard.
Hanumant Sawant