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Author: Smile Editorial Team

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Insights

Reopening of Schools: Urgent Need or Remote Possibility?

Reopening of Schools: Urgent Need or Remote Possibility?

As the third wave of the COVID pandemic looms over us, the reopening of schools has become a bone of contention among all involved parties. A number of states have been discussing the possibility of opening schools for primary or secondary classes or both.

 

Some state governments have opened up the discussion to teachers and parents. Others say that schools will be remain shut till everyone is vaccinated, but it is not clear if this includes children as there is no approved vaccine for children yet. Let us look at what various stakeholders say.

 

Scientists speak

 

The scientific community across the globe largely appears to be in favour of reopening schools. It is worth noting that schools in more than 170 countries have opened up. In fact, some countries such as France and Netherlands did not shut down schools even at the peak of the pandemic, or did so for a very brief period.

 

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) chief, Balram Bhargava, recently announced that it might be good idea to reopen primary schools before secondary schools in India. The reason for this is that children handle viral infections much better than adults do. It is possible for children to get infected with the coronavirus. However, they do not have sufficiently developed receptors in their lungs through the virus enters the body to make you sick. A child with co-morbidities is at a comparatively higher risk than a healthy child.

 

Moreover, sero-surveys reveal that more than 50% of children have antibodies against the coronavirus, indicating that they have already been infected at some point without any significant symptoms or complications.

 

Scientists suggest that it is safe for children to go to school provided that the support staff, drivers, and teachers are vaccinated.

 

What teachers say

 

Many teachers are concerned about the online mode of teaching and examinations. Many principals have said that they are willing to open their schools. There are many considerations that go behind this.

 

Online teaching is not something that all school-going children have access to. If we think about the vulnerable and low-income families, there many that do not have a smartphone, laptop, or Internet access. Even if they do, it is likely that a single device is being shared by the entire family, and the parents need to take the phone when they step out of the house. For students who do have resources to attend online classes, it has not been the same as attending regular classes. The cancellation of examinations and promotion to the next class has only pulled down the already dismal education standards.

 

The children enrolled under the RTE policy in elite private schools are also facing a similar problem. While their classmates have access to facilities that can ensure uninterrupted education at home, these children from low-income families do not.

 

Teachers in many backward regions have made the effort to go to students’ homes to teach them. Another alternative is holding cluster classes, as is being done under Smile Foundation’s Shiksha Na Ruke campaign.

 

Concern of parents

 

As far as coronavirus is concerned, there has been a mountain of information as well as misinformation that is being circulated. There is new research coming in every day, and also a variety of opinions that follow.

 

Some evidences suggest that the impending third wave will affect children much more than adults. Additionally, circulation of wrong facts on social media and through WhatsApp has added to the concern of parents as even they are not sure what would be the outcome of sending children to school.

 

On the other hand, there are lower income families for whom it is difficult to hire help to take care of children. In such families, the parents have to take out time from their work schedules to ensure their child attends online classes. This added responsibility usually falls on the mother. If we think about the economic value of the time spent by them (not the middle class and above, where 89% of the women do not work but the lower middle class and below) in facilitating online schooling and compensated for the loss of productive time, the government might have opened the schools.

 

What critics and experts say on reopening of schools

 

As per UNESCO data, the number of out-of-school children is set to double after the prolonged COVID-induced closure of schools. The NSSO 2017-18 household survey had estimated the number of out-of-school children in India (6–17 years) at 3.22 crore. It is a tragedy that most of these children may never return to school. 

 

Experts and task forces, scientific advisors and educators, all agree that the reopening of schools is a must. Those in favour of reopening schools cite massive loss of learning which outweighs any benefits gained from a shutdown. Moreover, the losses incurred by smaller private schools has led to closing down of thousands of them, leaving all their teachers unemployed.

 

Critics of reopening the schools say that this may be a bid by private schools to get back to pre-pandemic business as usual.

 

It now remains to be seen what the government will finally decide and how this will impact the fate of children.

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Insights

Education during the Pandemic: My Experience and a Team’s Efforts

Education during the Pandemic: My Experience and a Team’s Efforts

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an unprecedented crisis in all areas. Education during the pandemic has also been severely affected. The emergency has led to the massive closure of face-to-face activities in educational institutions around the world. This has created a lot of challenges in the Indian education system. Understanding these challenges is the key to manage the crisis.

 

Reopening of schools

 

Let’s start with a fact. The plan to return students to physical classes has faced a major setback in the past few weeks, with the country still witnessing a significant number of daily COVID-19 cases.

 

That said, there is a silver lining to this cloud. Eventually, the government and educational institutions want to facilitate a return to offline pedagogy. The present delay gives them more time to prepare a better roadmap to ensure a safe transition to school-based education.

 

Can e-learning be the answer?

 

Some may question whether a return is necessary. After all, e-learning is on the rise during the pandemic and is being heralded as the future of education.

 

However, while online pedagogy does a great job of complementing offline education, it hardly serves as a replacement for the latter. This is especially true in a developing economy like India for several reasons.

 

The pandemic has exposed the deep digital divide among classes. This shows how important it is to develop digital infrastructure. The pandemic has brought about challenges as well as opportunities to learn and adopt new things in education. Teachers who were distant from technology are now taking classes on various digital platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc.. Students are getting worksheets and educational videos through WhatsApp.

 

How can students cope with education during the pandemic?

 

Almost an entire unproductive year has gone by for several students. Only those who had continuous access to the Internet have been able to continue studying from home. Can students take one more year of this? No. This time we need to be more organized and fully prepared about how we can help students be productive and use this opportunity to develop useful habits and learn new skills.

 

Here are some tips that can help students be productive during the pandemic holidays.

 

Change your habits

 

The pandemic can be considered an opportunity to pick up new habits and get rid of old ones. It is a scientifically proven fact that it takes 21 days to change and develop a habit. Develop an effective habit during this time spent at home. Invest your time and energy to become more productive. Be aware of how you are investing your time and energy during this period.

 

Polish your creativity

 

Polish your creative skills like writing, painting, crafts, etc. while schools remain closed. Earlier, you may have felt bored with the predictable monotonous routine of school tasks that stifle your creativity. Perhaps you did not have enough time to engage yourself in the art of your choice. Now, you have enough time to sit back and indulge in your creative brilliance.

 

Enhance your communication skills

 

You can work on your communication skills by improving your English grammar and speaking. Any material that you want to know or learn is available on the Internet these days. You can take advantage of the opportunity yourself. You can also learn a foreign language.

 

Learn new skills

 

Are vocational course compulsory in your school? Maybe not. Why not invest in learning new skills? You can learn knitting, sewing, jewellery making, gardening, and a host of other things while at home. These skills might also help you later.

 

Join an online course

 

If you feel bored and stuck at your home in your daily routine and want some quality time to exchange knowledge with people, you can join an online course that interest you. You can join courses to prepare for competitive exams, to learn a language, or even for physical fitness.

 

Read more, expand your knowledge

 

We usually do not have time to read books which are outside our school syllabus because we are busy with school assignments. This pandemic has given us a chance to know the world through reading. Reading can be one of the best habits you can develop during this pandemic.

 

Use the Internet wisely

 

Playing video games and scrolling down social media feed are the most common pasttimes during the pandemic. Regulate this by setting a limit. Filter the content you see on social media and instead spend more time on productive things.

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In The Spotlight

Malnutrition in India: Can we beat it together?

Malnutrition in India: Can we beat it together?

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani’s recently made some revelations about malnutrition in India. This has once again brought this persistent and grave issue into focus. She informed that as per the latest data, over 9 lakh children in India suffer from severe malnutrition November 30, 2020. These children range between the ages of 6 months to 6 years. She also added that there are about 4 lakh such children in Uttar Pradesh alone.

 

 

The problem of malnutrition in India

 

Malnutrition is among the leading causes of death and disease in children under the age of five. It severely affects development and learning capacities among children.

 

Wasting is a critical health condition in which a child is nine times more likely to die as compared to a healthy child. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 conducted in 2015-16, 21% of under-5 children in India suffered from Moderate Acute Malnourishment (MAM) and 7.5% suffered from Severe Acute Malnourishment (SAM).

 

The kinds of hunger

 

There are two kinds of hunger among children. One arises out of poverty, where children do not have access to food. They can be found lurking behind garbage bins hunting for food or begging in the streets to feed themselves. These children are either engaged in some sort of labour or simply loiter around in the hunt for food. The other kind of hunger arises out of the lack of proper nourishment. This is also called hidden hunger. Hundreds of school-going children suffer from hidden hunger. The parents in poor and vulnerable families provide whatever meal they can with the meagre amount they earn. However, this doesn’t provide proper nourishment.

 

Girl child and malnutrition

 

The situation is worse when it comes to girl children. Due to poor health, parents often discontinue the education of their daughters.

 

However, what is often not acknowledged is that it is not education that causes problems but lack of proper food and nutrition. Given that the parents are also living below the poverty line, they too struggle to get complete meals for their families.

 

Government interventions

 

The government has various targeted outreach and service delivery programmes to combat malnutrition in India. These include POSHAN Abhiyaan and Supplementary Nutrition and Anaemia Mukt Bharat, among others. However, a large number of states are still showing an increase in SAM, as per NFHS data for 2019-20.

 

Impact of the pandemic

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation worse. Closing of schools (and by extension disruption of midday meals) and Anganwadi Centres, as well as a disrupted supply chain, have resulted in further increasing malnutrition in India. Additionally, access to primary healthcare centres has also been restricted due to COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns.

 

The causes of acute malnutrition are many. It is a complex socio-cultural problem which encompasses inequitable access to nutritious foods and health services, sub-optimal feeding practices, lack of maternal education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, poor hygiene practices, food insecurity, and unpreparedness for emergencies. The pandemic has laid bare these inefficiencies. The need of the hour is to adopt sustainable solutions to manage acute malnutrition and mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

 

 

The Plate Half Full campaign

 

This need is the basis for Smile Foundation’s Plate Half Full campaign. This initiative is aimed at enhancing education with adequate nutrition. Along with education, it is also important for children to have regular and nutritious meals.

 

This campaign seeks to fill the half-empty plates of those who do not have their plates full.  It also aims to sensitize teachers and caregivers on the need for proper nutrition.

 

You can also do your part and make a contribution here.

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Insights

Adapting to the Pandemic: A New Way Forward

Adapting to the Pandemic: A New Way Forward

Ever since the pandemic hit in early 2020, the world seemingly turned upside down. Each and every aspect of our lives were affected. Smile Foundation’s work, like everything else in the world, also took a hit. And like everyone else, we had to relook at everything from the perspective of pandemic-tinted glasses. Adapting to the pandemic became the topmost priority.

 

Grief and resilience indeed live together. And nothing has proven this more than the pandemic. In the face of terrible and unforeseen circumstances, we at Smile managed have successfully adapted and adopted a COVID-friendly philosophy. Very soon after the pandemic hit, we asked ourselves how we can continue to ease the lives of the vulnerable communities. All our programmes have been edited and modified to suit the needs of the pandemic. And all our new campaigns are aimed at helping the vulnerable during these tough times.

 

Healthcare

 

Health Cannot Wait is the campaign that is aimed at providing healthcare relief to vulnerable communities during the pandemic. The government facilities have been overwhelmed under the burden of COVID relief. Moreover, there is disruption in transportation and other services as well, making it difficult for people to access basic healthcare facilities.

 

In such a situation, Smile Foundation introduced some interventions aiming to ease the life of vulnerable communities. Dry ration and hygiene kits, PPE for frontline workers, telemedicine, telecounselling for vaccine awareness, creating oxygen banks and strengthening COVID care centres are just some of the measures. Most importantly, our Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare vans are taking primary healthcare to the doorsteps of communities in need.

 

Livelihood

 

Before the advent of COVID, our Smile Twin e-Learning Program (STeP) focussed on skilling underprivileged youth in sectors such as retail and hospitality. Due to the pandemic, these sectors took a huge hit. Thus, we had to realign the program to make it suitable as per current job market.

 

As a result, we are now training youth to gain employment in sectors like healthcare, digital marketing, and e-logistics. A large number of our students in the last year have completed their training successfully and also got placed.

 

Education

 

The pandemic inspired us to introduce blended learning at our Mission Education centres through the Shiksha Na Ruke campaign. We have done our best to ensure that the education of vulnerable children continues despite the disruptions caused by COVID. Many of these children are not able to afford smart devices and data packs. We have aimed to provide these to as many children as possible to ensure a seamless yet interactive learning process for them.

 

Adapting to the pandemic: Lessons learnt and unlearnt

 

This year has been full of ups and downs, and some terrible lows. But the resilience we see all around us is a reason for hope. The challenges we are facing now are showing us what we are truly capable of in the hardest of times, and this is the biggest learning the pandemic is giving us.

 

We have been made to see that there is more than one way of doing things. In the face of tremendous hardship, humans can evolved, grow, adapt to make the best of any situation, and keep pushing forward.

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In The Spotlight

Primary Healthcare through SOWs during Pandemic

Primary Healthcare through SOWs during Pandemic

Smile Foundation’s Health Cannot Wait campaign has truly lived up to its name. We understand that even in the midst of the pandemic, regular people continue having regular health issues. However, due to the restrictions at healthcare facilities, not everyone has been able to access primary healthcare. Smile Foundation has stepped up to take primary healthcare to the doorsteps of the vulnerable people who are dependent on government facilities. Our Smile on Wheels mobile healthcare vans have benefitted thousands. Here are some of the instances where it has left the most impact.

 

Primary healthcare in Noida

 

 

Raj Rani is a 30-year-old woman who stays in Noida. The Smile on Wheels team treated her for scabies. “When the symptoms presented initially, I did not pay much attention to it. I assumed it was just an itch. When the itching did not stop for months, I finally sought medical advice. After several misdiagnoses and intermittent treatments, the doctors finally diagnosed scabies,” she shares. Scabies is a very common disease in her locality. Raj Rani started taking medication for the disease. However, every time she tried to wean off the medicines, it came back with worse symptoms.

 

Raj Rani came to the Smile on Wheels for treatment. The medical officer confirmed the scabies diagnosis and prescribed medicine. Over the course of a few sessions, the SoW team also taught her about preventive measures for this communicable disease. She has now recovered. She appreciates the value of good health now more than ever.

 

Relief for Meera in Agra

 

Meera stays with her husband, three sons, and one daughter in a small two-room house near Agra. Due to the COVID-induced lockdown, her husband and sons cannot find any work. Arranging ration for the house has become a great difficulty. In case anyone needs even primary healthcare, visiting the doctor and buying medicines takes a toll.

Meera says, “I was first told about SOW by a community mobilizer. I had consulted many doctors for body ache and itching throughout my body. I kept buying and taking medicines, but did not find any relief. Finally, I visited the SOW. The medical officer suggested a course of treatment and gave me a few medicines.”

After just two days, Meera experience relief. And after 15 days, she was feeling much better than earlier. Since then, if anyone in her family falls sick, they visit the SOW.

 

A boon for baby Yash

 

Yash is the five-year-old son of Sispal, a vehicle mechanic by profession. His father earns a meagre amount every month to support his family, who live in the JJ Colony of Noida’s Sector 9.

Yash needed urgent medical attention in the middle of the pandemic. However, his family could not take him to government hospital due to the threat of COVID, and they could not even go to a private hospital due to the high treatment cost. During the regular visit of the Smile on Wheels van in his area, Yash visited the MMU with burns. The SOW team gave him proper medication and counselled his parents on how to take care of him.

As a result of the correct treatment, his condition has now improved. His parents are very grateful and satisfied with the treatment which saved their time as well as money.

 

SOW provides aid to diabetic patient in Agra

 

Meena is 60 years old and has been living in Bhamrauli Katara for 30 years. She has four sons and one daughter. She works as a daily wage labourer. Some days, they have difficulty in arranging ration for the family.

She shares, “I was diagnosed with diabetes about it three years ago. After my husband, there is no means of income to buy medicines or consult a doctor.” In January 2021 Meena met a community mobilizer who told her about the SOW. Within 15 days of starting treatment, she experienced relief from her ailment. Now she is a regular patient of the SOW.

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Insights

How the Third Wave of COVID-19 will impact the education sector

How the Third Wave of COVID-19 will impact the education sector

The coronavirus pandemic has been engulfing the world for the past two years. It has greatly affected the normal life of the public. If we look at what has been the most affected after health, it would be the education system. We now have to wait and see how the third wave of COVID-19 will impact the education sector.

 

COVID’s effects on education

 

Cancellation of the Board exams for Class 10 and 12 is one of the biggest impacts on the education sector. The government did form a high-level committee to declare the result for Class 10. This was based on their annual examination of Class IX and assessments of Class 10. Thus, many students have errors in their results.

 

Students of Class 12 are also confused about their fate. Although the government declared the results, many questions remain about the methodology for awarding marks. As of now, we do not know what the future of these students would look like. Will this method of determining the results harm their prospects?

 

Third wave of COVID-19: A fresh concern

 

The third wave of COVID-19 pandemic is a matter of concern for the education system. This is especially true for the primary classes and the tribal/rural areas. Since schools started shutting down, many students have dropped out.

 

In the current context, online academic support is the only solution. This is, however, available mainly in the urban and semi-urban areas. In the rural and tribal interiors, where there is less internet penetration, online education is a distant dream for students.

 

So far, the government has not taken any proper measures, making it a matter of concern. This is something that needs immediate attention, as the future of our children depends on this.  

 

How to deal with the situation?

 

To deal with the impending third wave of COVID-19, the government should take the necessary measures. Proper planning and strategizing are the need of the hour. And these need to be done in consultation with teachers and parents. There is one main question right now is. How can we can provide quality education to children where there is no internet and electricity?

 

Organisations like Smile Foundation have been attempting to continue the education of vulnerable children. Cluster classes, proper assessment and evaluation, etc are some of the techniques we are using. Initiatives like these need to be at the core of government interventions to deal with the third wave of COVID. This is because if measures are not implemented now, we will one day be left with a highly weakened education system.

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In The Spotlight

Sustainable Livelihood Training—Paving the Way for Youth Employability

Sustainable Livelihood Training—Paving the Way for Youth Employability

The current economic scenario, propelled by COVID-19, the job market vulnerable. In India, millions of salaried employees lost their jobs, and are recovering only now. As for the unorganised sector, one can only make estimates of the number of people rendered jobless.

For young graduates just joining the workforce, the situation looks tough. Due to a lack of valuable skill training, the prospects of them getting jobs becomes even more remote. Thus, training for sustainable livelihood is needed urgently.

What the data says

A report by Wheebox, titled the India Skills Report 2021, finds that Delhi-NCR, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh have the highest pool of employable talent in the country. 

About 45.9% of the youth were considered highly employable as per the study. Mumbai emerged as the city with the most highly employable resources, followed by Hyderabad. 

However, the changing nature of work requires a transformation of skill set as well. According to the study, youth employability stood at 45.9%, significantly lower than 46.2% of the previous year. The skill gap is the most likely reason for this lowering of employability.

Upcoming industries

Another survey analysis by Wheebox found that knowledge of software and hardware is a growing demand in various industries—from travel and tourism, to energy and manufacturing. Without the proper skills and training, young graduates are finding it harder to find jobs, thus making them less employable.

Sustainable livelihood training: Need of the hour

People now are realising that it is not just sufficient to create jobs—it is equally important to have a skilled workforce that can take up the jobs which are created.

Organisations like Smile Foundation, through their Smile Twin e-Learning Programme (STeP) are aiming to do just that. Keeping in mind the availability of jobs in various sectors, Smile Foundation has been training young graduates and drop-outs to prepare them for sustainable livelihoods. In the pre-COVID era, the focus industries included retail , hospitality, etc. Apart from basic English, personality development, basic computers, and financial literacy, the students enrolled in STeP were given training to become employable in such sectors.

Since COVID, the focus industries have shifted. Due to the changing economic scenario, sectors such as digital marketing, e-logistics and e-commerce, and health care are upcoming. As a result, STeP students now train for these sectors and many have become gainfully employed in these sectors.

Proper skill training can ensure sustainable livelihoods as well as improve employability of youth.

Government interventions

In order to train youth to achieve sustainable livelihood, governments too have started interventions.

For instance, the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) will set up centres near slum clusters in Delhi. These centres will help youngsters develop skills for better employability.

The aim of the programme is for urban disadvantaged youths to be trained under a sustainable livelihood programme. It is expected that the intervention will enable youth in low income or slum communities to make informed life choices and acquire necessary skills for employability. A similar project in Pune has facilitated employment of almost 5,500 youth.

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In The Spotlight

Virtual Classroom on Local Fundraising for Grassroots Initiatives

Virtual Classroom on Local Fundraising for Grassroots Initiatives

Smile Foundation, under its flagship programme, Change the Game India, recently organised a 7-day Virtual Classroom Course on Local Fundraising. The course was aimed at training social entrepreneurs in capacity-building, helping them realise the importance of mobilising local resources, and widening the sources of funding. All these will lead to a higher level self-sustainability and less reliance on donor funds.

 

This is among other such initiatives by Smile to empower community-based organisations. Smile Foundation partnered with Wilde Ganzen in 2016 to co-create Change the Game Academy (CtGA). This is an innovative blended-learning programme for social entrepreneurs and individuals working at the grassroots level.

 

 

The importance of local fundraising

 

For development professionals, local fundraising is a more sustainable option, especially in the long run. Knowing the skill of local fundraising can also increase community engagement and local ownership.

 

Moreover, workshops like these help the development sector become independent instead of relying on corporate donors only for their funds. They are encouraged to adapt new and innovative approaches to continue their on-ground work.     

 

Our local fundraising workshop

 

Experts from the field trained community-based development professionals in the art of local fundraising through our most recent workshop. The training covered a wide range of relevant topics. Some of the bases covered in the workshop are donor mapping and profiling, communication techniques, good governance, and activities and events.

 

 

The primary goal of the training is not just to gather knowledge for oneself. Rather, participants were also encouraged to assess their own learning levels of the topics as well as share knowledge with peers.

 

Santanu Mishra, co-founder and trustee, Smile Foundation, said, “More often than not, we find social entrepreneurs, particularly in low resource settings, in distress due to lack of technical know-how in raising funds and ever-changing avenues for raising funds. This impacts development activities. Unpreparedness creates disruption in the flow of funds for on-ground initiatives. This takes them two steps back and thus, affects the dependent communities. Therefore, a systematic and structured process of raising funds and maintaining a regular flow of funds is critical for creating impact at the grassroots.”

 

The participants

 

A total of 16 individual participants from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Kerala completed the course.

 

The development professionals work across a range of causes. These vary across healthcare, rehabilitation, education, environment, human rights, nutrition, disaster relief, women’s empowerment, and so on.

 

Participants speak

 

Parvathy was a participant from Thrissur. “I have been fortunate to get the opportunity to participate in this workshop on local fundraising. Anyone working in this field knows what a challenge fundraising is. It requires a lot of time, professionalism, and a unique skill set. This workshop has given us skills in a hands-on manner that we can directly apply to our work. We also got ideas about potential local and in-country resources, along with a roadmap on how to access these resources.”

 

 

Kailas is another participant. He belongs to Telangana. He shares, “Smile Foundation has been supporting us with kinds of training. This LFR training is very useful for us. The practical and technical knowledge will be helpful for us. We are thankful to Smile Foundation and CtGA.”

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In The Spotlight

Mission Education Unhalted through the Pandemic

Mission Education Unhalted through the Pandemic

Smile Foundation has been working for the education of underprivileged children at the grassroots level since the past two decades under its Mission Education centres. This is a significant enterprise by itself. Now, the added obstacles posed by COVID-19 have forced us to quickly adapt to situations and adopt new learning methods to keep our centres going.

 

The Nai Disha centre of Mission Education is one such institution that has been keeping the dream of education alive for children with negligible opportunities. Here are some of their stories.

 

Zaheer

 

 

Zaheer is a bright 13-year-old student of ME Centre Nai Disha studying in Class 5. His family hails from West Bengal and has been residing in Noida for over 30 years. Zaheer’s father, Md. Basir, works as a tailor. His mother, Reshma Khatun, works as a domestic helper. Before the pandemic, the family’s monthly income was about Rs. 20,000. Now, it has reduced by half.

 

Zaheer has four older sisters. While two are married, the other two are still students. Limited earnings and so many mouths to feed, along with constant uncertainty about finances and health, is a perpetual cause of worry and struggle in Zaheer’s household. Therefore, the burden on the parents is immense.

 

Mission Education for Zaheer

 

The only ray of hope for the parents is seeing their children continue their studies in the face of such adversity. At Nai Disha, Zaheer is exposed to a variety of extra-curricular activities, which contributes to his all-around development. His sisters are receiving higher education after graduating from school. Their parents are conscious of the fact that their children will have an edge over the ones who are not going to school.

 

Zaheer is a keen student and will give his best wherever he goes. Regardless of the challenges, he is doing well in his studies and performing efficiently in all the assessments. His favourite pastime is cricket. As the family is shifting to Greater Noida, Zaheer plans to continue his education at a mainstream school there.

 

Mala

 

 

Mala is a student of Class 5 at the Mission Education Centre Nai Disha. She is a bright 12-year-old who hails from Bihar. Her family has been residing in Noida for about 12 years. Mala’s father, Ashok Kumar Yadav, studied up to Class 8 and now operates a paratha stall. Her mother, Sunita Devi, is a homemaker. Their monthly family income is about Rs. 12,000.

 

Raising and educating three children on such a limited income is quite a daunting task. Mala’s mother suffers from knee problems, so she is unable to work and supplement the earnings. For such families, private schools are an unaffordable option, especially during the pandemic. Mala has two siblings, an elder brother in Class 8 and a younger brother in Class 3 at the ME Centre Nai Disha.

 

How Mission Education helped her

 

The post-COVID scenario in education forced everyone, including Mala, to adapt to new learning methods. However, by the time she was able to use the smartphone efficiently, she lost interest in studies. It was only with counselling and guidance from her teachers, as well as encouragement from her parents, that she started to enjoy and learn diligently through her virtual classes. The textbooks, notebooks, and other learning materials like worksheets and assignments have helped in reviving her interest in studies.

 

The family has to fight many obstacles on a daily basis. But at least their children are still learning and their education is supported continuously. Her parents are now trying to enrol her into the nearest government school so that her studies can continue seamlessly.

 

Shanti

 

 

Shanti is a student of Class 5 at the Mission Education Centre Nai Disha. Her family is originally from Nepal but they have been staying in Noida since many years. Babu Ram, her father, is a cook. Her mother, Sushila, works as a domestic helper. Together, they earn around Rs. 12,000 per month. Both Shanti’s parents have studied up to Class 5. She has two elder brothers in Classes 8 and 9. The family stays in a servants’ quarter in Sector 29. The clean living surroundings have a positive impact on the health and development of the children.

 

The family managed fairly well, managing to educate their children so far. COVID has, however, affected them like everybody else. Shanti’s father was out of work for some months, and thus had no income during that time. The blessing was that they still had a quarter to live in.

 

Shanti at Mission Education

 

Her father’s work has now resumed, so there is a ray of hope. Shanti is a bright, conscientious, and well-behaved student, which gives her the zeal to study hard and become a better person in life. She has worked very hard with the efforts of the ME teachers over the years and shown great improvement in her studies. She also participates in speech competitions and other activities.

 

Shanti wants to be a teacher when she grows up and is keen to continue her studies for as long as possible.

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In The Spotlight

Hygiene Kits to Prevent COVID-19 Infection

Hygiene Kits to Prevent COVID-19 Infection

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc upon many livelihoods and communities. People are left with no source of food, shelter, and basic amenities. Their basic hygiene conditions are not good enough to protect them from the impact of the virus. Thus, Smile Foundation has been aiming to distribute hygiene kits to families in these vulnerable communities.

 

Some communities at higher risk

 

A majority of people in developing nations are below the poverty line. In India, approximately 26% are below the poverty line and 72% live in rural areas. They lack adequate access to necessities like health, education, shelter, food, security, employment, justice, and equity. Moreover, the lack of employment makes it difficult to procure sufficient nourishment for children, essentials like sanitary pads for girls, and other basic cleanliness measures. All these factors combine to put these populations at higher risk.

 

How do they suffer?

 

There are many communities that are at higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Some of these are people from ethnic minorities; elderly people; migrants and refugees; prisoners; homeless people; people with disabilities; and sex workers. ‘Home quarantine’ and ‘isolation’ are alien concepts for them. The impact of COVID-19 will only worsen their predicament. Beyond the human tragedy, significant economic consequences are expected in all countries for these communities in particular.

 

How do hygiene kits help?

 

Frequent and proper hand hygiene is one of the most important measures that can be used to prevent infection with the COVID-19 virus. The most important step in controlling the virus’s transmission and flattening the curve is to maintain the required hygiene standards. The underprivileged and downtrodden groups of a major portion of the country have little or no access to the sanitation standards and services essential to avoid the coronavirus. Thousands of disadvantaged families, abandoned elders, and orphaned children can all benefit from hygiene kits.

 

Protecting ourselves and others through proper handwashing and hygiene practices has never been more important. But basic water and hygiene facilities remain out of reach for many children.

 

How Smile Foundation is helping

 

There are higher chances of contracting the coronavirus due to unsanitary and highly congested living conditions, lack of awareness, and necessary protective gear. Smile Foundation is providing hygiene kits to less privileged children and families to enable them to protect themselves.

 

So far, we have provided over 2,00,000 hygiene kits to vulnerable communities. Our aim is to provide 5,00,000 kits to underprivileged families.
The cost of each hygiene kit is Rs 100 and includes soap, sanitizer, and masks (both surgical and reusable).

 

You can also donate hygiene kits

 

You can contribute to COVID-19 relief services in a number of ways. It is crucial for us to stand with the ones who need essential care and protection. Even the smallest step matters, such as making your domestic help a personal hygiene kit.

 

You can also donate online. Your small contribution can go a long way in providing life-saving care to someone. Help India fight coronavirus. Provide hygiene kits to underprivileged families across India.

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