Today I picked my way through alleyways lined with muck, at times stiffling my gag reflex at the various smells born on the warm winds. I was visiting educational centers in slum areas to see if our organization could possibly be involved with one of the key actors in providing education to out-of-school children: Pratham. Pratham began in the slums of Bombay, working to provide educational access to children similar to those in a recent Holleywood film, and has spread to become the key organization in addressing issues of drop-outs and child workers. Led by one of their regional coordinators, I watched small Muslim children walk proudly in their shiny costumes (today was the celebration of Eid) and eventually ducked out of a narrow, sewage-filled alley into a preschool. The small room was stiffling hot, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and realize it was the teacher's living room/bedroom in which we sat. The teacher didn't seem to notice and for half an hour we sat in the thick, oppressive air of the room, giggling with the tiny children who were being introduced to the wide world of shapes and colors.
I actually visited four of Pratham's educational programs today in two different locations. Two were Learning Centers where they provide extra educational support for children of migrant laborers/slum populations, the others were preschools where they prep 2-4 year olds living in these areas so they'll be ready for school. Learning Centers are geared for children 8-13 who need academic support but live in families that can't afford extra tutoring or have the children working part time (as trash collectors mostly). Basically they help address the severe gap between these kids' education and the rest of the students in the government schools. These kids are on the fringe of becoming drop-outs and child laborers, supported only by these extra programs.
The teachers of Pratham programs were great across the board, the curriculum strong, the students engaged, and the infrastructure of the program phenomenal. The slum areas were wretched, impossible to imagine people even living in these conditions. However, people within the stacked houses give their rooms to the preschool program and it seems that a lot of children were attending (despite it being both a Hindu and Muslim holiday today, and I was told that numbers were really low). Hopefully we will be able to partner with Pratham in the near future and find ways to reach the youth and provide education - addressing one small strand in the tangled knot of poverty.
Today I picked my way through alleyways lined with muck, at times stiffling my gag reflex at the various smells born on the warm winds. I was visiting educational centers in slum areas to see if our organization could possibly be involved with one of the key actors in providing education to out-of-school children: Pratham. Pratham began in the slums of Bombay, working to provide educational access to children similar to those in a recent Holleywood film, and has spread to become the key organization in addressing issues of drop-outs and child workers. Led by one of their regional coordinators, I watched small Muslim children walk proudly in their shiny costumes (today was the celebration of Eid) and eventually ducked out of a narrow, sewage-filled alley into a preschool. The small room was stiffling hot, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and realize it was the teacher's living room/bedroom in which we sat. The teacher didn't seem to notice and for half an hour we sat in the thick, oppressive air of the room, giggling with the tiny children who were being introduced to the wide world of shapes and colors.
I actually visited four of Pratham's educational programs today in two different locations. Two were Learning Centers where they provide extra educational support for children of migrant laborers/slum populations, the others were preschools where they prep 2-4 year olds living in these areas so they'll be ready for school. Learning Centers are geared for children 8-13 who need academic support but live in families that can't afford extra tutoring or have the children working part time (as trash collectors mostly). Basically they help address the severe gap between these kids' education and the rest of the students in the government schools. These kids are on the fringe of becoming drop-outs and child laborers, supported only by these extra programs.
The teachers of Pratham programs were great across the board, the curriculum strong, the students engaged, and the infrastructure of the program phenomenal. The slum areas were wretched, impossible to imagine people even living in these conditions. However, people within the stacked houses give their rooms to the preschool program and it seems that a lot of children were attending (despite it being both a Hindu and Muslim holiday today, and I was told that numbers were really low). Hopefully we will be able to partner with Pratham in the near future and find ways to reach the youth and provide education - addressing one small strand in the tangled knot of poverty.
0 comments:
Post a Comment