 Jagdish Chander 2460 Crescent Court, Plover WI 54467 (715) 341-1538 |
 Watering vegetable garden |
ShamaKids
Program || More About ||
FAQ's
Schools: Adavali ||
Adi Vidya Madir ||
Baba Ganda Singh ||
Mhaskal ||
PN Doshi
Kids to Sponsor: Page 1 ||
Page 2
Program in Adi' vidya
Mandir
School:
Scholarship Grant and a Library
Background ||
Children ||
School Program ||
Library ||
How you can help ||
Pictures
In line with the objective of providing quality education to rural kids for their integrated development, ADIRE started a school for 5 - 7 yr old kids in April 2007 in the village Jahangirabad, Orissa in collaboration with SHAMA, Inc. and ShamaKids.
Background
Early
childhood is a time of rapid growth and development. During this time, play and
hands-on experiences are vital to learning, besides parental care and affection.
Research has also shown that during these formative years of young children,
healthy nutrition is required for the growth of their brains. Getting any
opportunity to experience such fun-filled learning through music, dance, games,
and toys is a far cry from what is available in many rural households in
The
Government primary school in the village Jahangirabad is in a very pathetic
condition where there are 2 teachers for more than 100 kids (Class 1 - 5) taught
in 2 rooms. In one class room kids of 2 or 3 classes sit together back to back
and are taught by one teacher. Attendance in the school is very poor due to lack
of resources, poor infrastructure and lack of interest of both teacher and
students.
Adi' Vidya Mandir school was started in April 2007 with the
objective to ensure integrated development and growth of a child's mental,
physical and spiritual faculties at a formative age by imparting quality
education in a child-friendly way. Our (ADIRE'S) experience in the evening
reinforcement school in two nearby villages shows that there are many talented
kids in these villages. But without proper nutrition, resources, guidance and
opportunities their development is restricted. We would like to bring out the
hidden talent of many kids in the villages, which is possible through Adi'Vidya
Mandir's educational program.
Children
The children for this school are from the villages of Jahangirabad and Balabhadrapur. All of them come from families whose annual income is less than Rs.12000/- (U.S. $300). There are two class levels; kindergarten (5 - 6 yr) and 1st grade (6-7 yr). Currently (2007), 15 children are studying in the school. We expect to have an enrollment of 70 next year, with admissions to one additional grade level and children from a neighboring village. All of these kids are from economically & socially weaker sections of the society, with 75% of them belonging to Scheduled Caste & Scheduled Tribes (lower caste and class). Their annual family income falls much below the poverty line.
School Program
The
classes for both kindergarten and 1st grade run from
We [ADIRE] have employed two main teachers (Ms. Bishnupriya Pati and Ms. Jaishree Pati, one for each class), one assistant teacher (Ms. Sujata Sethi) and one cook (Ms. Gita Pati) to prepare a nutritious meal, which is served at 12:30 PM, as well as a healthy snack each afternoon.
The meal
is prepared at the village cafe, which is a part of
SHAMA WELL's women bio-cooperative program.
Vegetables for the meal are grown in-house and looked after by the school staff
and kids every day. Milk is purchased from the women whose businesses have
sprung from loans from the SHAMA WELL
program.
Library
In ADIRE's Learning Center we also have a small library with around 200 books, magazines, newspapers and educational toys, blocks, puzzles etc. These materials are used regularly by Adi'Vidya Mandir children, as well as kids from the village primary school. We would like the collection of this library to grow, so that all children and adults of nearby villages can make use of it and be well informed.
We also plan to purchase a computer for the library and to install local
language (Oriya) software, so that it can be used by everyone, even those who
cannot read or write English. In order to encourage the women to read we're
planning to start SHAMA WELL women study circles where they will be taught
reading, writing, doing simple calculation and also educating them in various
other areas: women's health, hygiene, and nutrition related issues.
How You Can Help
ADIRE and SHAMA, Inc. have started the ShamaKids program in these villages of Orissa. ShamaKids' support of Adi' vidya Mandir School students enables us to grow and to sponsor the education of children from economically backward families.
You can sponsor a child's education through the
ShamaKids program
and help the library by making a
donation to SHAMA, Inc.
Pictures
Click on pictures for larger views
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| a |
 |
Watering vegetable garden |
 with the children and their parents |
 Schoolchildren, Shreemayee, & cook, Gita Pati |
 School work |
| b |
 Coloring |
 Midday meal |
 Learning computer skills |
 Educational computer game |
 Educational video |
