Ganesh Nagar is a vast slum located in Wadala, a locality in Central Mumbai. It is a cluster of many houses, small shops, vegetable and fruit vendors and some small businesses. It is also a home to many labourers, blue-collared workers, shopkeepers and many people working in the unorganised sector. It is here that Savita Dhanve was spotted and groomed by Pratham to start a Balwadi and inculcate the spirit of schooling, learning and education among the people.
It was the year 2007, and ‘Pratham’ was surveying Ganesh Nagar for implementing its library program, and the survey was to understand the demand for books from the residents. Ms Naina from the Pratham team spotted Savita, who had studied till 12th standard but was shy and chose to remain indoors. “I had not even seen this area properly”, she admits. However, she credits the ‘Pratham way of grooming’ for the transformation in her!
“They reposed confidence in me and asked me to be a part of the survey in the area. As I interacted with more and more people, I became confident, and my interest in the work grew. This is how Pratham grooms everyone”, she says.
The survey revealed that many people in Ganesh Nagar wanted books in English. Earlier initiatives of Pratham and the Municipal Corporation had resulted in parents enrolling their children in school, and the result was an increased awareness of studying and learning in the area. However, increase in school enrollments also increased demand for remedial training for academically weak children. It was here that Savita began interacting with school teachers and this added to her responsibility and confidence. She was now a part of Pratham’s library program, and soon she was given the responsibility of starting a Balwadi. “To my surprise, more than 60 children turned up, and I had to split them into two batches”, she says with a smile.
In 2011, the trend in Ganesh Nagar and the adjoining areas was to enrol children in private schools. However, these schools expected an interview of children before admission. Savita says with pride that her Balwadi ensured that these children underwent grooming for the interview and almost all of them secured an entry in private schools, as their fundamentals were strong!
“The Municipal School Teachers also admit that children from Pratham’s Balwadis are better equipped in fundamentals as compared to their other counterparts”, she says with pride.
As she completes a decade working with Pratham, Savita has decided to branch out and start a Balwadi by herself. But she says that the foundation and techniques she received from Pratham will always remain with her.
No comments:
Post a Comment