Pratham Education Foundation: Women Empowerment

Showing posts with label Women Empowerment. Show all posts

Monday, June 11, 2018

Holding a book for the first time!

Pratham 2:06:00 PM

“I never had time to think about education. We were so busy on the farm trying to earn a living,” said Leela Rawat from a village in Ajmer district of Rajasthan.

Leela has never been to school. With her mother’s deteriorating health, the responsibility of the farm had to be taken up by the sisters and their father. Pratham mobilizers visited her parents to talk about enrolling Leela for 10^th Grade through Second Chance program. While the mobilizers struggled to convince the parents to allow their daughter to study, Leela was going through a dilemma. She was nervous about studying, considering she has never held a book in her life. She was worried about the stress her parents will have to go through considering the society they live in.

Once she was enrolled in the program, she realized that she can resolve most of her issues with sheer courage. Leela speaks of her time in the class fondly. Her teachers helped her catch up with language and Math. She feels that there is a positive change in her speaking and writing skills. The foundation course prepared her for the main course effectively. She says that it is because of her teachers that she could move ahead in life but the teachers believe on each of their students and feel that it is the person who has the strength in her and we are mere facilitators.

People from my neighborhood would taunt me and my parents saying that I am old enough to get married and what is the point of studying at all. Any girl stepping out of the house on her own is looked down upon in her village. But Leela is changing this attitude by paying no heed to the comments.

When asked about her plans for the future, Leela beamed with excitement and said, “I want to do my bit for the society. I want to start off by working as an ‘ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) Sahyogini’ and then find my way from there. Passing 10^th Grade provided a significant boost to my confidence. I believe that I can dream big.”

Monday, April 9, 2018

Women Empowerment

Sombari Singh’s Pathagar

Pratham 1:35:00 PM

Mayurbhanj district in Orissa is one of the most backward districts in the country. The majority of the population here is dependent on agriculture for their survival, and a large number of people are either small-scale farmers or labourers. Some of them also survive by doing jobs that are generated through different government schemes enacted for the district. Despite this background, the village of Solarapada is experiencing an increase in awareness about education, thanks to the initiatives of women like Sombari.

Two years back, when team members from Pratham went to Solarapada to initiate the library program, they found Sombari who wanted to do something for the village. “The first thing that I thought was education”, she says. Solarapada was experiencing a good enrollment of children in school, but they were hardly learning anything. On many occasions, Sombari would see children roaming around in the village after school and doing nothing. “There was nothing to do, and it disturbed me a lot”, she recalls.

Being a graduate, Sombari could understand that there was nothing in the village to monitor if the children were learning well. “They were enrolled in school. But there are many obstacles in their learning”, she says.

The major obstacle here is the language. Majority of the people in Mayurbhanj speak Ho and Santhali, whereas the medium of instruction is Odia. When children are enrolled in school, the teachers have to translate the teaching from Odia to the dialect, and this practice continues for some years till the former become comfortable in Odia.

When the team members at Pratham explained her about the library program, she liked the concept of group learning and use of activities, songs and games to aid learning. And in no time, the library program became active in the village.

“It was amazing to see the participation of women in this program, and it made the entire community know about it”, she said. However, Sombari had already thought of the next step. If we collect books from everyone in the village and maintain a library, the whole village would benefit. She shared this concept with a few mothers she knew, and they gladly agreed! The drive for collecting books began, and as this concept reached the village Panchayat, they arranged for a small place in the village where these books could be kept. A ‘Pathagar’ was soon formed, Sombari Singh’s Pathagar!

“Every child in the village can come here, sit and read books. They can also borrow books and take them home. But if any adult wants to borrow them, they have to pay”, she says, explaining the rules of the place. The money collected in this way is used to buy new books and other miscellaneous expenses. However, she credits the library program for initiating the activity of reading and learning in the village. “It is because of the program, parents and children are aware of reading books, and hence they come to the Pathagar to read”, she says with a smile.

In the village, Sombari is synonymous with learning. The Pathagar gives her a chance to interact with many mothers. They talk to her about what their children are learning in school and discuss their learning levels. But there is a marked difference in their awareness. “Initially, many of them thought that children should learn until the 5^th grade. But now many of them are aware that children should opt for higher studies as there are many opportunities ahead”, she says. The Pathagar at Solarapada is the reason community members meet and discuss their children’s education.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Women Empowerment

The Turning Point

Pratham 12:49:00 PM

When Shashi Methil was in 8^th Grade in the year 1997, she suddenly had to drop out of school. “There was a lot of work at home, and I was asked to stay at home and help my parents. Moreover, our financial condition was not good”, she says. The next year, in 1998, she was married and later became a mother of two children, a son and a daughter. To support her family, she began working as a cook at a ‘Tiffin centre.’ It was necessary as her husband did not work anywhere and the family always fell short of money. But her husband did not approve of her working and one day announced that she will not work anymore.

One day, in a bizarre turn of events, her husband went absconding, and despite an intense search operation, they could not find him. Living with her in-laws was difficult, and hence Shashi, along with her children came back to live with her parents. Here, she began working as a labourer to feed and nurture her children and educate them so that they can have a bright future. However, deep within her mind, she wished that she should have completed her education. This feeling would become more intense when she saw girls in her neighborhood going to school or talking about their studies.

Shashi came to know about Pratham’s Second Chance program from her parents. Two people from Pratham’s team had visited her village to know if anyone wishes to get back to school and complete their 10^th Grade. New hope arose in her mind, and after consulting her parents, she agreed to be a student again. However, this was not the only reason! She came to know that Mamta Mewada, a woman from her village completed her 10^th Grade from the same program despite her gap of 18 years! So if Mamta Didi can, why can't she?

In her new role as a student, Shashi worked hard to strike a balance between her student life and her household chores. She woke up early to complete all the work at home and then went to the centre and attended classes. In those days, all the girls had to go to a ‘hub centre’ for five days in a month, stay there, attend lectures and study together. During those days, she had to live without her children, and that is when her brother-in-law and his wife offered to drop her children at school and attend to them in her absence. “It was a relief; I will always thank them for it”, she said.

Her children were also happy and supported their mother in her attempt towards education. Her efforts paid off, and she passed 10^th Grade in the year 2014. It motivated her even further, and she cleared her 12^th Grade in the year 2016. Shashi now works at the Aanganwadi in her village and makes the villagers aware of the importance of education and health. She encourages girls to continue their education and not drop out from their school. “Education has given me an identity. Initially, some of my family members and relatives taunted me for my husband’s absence. However, now they look up to me with respect!” The ‘Second Chance’ Program was indeed a turning point in her life.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Women Empowerment

My son inspired me to study

Pratham 2:23:00 PM

“When I entered the examination hall, I was stopped by the supervisor who refused to
believe that I had come to write my exams”, Krishna begins the conversation with
friendly laughter. We met Krishna Sharma at her Aanganwadi in the Amrod village, on
the outskirts of Bhopal. She is one of the beneficiaries of Pratham’s ‘Second Chance’
Program and probably the oldest of them all!

Krishna’s son was a faculty of the Second Chance Program and taught Mathematics to
girls who had enrolled themselves with the aim of completing their 10 th grade. Little did
she realise that this would be a trigger for her to seriously think of restarting her school
education and completing her 10 th grade! It was the year 2015 and Krishna became a
student after 18 long years. She had passed her 7 th grade way back in 1984, but an
early marriage forced her to abandon any further plans of study. While she attempted to
get back to studies and passed her 8 th grade in 1997, family responsibilities made her
again discontinue the studies, and her dream of passing the 10 th grade was still elusive!
Meanwhile, Krishna began working in the village Aanganwadi, and the job kept her busy
during the day. Despite this, the thought of not completing the 10 th grade was deeply
ingrained in her subconscious mind, and it bothered her quite often. However, the
biggest motivation came from her son! “If others can complete their education after a
gap, why can’t you”, he used to ask her.

Krishna smiles as she recalls her days in Pratham’s classrooms. “The best thing about
the program is the teachers”, she says. “They start teaching you from the basics, and it
is very helpful for someone like me who has resumed studies after a long break”, she
adds. “During the night, my son used to teach me, and this was the revision of all that
was taught during the day.”

With these efforts, Krishna passed her 10th-grade examination in 2016, and thus her
long-cherished dream became a reality. She shared her joy with all her classmates,
who, like her strove for the completion of this common academic goal.

We asked her how it felt after holding the passing certificate in her hands. “The first
thing I did was to submit its photocopy to my Aanganwadi supervisor. I made her
change my records from ‘8th-grade pass’ to ‘10th-grade pass’. This was very important
to me”, she replied immediately. “I also feel more secure about my job”, she further
added.

However, among everything else, it is the increase in knowledge that she values the
most. The classroom has made her know many more things than she knew before
getting enrolled. Education has indeed transformed her, and she is keen to pursue the
next goal of her life – completing the 12 th grade.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Women Empowerment

New beginnings with Pratham

Pratham 11:01:00 PM

“My grandfather did not want me to go to school. He said girls need not study. But my brother would go to school and I started to borrow his books and read when no one was watching. My brother helped me a lot.” said 19-year old Sandhya.

Sandhya lives in a small village in Ajmer district of Rajasthan with her parents, siblings and grandparents. She was one of the many ‘never been to school’ girls enrolled in Pratham’s Second Chance program. It is not uncommon in many households of India to keep the girl child out of school. These girls are expected to stay ‘safe’ at home and help with household chores. Education is said to be ‘unnecessary’ for them. Very few girls in her dhaani (hamlet) go to school. They help their parents on the farm every day. This made the situation quite grim for her.

“So how did you convince your grandfather?” I inquired. “Some people from Pratham came home and spoke to my parents and grandfather. That’s how I was enrolled in the batch of 2015-16,” answered Sandhya.

Her grandfather was very unhappy with the thought of sending her to complete 10^th Grade. Sandhya and her parents were unsure of how she will cope with the syllabus. Although Sandhya could recognize a few words, her parents were skeptical. Her father was instrumental in ensuring that she is enrolled in spite of everything. Her family would visit the Second Chance centre every other week to keep a check on her. With time they learned to trust their daughter and her capabilities. Meanwhile, Sandhya was working hard to make up for all the lost time. With no formal schooling, each day meant something new for her. The examination was another ballgame altogether but Pratham’s technique of planning tests every month helped her adjust to the thought of an exam.

This change in her opened her to several possibilities. She passed 10^th Grade with 67.55%. “My grandfather was so happy. He distributed sweets on the day of my results,” said Sandhya with amusement.

Sandhya has enrolled for 12^th Grade and is pursuing a Diploma in basics of computer. She now works as a teacher in a government school. “I am a part of the school committee that mobilizes children who are out of school. We help them enroll in our school. I look after the mid-day meal program in my school as well,” she added. She employs Pratham’s activity-based learning method in her classroom. “I use mind maps to teach kids and it works wonders,” she exclaimed.

Sandhya feels that staying at home for all those years instilled a sense of fear in her and many other girls in her village. She would not step out of home alone. But now she travels in and around her village and is currently looking for a teaching position in a school in Jaipur city of Rajasthan. She enjoys studying and plans to support herself with her own income.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Women Empowerment

The story of Laxmi Gurjar

Pratham 1:20:00 PM

Laxmi Gurjar lives at Simrol, a small village on the Mhow-Indore highway, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. She is one of the many beneficiaries of our 'Second Chance' Program in the Mhow block of Indore District and like many of them has a unique story to share! Before she heard of our program, she was an ASHA worker in her village.

"My father was an agricultural labourer. There was no guarantee of a fixed job or a fixed income. Though I did not complete my education until 8th grade, there was no scope for higher studies. Our financial condition was one reason. The other reason was the social custom prevalent in our village where girls were married at an early age", she begins her story. As she continues, we realise that she did some small-scale jobs after she dropped out of school and continued with them after her marriage. She also worked as a farm labourer and then from the money earned, she bought a sewing machine and took up those assignments as well. It was a decent support to a family of five - she, her husband and their three children. "I was happy with what life was offering me", she says. But I still felt incomplete. The feeling of not completing education persisted.

"But I felt that thinking about this is useless as I had lost this opportunity long back when I was young", she admits. And then she came to know about Pratham's Second Chance Program from one of the girls in the nearby village, who after some years of a gap in her studies, had completed her 10th grade. However, initial excitement gave way to anxiety and worry. "Will I be able to resume my studies after this huge gap? How will I study with girls almost half my age? Will they accommodate me?" She also admits that the thought that immediately came to her mind after this mix of excitement and anxiety was of a promotion at her workplace. And this was the motivation that made Laxmi a student again, after a gap of twenty years!

Then we talked about her experience in class with teachers and fellow students. "Every girl in our class had a story to share. Some girls had dropped out of school after a gap of two years, whereas some of them had a gap of a longer duration. Some of them had a backing of their family members, while some others took it as a challenge with practically no support from anywhere! However, I was the eldest of them all, and hence many of them looked up to me for advice." As the conversation moves ahead, we visualise the classroom of a Second Chance Program. It is a place where Individual stories, struggles, dreams, aspirations, pains are weaved into one common thread and objective - completing 10th grade! A special bond develops between these girls and women, and it holds them together till their examinations. "Though we are of different age and background, we become friends once inside the classroom", she chips in.

Laxmi is also grateful to the faculty of this program. It was difficult for someone like her who entered the classroom after almost two decades and hence had to start from the basics. She had lost touch with all what she had grasped as a child."I am thankful to the teachers here as they were patient with people like me who took time to understand. However, learning in a group was an extraordinary experience! We became more familiar with each other as we studied and interacted in a group and this made many of us confident and helped us understand things better", she says.

With this positivity in mind, Laxmi appeared for her 10th-grade examination and cleared it in 2015. Her efforts bore fruits as she got promoted at her workplace and is now an ASHA supervisor, with 12 villages under her supervision. The smile on her face as she completes the narration of her story is a testimony to the success that she achieved after her struggle. Does it mean that her life is now complete? She says yes, but after a few seconds quickly adds that now she wants to complete her 12th grade. Her husband - who is sitting beside her as she narrates this story - smiles when she acknowledges his valuable support and encouragement. Together they have educated their three children. Laxmi's eldest son is a professor in a college whereas her younger son works at Inox. Her daughter has completed her D.Ed and is a school teacher.

As we leave her house and wish her all the best, she says, "Now as I supervise over 12 villages, I come in contact with girls and women in these villages. Many of them have a similar story. I talk to them about the Second Chance Program and try to motivate them to complete their education." Laxmi will now become a catalyst for educational change, and we hope that more and more girls and women around her will get motivated to complete their education and find back their voice which was lost due to a variety of circumstances and reasons.