Transform the Lives of Children in Gujarat, India

Introduction: The Pandemic has affected lives and livelihood all over the world. India, in its efforts to contain the spread of the virus on March 22nd, the Prime Minister ordered a lockdown. It’s been 8 months since India is still battling with the Pandemic and is the 2nd worst affected country in the World. 

In Bhavnagar, Shaishav being involved in training children in Child Rights, Child safety and prevention of Child Labour among the most marginalized section who faced huge challenges during the Pandemic. Financially, the families experienced a crisis due to job losses. The Pandemic has caused high mortality rates which led to social, mental and physical stress. 

The people were confined to their homes with monotonous / no activity which gives a sense of being trapped. Although homes may be considered as a safe place for some, it is not the safest place for all. In-fact with Covid-19 lockdown, there has been a hike in cases of domestic violence, child labour and other forms of violence. Children too have increased vulnerability to domestic violence during this time. Increased job insecurity, financial worry and other such emotions of parents can be a predictor of abuse. 

Lockdown and its impact on education:

Reducing physical contact has been the most common strategy adopted by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19. It has led most countries around the world to close down their schools for long periods of time. Covid-19 struck us without warning and left the education system scrambling, children were affected as the entire system came to a standstill. Knowing that this deadly virus wouldn’t leave so soon, the education system decided to move to the so-called “digital world” which led to online teaching, exams, lectures etc. 

The world of online education basically meant having sophisticated phones/laptops, strong networks etc. India, having caste and class dynamics, not everyone has access to smartphones. Lack of access to the internet and devices has created a gap in digital literacy, and to worsen the situation, India faces frequent power cuts, when compared to face-face education, online education brings forth significant deficiencies such as absence of opportunities of collaborative learning, lack of human connection and teacher’s supervision. Our Education system is forcing children to do rot learning instead of learning through concept clarity. Children are never taught “How to Learn” so they always remain dependent on schools, teachers, books for learning rather than learning independently.

So, in the light of this educational crisis, the Shaishav team conducted a survey with the objective of ensuring that children don’t fall prey to this crisis and opt out of the education system altogether. 

Survey:

A survey was conducted in Bhavnagar and Narmada by the Balsena and Aaranyashala facilitator and team where they went house to house to find out how the children and their families were coping-up with the pandemic crisis.  

During the home visits, the team introduced the idea about the Activity Resource kit, explaining its importance, how it will benefit the children and keep them engaged during the lockdown. Before preparing for the kits, the team took orders in advance, so that they have an approximate estimation of how many kits had to be prepared. A receipt for the same was provided with a minimal token cost of Rs.50.

Throughout the lockdown, Shaishav team members ensured that the children and their families had support through home visits and phone calls. At any time, be it day or night, the Childline team reached out to those facing any distress. The commitment and dedication of the team members in delivering their services was not time-bound because Childline works round the clock. For Shaishav, “Sky is the Limit”.

Through the home visits, Shaishav also identified the number of households who have access to phones and do not have access to phones. 

Out of 536 families surveyed at Bhavnagar, 21 families (4%) don’t have any phones, 143 families (27%) have simple phones and 372 families (69%) have smartphones but most of these are not smartphones with touch screens but the Jio phones.

The Balsena created a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with the family.

In Narmada district, out of 307 families surveyed at Narmada, 16 families (5%) don’t have any phones, 78 families (25%) have simple phones and 213 families (69%) have simple smartphones which do not have features to cope with the online education.

Other major findings of this survey were as follows:

1. The team was able to contact 536 Balsena children out of 625 Balsena children in our 20 communities in Bhavnagar. The rest migrated to their villages.
2. In Bhavnagar, there were 14 children who started working to supplement their family’s income. Due to the trauma these families experienced and as schools had closed down, these parents felt that their children could be “more productive”, instead of doing nothing.
3. In Narmada, the team visited 308 households and identified that 10 children are working outside home.

The 14 children who went into child labour, were immediately reported to the ChildLine team. They were counselled and made to realise the concept of child labour and the need for education. This timely intervention of Shaishav, helped rescue these children.

Training of Trainers:

Shaishav team attending various training session online which could help them and broaden their idea on the development of activities. Various activities were taught to the team which could help the, develop the Activity Resource kits.

Manish Freeman was one among the trainers who had innovative ideas about the activities which would benefit the child in their learning as well as keep them engaged.

In the absence of “formal Schooling”, The Child Rights training & Resource Centre team, along with other team members brainstormed on the idea of “learning through activity”. Thus, activity resource kits were prepared which aimed at engaging children between the age group of 8-18 with games which would enhance their knowledge.

The Activity Resource kit:

The Activity Resource kit contained 134 games, compiled around 15 themes which were creatively designed based on the concept of self- designed and self-paced learning, keeping in mind the WHO life skills recommendations. 

Statistics show that 75% of our learning is through seeing. Children are visually wired – 50% of their brain is involved in visual processing. Comprehension is increased when using pictures alongside text. Hence it was important to design the activity resource kits, keeping the above information in mind.

The team recreated the “fun games” into “learning tools”. Concepts of child rights, family/individual values, decision making, confidence/capacity building, secularism were innovatively designed into these games. One such example is “snakes & ladders”, in which each step taught the children about their rights and exploitation against these rights. 

A Manual was prepared as a guide to direct children about the games and a wealth of information based on the themes. The first and the last page of the manual, covered all rights that the child is entitled to. The stationary required for the games was also provided to the children.

The Activity Resource Kit was prepared after rigorous reading from various books, in order to get information. The activities were recreated in an interesting manner that would grab the attention of the children to learn through the play way method. The kit was designed in a manner that could involve the siblings, parents, friends and relatives to play along.

The 15 themes are as follows:

We can categorize the 15 themes into 3 categories of learning; 1) Life-skills and Values, 2) Academic Learning and 3) learning through Play-Way Method.

1)      Life-skills and Values: Aimed at changing life-time habits. The activities would engage children in their formative years and enable them to become changemakers in their communities.

• Self-Awareness: Through this activity, the children are made to reflect about themselves; likes, dislikes, habits, dreams, their role models etc. In the manual, questions are framed which makes the children think and know themselves better. The child is able to contemplate upon their uniqueness, dreams, potential qualities etc.

• Creative, Logical and Critical Thinking:  Logic and critical thinking helps the child reason, which is a basis of the thinking process. Creativity skills help the child explore his imagination in all possible ways, thus creating new things that were not known before. Some challenges are given, wherein the child uses his creativity and imagination to resolve it. 25 types of activities were designed to challenge the children’s imagination and build their self-confidence. 

• Life-skills: The skills considered useful for life are covered in this section. It is an ability that enables human beings to deal effectively with daily challenges and demands of life. 60 skills are mentioned, right from basic serving, sewing, housekeeping, repair, cooking etc. Skills aimed at making children more humane and sensitive in their dealings with their own family members, also inculcating dignity of labour

• Corona Corona: This section contains a detailed explanation and awareness about the pandemic and the virus. Pictorially, safety measures to be adopted such as wearing masks, frequent washing of hands, maintaining physical distance etc. was depicted.

2)      Academic Learning: Various school curriculum like geography and science have been integrated into the kit, using experiential methods.

• Scientific toys: Explicit instructions are given whereby children would make scientific toys from household items. For example, matchbox and a string are all it takes to make a telephone, to help the child understand how sound travels across. Paper rockets, windmills, fans etc. are made from easily available household materials to understand science. 17 types of activities of scientific toys are designed.

• Let’s play Gandhi Gandhi: The values of Gandhiji are appreciated by many. Through this exercise and stories in this section, children are encouraged to imbibe the values he stood for. Questions are framed to enable the child to reflect and relate his/her values to Gandhiji’s values.

• Exposure visits: In this section the child explores the geography and history of his/her own surroundings. The child understands the significance of his surrounding and available community resources.

• Understanding the Human Body:  The games in this section are designed to help the child understand different organs of the body, their functions and its importance. A skeleton and body organ printed on the paper, the child has to cut each piece and attach it to the skeleton according to the numbers, as given in the manual. This helps children to learn about those organs more in detail. Details about functioning of these organs are given in the manual. 

• Geographical knowledge: This section aimed at helping the child understand the famous historical monuments across the state. Famous Parks, sanctuaries, government offices, temples, dams, and other such structures are covered up. 

Knowledge about the solar system was also provided.

3)      Learning through Play-way Method: It is a complete package that enables overall development of the child, in terms of feelings, intellect and skills parameters. It revolves around fun activity-based learning. It encourages expression and creative skills among children.

• Zentangle: This method brings out the artist inside you through a fun and creative way. The child learns to draw structured patterns step by step. Zentangle art is spontaneous and free-flowing in which the child focuses on each stroke, colouring the drawing with calming patterns. It is art meditation which helps children to focus and concentrate.

• Visual Challenge: This section challenges not only the brain, but also the child’s cognitive ability. A puzzle image is created where she/he has to identify certain characters from it. In this way, the children’s observation skills are strengthened which makes him/her more aware about the surroundings. It also helps the child to concentrate and focus.

• Magic Trick: Magic is an art of producing illusion for entertainment which can be quite fascinating for children. Superstition is a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, trust in super natural powers etc. With the objective of driving away superstitious beliefs, 10 magic tricks are described in the manual. The child thus realizes that magic are delusions that are created but scientifically it’s not real/true. This helps children to develop scientific temperament, rational attitude and critical thinking instead of magical and naive thinking.

• Paper craft: Young children are curious to learn; however, motor skills are not taught much anymore. Developing the motor skills in children is vital to their overall developmental process. Paper crafts enables children to express themselves in a purely creative environment. Apart from that, children earn the satisfaction of making something with their own hands and gain self-confidence.          
• Visual Illusions: Visual illusion involves visual deception. Due to the arrangements of images, the effect of colours, the impact of light and other variables, a wide range of misleading visual effects can be seen. This demonstrates the important principle of perception: we don't always see what's really there. Our perceptions depend upon how our visual system responds to environmental stimuli and how our brain then interprets this information. This concept makes the child perceive things in different ways and think differently.

• Shadow Figure: Making shadow figures with the hands gives an opportunity to the child to display his/her intelligence. Stories could be created based on the shadow the child makes. This particular activity does not require materials and creates a very enjoyable atmosphere. This happens in the dark so slowly the child also loses fear of dark and starts enjoying it. 

The child can also make shadow figures with materials easily available. The organization provided chart papers with pre-cut design to enable the child to make a variety of figures. For example, birds, animals, human beings etc.

Along with the Activity Resource kit and manual, Shaishav team provided 3 layers masks to its children, thus promoting safety during the pandemic. Apart from safety, the manual also had pre-cut mask designs of different characters for children to enjoy and play with their siblings.

The Shaishav team, totally dedicated and committed to the cause of child rights, prepared the activity resource kits with the manual numbering 2500, which were then distributed to our children of Balsena at Bhavnagar and Aaranyakshalas at Narmada. Besides we share these to our different network partners and Organisations working with marginalized children across Gujarat. 

Distribution of The Activity Resource kits:

1. Shaishav Child Rights 

a)         Balsena – 419 kits

b)         Aaranyakshlas – 315 kits

1. Atapi Foundation – 500 kits
2. G.H.C.L – 200 kits
3. Jeevantirth – 100 kits
4. Atul Foundation – 100 kits

Organisations such as Children homes, Tapibai Vikas Group (a home for abandoned girls), Nandkuvarba Bal Ashram (orphan children are sheltered) and other organisations working for marginalized children were also given the kits complementary. The Activity resource kits were also shared among Shaishav staff for their children and relatives.

Training on how to use the Activity Resource kits:

The Pandemic didn’t stop Shaishav from reaching out to their children.  The Balsena team, taking all the safety precautions, approached the community to train the children on how to use the activity resource kit, keeping in mind the physical distance and wearing masks at all times. Facilitators from the above Organizations were also trained on how to use the activity resource kits so that they can guide the children and get them engaged with the games that teach them a variety of concepts and values.

Balsena facilitators go to their adopted communities and teach one activity at a time from the kit while maintaining physical distance. In this way, the facilitators do their follow-ups and understand the impact of the activity resource kit which keeps them engaged and far from the risk of getting into child labour, child trafficking and other forms of violence. Rather than roaming around children enjoy doing these activities at home.

Responses of Appreciation:

1. Prof. Prahlad  (former Director of Lok Bharti, Sanosara); appreciated the efforts and detailed study, research and references to prepare a quality self-learning, child-oriented manual/kit. This kit kindles the spark of curiosity in the child.  

2. Ms. Moushmitaben (Coordinator of Atul Foundation); applauded the diverse themes covered-up to inspire both adults and children. She appreciated the emphasis on self-designed learning through activities, aimed at exploring the creative potential within each child. She expressed that it could bring about unity within the family and enhance feelings of cooperation.

3. Dr. Natawarbhai (Honorary Secretary and Director of Shishu Vihar–Bhavnagar); By distributing this Activity resource kit, Child education will get a new direction.

4. Mr. Maheshbhai  (An educationist and a true Gandhian, Founder of Shishukunj) responded: - In times of this CoronaVirus, this kit will bring about happiness in the lives of the children. It will help create a joyful atmosphere in the family, giving a direction to channelize the energies and potential of the children.

(To respect the privay of the individual, all names have been changed.) 

Feedback from Balsena Children:

The Activity resource kit was prepared for the children, so their feedback is of utmost importance for Shaishav. Their words of appreciation, gives the team a sense of satisfaction for the hard-work undertaken to prepare a quality, children-oriented kit even during this unusual crisis of the Covid-19.

The children were overjoyed on receiving the kit. Many expressed how much they enjoyed the learning experience through the play-way method. A simple and child-friendly language was used to help them learn various concepts. Children appreciated how their rights were explained pictorially with simple words.

Games like puzzle and board games were given credit as it helped the child become more observant and increased the child’s ability to think out of the box and be very creative while searching for solutions.

The children also admired the creativity and innovation of the team for preparing the human body organs exercise. They could understand the functions and structure of the organs very easily.

To contain the spread of Covid-19, it was important to create awareness about the virus not only among adults but also among children. The children appreciated the team for including all the safety measures and creating awareness of the Coronavirus pictorially. It was very fascinating to learn by looking at the pictures.

The children were extremely content and grateful for providing the kit at a minimal token cost of just Rs.50 along with all the stationary worth Rs. 150 required for the kit. The children who did not want to join Balsena then, are now fascinated and interested to join by admiring all the activity done with children through the play-way method.

The parents were worried about the safety of their children as they would disobey and want to play outside their home. Children often don’t realize the severity of this virus and when boredom strikes, sitting in one place becomes impossible. Soon this worry came to an end when the Activity Resource kit was distributed, this not only kept the child safe and engaged, but also brought unity within the family. As children, we often fight and don’t get along. The kit was designed in a way that it needed a companion, hence it also brought a sense of harmony among the siblings. The kit also had a funny character mask, which was enjoyed by the children. They, themselves, had to colour and cut the mask with the help of the pre-cut design.

The children acknowledged and thanked Shaishav team for their selfless hard-work and dedication for preparing the kit which contained so many games through which the child was able to learn many life-skills and concepts which are not taught at schools. The children loved the manual as it was systematically organized and very easy to follow.

The education system in India is such that it does not give everyone the privilege to learn about science and experiment it. The Activity resource kit made it possible, the children were excited to learn about science and they could even experiment with materials that are easily available at home.

Impact – Post Assessment:

Early childhood development as a concept is extremely important in terms of their physical, cognitive, linguistic and social development.  Children’s early experience shapes their whole life. These early experiences lay the foundations of a child's brain and strongly influence the strength or weakness of the child’s ability to learn. It is important to understand that a healthy start in life gives each child to flourish and become an adult who contributes positively to the community, both socially and economically. However, this start is conditioned to a number of factors relating to home life, community and the environment.

The education system is designed in such a way that it does not give the child an opportunity to become an independent learner, rather they are dependent on school, teachers and books. Every child is unique and creative in their own ways. Shaishav, therefore keeping the above information in mind, developed the Activity Resource kit.

Post assessment, Shaishav could identify the impact of the Activity Resource kit. Through various activities such as the puzzle games, it triggered the child’s imagination to expand beyond the horizons. It creates curiosity in them which in return makes them think out of the box and come up with creative solutions.

As children, we often take certain things for granted. We know that our parents are there, we become so dependent that we don’t find it important to know minute details about ourselves. The Activity Resource kit had exercises where it made the child think and ask questions about themselves to the parents. Right from blood group, colour of the eyes, account number etc. the child was able to understand themselves better.

Children rationalize and understand what is right and wrong. For example, getting hooked on to the mobile games, not realizing how much they are missing out on other things. Through this kit, they realized the importance of learning various concepts that are essential for life through the play-way method which has the balance of both fun play and learning.

The parents were under the impression that the Balsena were only taking children to play. The distribution of the kits, made them realize that their children were taught life skills so important for life which enlightens their potential, capacity and creativity that enables them to become a skilful generation. Thus, mental/intellectual development and dialogue with the family was given a new direction.

The newspaper of 28th November 2020, reported that in Bhavnagar city out of 22,000 children enrolled in educational institutions only 3779 were able to access online studies. The education committee reported that 55 schools are struggling to continue education through Microsoft assistance. However, 15490 watch the DD Girnar channel, upload study material on youtube or study through whatsapp link to cover up the syllabus. The attempts by principal, teachers and CRC, BRC to engage the students in educational activities is hectic and time consuming but unable to reach the children for their holistic growth.

The attempt to reach out to the most marginalized children in October 2020 through the development of the activity resource kit speaks volumes for how the Shaishav team rose to the challenge in the midst of the pandemic.

ACTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

Balsena team conducts a meeting with leaders of various points along with the facilitators. The Balsena leads the team, decides and coordinates. They plan the activities that they want for the given month, discusses about the issues.

The Balsena Facilitator asked few questions to the leaders such as what role did you play as a leader, what leadership qualities did you displayed during lockdown, what skills you developed as a leader.

The leaders very enthusiastically answered all the question mentioned above and the facilitators could see consecutive growth in them.

The facilitators asked the Balsena members 4 questions to understand the situation of the child during the lockdown.

1)      What activities was done during the lockdown? The children replied T.V, drawing, card game, helping with household chores, reading books, some worked to supplement the family income.

2)      What are the difficulties you faced? The children were scolded by the parents, could not understand online classes, parents restricted from playing outside & could not meet friends as parents feared the police, economic situation was bad at home.

3)      Did you help others during the pandemic? The pandemic has caused a lot of problems at home such as no money to buy even 1 meal per day. The facilitators took the help of Balsena leaders to identify the families who were vulnerable to the situation and they identified 225 families. The team distributed food ration kit to the needy families. The Balsena leaders also shared books with those who did not have books, shared meal with friends who didn’t have food, shared phone with friends to attend online class. This shows how much value the children have for others in need.

4)      If lockdown continues, how would they continue with the activities? The child said that they would take all the safe measures during covid-19 by maintaining physical distance, wearing mask, sanitizing hands, come in smaller group, frequently washing hands, no spitting in the surrounding, keep the place clean. All these measures would ensure that the activities should continue even if the pandemic is prolonged.

Kishore/ Kishori Mandal

Parents rarely speak openly about sexual matters to their children. Children often grow up with faulty ideas and attitude in life. Educating children about sex at early stage will help them understand, be sensitive and wise in these matters.

• The challenges/ problems faced by adolescents during puberty are dealt with in these sessions which are held with growing up boys & girls.
• The menstrual cycle/changes related to puberty
• Difference between girls and boys
• Understanding Attraction/ infatuations/ love between girls & boys
• How they should be aware, understand it and deal in an appropriate manner.
• The Child marriage act / right age of marriage / child nurturing/ child baring etc. are all topics discussed with the children.

The Balsena leaders were very happy and grateful to Shaishav team for constantly being in touch with the children and working hard to develop various meaningful resource materials in order to teach the children various topics through a fun play-way method.