Transform the Lives of Children in Gujarat, India

We continued our work in the field with children at their doorstep. We gathered them in small groups for activities. Children are quite bored with schools being closed and were quite happy when we started working with them in small groups.

Tablets:

The Ashok Hirway Education Project has provided Shaishav with 15 tablets, 2 laptops and 2 printers. All the staff members have been given a tablet to carry to the field to ensure that children do not fall behind in their studies amid the closure of schools with classes happening virtually. This initiative of providing free tuition classes was started to keep children engaged in continuous learning so that they do not involve in child labour. Keeping this objective in mind, Dipak bhai the coordinator of the Balsena program has downloaded the Gujarat State Board curriculum as well as the Shalamitra app. Relevant DIY videos on science experiments, content based activities, children stories, songs, poems, paper crafts as well as all the important events from the celebration of Gandhi’s 150 years about his ideology and simple way of living have been stored in the tablets. This initiative has received an overwhelming response from children because they not only develop conceptual clarity in subject matters but find learning interesting and all through engaging.

Sports Day

This time the sports meet was conducted once across four zones in which 184 boys and 159 girls participated. Due to COVID-19 situation we did not gather all the children but celebrated sports day in groups. The children participated in various physical education activities such as skipping in pairs, team juggling, relay races and various cooperative games. Some of the games encouraged children to strategize and work in groups as well as develop coordination skill and fitness. Life skills such as interpersonal relationship, problem solving and creating thinking were also nurtured through the series of games.

The feedback that was shared by children was rather heartening to hear. They found the games to be really interesting and that there was a lot of learning that one could take from them. They are looking forward to sharing the same learning with other friends from their communities and also making new friends in this process. The skipping and juggling drills are a good way to remain healthy and improve upon the power of concentration respectively. Children of both gender equally participated in the games and by the end of the day through the help of peer support children were able to acquire new skills. The entire process was challenging but the determination of children to learn helped them overcome the obstacles in the way. 

Celebrations – Celebrations were organised across various points during the Balsena sessions. The following celebrations were hosted from the month of December: 

• Christmas Celebrations: Christmas is celebrated pompously by the Christian community worldwide. During the month of December, two Christian guests visited the Balsena points and shared with children the significance behind celebrating the festival and also taught them how to make the Santa Claus hat.  
• Kite Flying Day: Children brought their kites and all necessary materials to celebrate collectively the colourful festival of kite flying. 
• Republic Day: Children drew the national flag and colored it. They also rallied in the community to remind others on the importance of Republic Day celebrations.

Balmela:

Children in the age group of 6 to 10 years of age did a project on protecting the environment and surrounding in their local communities. In the process, children discussed ways to save water and recalled instances from their lived experiences when water was not used sparingly or wastes were being dumped by the roadside. Facilitators also explained to children the need to segregate waste into categories of wet / kitchen waste, dry waste, sanitary waste and e-waste as well as the entire recycling process of collecting and processing materials into different categories which otherwise would simply be discarded as thrash. At the end of the session, children decided to be more mindful to protect the surrounding and discourage people from littering on the streets. A total of 177 children consisting of 89 boys and 88 girls attended the Balmela activities in small groups.

Active Council Meeting – 

Given the Covid-19 pandemic, the active council meetings which earlier happened centrally at Shaishav office had to be organised at the community level in which children from five different points came together. The purpose of the active council meeting is for Balsena leaders and core team members from different points to review and plan activities for the month. In this platform children also raise issues around child rights, review rules to enforce discipline and if required look for alternative spaces in the communities to host Balsena activities. This meeting also reminds the representatives to uphold their responsibilities and ensure smooth functioning of life skill sessions. 

This time as the Balsena leaders met after a gap of about 6 to 7 months, they were once again briefed on the four basic UNCRC Child Rights: right to survival, development, protection and participation. By spreading awareness among children, it is expected that they would stand up for their rights as well as protect that of other children by duly informing the child helpline number. The member of the active council meeting are also given the responsibility of identifying children who are involved in child labour in their localities and immediately report the case to the child protection committee.

In the Gaushala community, there have been repeated incidents of local drunkards causing nuisance during the Balsena activities which were being organised by the temple premise. Children decided to change the venue and instead have them at their houses on a rotational basis so that children who have the space and are willing to accommodate the Balsena sessions get an equal opportunity to serve as the host. 

During the Balsena activities children generally sit on the floor, however, some thought that it would be a good idea to make individual mats out of waste sacks which could be used for sitting. Children took the initiative to prepare small mats which they now carry with them during the point activities. This mat has also entrusted children with the responsibility of carrying it regularly to the venue and also ensuring that it is kept clean. Sometimes the slow learners fall behind during the point activity so during the active council, the core team members decided to be mindful and provide everyone an equal space and opportunity to learn and grow, support each other.

Adolescent Girls and Boys’ Groups (Kishor Kishori Mandal) 

This year the topics which were covered during the adolescent training in the points are as follows: 

• My books: Every child made a booklet in which they talked about themselves, likes and dislikes, family members, role models, dreams, places they would like to visit. 
• High risk and low risk: Children were made to understand different instances of high and low risks. For example, keeping the key in the bike on standby mode, touching the electric pole during the monsoon season are instances of high risk whereas cycling without hands can be classified under low risk. Children were able to identify about 20 high and 25 low risks from their lived experience and discussed them at length during the point activity. 

• Problem solving: There were two topics which were covered in this section - a story and a group activity of crossing the river. The famous story of 6 blind men and the elephant was recounted to children, after which, children were given instances from everyday life wherein they were asked to discuss together and find alternatives to address them. This activity encouraged children to consider different points of views before arriving at a final conclusion. In the second activity, children were made to stand in small groups of 12 on the starting line. Every group was given around 5 mats which they had to use for going till the finishing line. No member of the group was allowed to place their feet on the ground, they had to take the help of the mats to move as a group from one end to another. 

The adolescent training also provides older children the platform to raise questions around bodily changes which they are experiencing and any issues that they might be facing during the teenage years. Children are provided a non judgemental space to share the challenges with other children and facilitators so that everyone can be rightly guided in this crucial developmental stage.

One Day Training –

This year all the one day training happened separately at all the four zones with about 143 children attending the activities.

Children were made to understand how important it is to create a focus ambiance before getting started with any activity. Children were introduced to an ice breaker in which they were taught a rhythm game, to come physically and mentally to the training and connect with each other. Activities such as ‘You are special’, ‘Observation game’, ‘Sound game’, ‘making self potrait' etc were facilitated. 

Life skill activities were organised to foster the development of life skills and peer learning among children. These sessions helped children build self-confidence as well as practice leadership qualities in real life scenarios. 

Exposure Visit – 

Once the lockdown restrictions were eased and the Balsena activities resumed at the community centres. Exposure visits have been planned for children so far across various sites such as historical temples, public parks, farm houses, amusement parks and art galleries in the city of Bhavnagar. The purpose of organising exposure visits is for children to learn the cultural history and values of the city. Also, the exposure visit provides children an altogether different learning experience and this year with the onset of Covid-19, children have not been able to come out of their homes, so the exposure visits provided them with the much needed peace of mind. The locations for the exposure visits are identified by children and are chosen at a close proximity, children pool in money for commutation and bring food from their homes and share it with other Balsena children. 

Wenlido - Training 

We saw the rise in violence against women and children during this lockdown. Wenlido is a personal safety tool especially designed for women and girls for self-defence. Wenlido training is an effective tool against physical, mental, emotional, sexual violence. During this year we were able to organize 3 one day training in self-defence. 66 girls from different zone participated in these training. During this year we also organize 2 time practice group with 22 girls who had previously passed through Wenlido training.