RITINJALI NEWSLETTER

The Newsletter |August 2014

RITINJALI

NEWSLETTER

AUGUST 2014


Learning Centre at Kusumpur Pahari There was a healthy attendance of children at the Centre this month. Along with lessons in English,

Hindi and Math, the children learnt poems, drew pictures and enjoyed paper cutting activities. Stories

were narrated and the children were counselled on good behaviour and on maintaining personal

hygiene. The process of securing admission for the children in Government schools continued this month

as well.

The Centre was white washed and spruced up, the broken roof was also repaired. A grill was installed

outside the Centre. The doors of the dividing boards that demarcated the two levels at the Centre were

also painted.

Independence Day was celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and laddoos were distributed. Ms. Mekhala, a

Ritinjali supporter also sent toys for the children.

Night School at INA Market The Night School functioned without a break all through the month. The boys have returned from their

villages and are back at work. They work long hours at the I.N.A. Market, cook their dinner and attend to

personal chores. Yet, it is remarkable that these boys still make the time to attend classes at the Night

School to acquire skills in literacy and numeracy. Lessons in Math and Hindi are interspersed with talks

and discussions on contemporary issues to enhance their general awareness and to build up civic

consciousness. Drill in writing is also done, with both oral and written skills being strengthened

continuously.

The boys celebrated Ganesh Chathurthi, Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan with great enthusiasm.

They thoroughly enjoyed the break from their gruelling routine.

Learning Centre at Nathupur Pahari The Centre functioned smoothly through the month. Lessons in Hindi, Math and English to instill skills

in literacy and numeracy were conducted according to the plans drawn up by the teachers.

Stories and poems enlivened the learning environment. The children also drew pictures and coloured

them on the themes of Independence and Raksha Bandhan. They tied rakhis and exchanged sweets with

each other. The story of Sri Krishna was narrated on Janmashtami.

On 14th August, the National flag was hoisted and laddoos were distributed. Visitors from the Sai Trust

visited the Centre on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and sang bhajans. They also served lunch and

sweets to all the children.


Learning Centre at Artemis, Gurgaon Sector 51 Independence Day celebrations imbued the children of the Centre with patriotic fervour. The Centre was

adorned with national flags made by the children. They were taught many poems and songs and on the

14th of August the children sang the National Anthem, after which Ritinjali distributed food to all the

children. Raksha Bandhan was a joyous occasion when the children made beautiful drawings of rakhis.

Everyone was told about the significance of the festival and many stories were narrated too. Children

were asked to infer the moral of the story.

There was a dip in the attendance of students this month. The teachers urged parents to send their

children regularly to the Centre. Lessons were conducted in English, Hindi, Math and General

Awareness. Emphasis was given to oral expression and to expansion of vocabulary. The training of the

OBE students continued in full swing with lessons in literacy and numeracy.

Personal hygiene was closely monitored by the teachers and the children's nails and teeth were checked.

The importance of keeping themselves and their surroundings clean was explained. The students were

counselled on keeping the premises free of litter and to maintain high standards of cleanliness. The

teachers use every opportunity to instill good habits and to arouse civic consciousness. Stories and games

interspersed with lessons kept the children engaged and interested in the learning environment.

Learning Centre at Dalil Ekta Camp Of the 42 students on the rolls, 40 were regular in attendance. The parents were urged to send their

children to the Camp regularly. Independence Day was celebrated with patriotic fervour. The children

sang songs and the national anthem. The boys made kites and the girls made flags. Ritinjali distributed

food to all the children.

On Raksha Bandhan, children made rakhis with beads, stars and coloured paper. Stories to highlight the

significance of Raksha Bandhan were narrated. These were interactive sessions where the children were

asked questions and were encouraged to give their opinions and infer the moral of the story. The

children were also taken to the Children's Park at India Gate. They enjoyed playing games and swaying

to and fro on the swings.


Celebrating Independence Day

The boys from the Second Chance School and the Night School at the INA Market came together to

celebrate Independence Day at Vasant Valley on 15 August. A cheerful and enthusiastic group of over 70

boys gathered around the centre steps in Vasant Valley at 10 am. The youngest member of the group

hoisted the flag, which was followed by singing of the National Anthem. The boys then proceeded to

catch up and chat over refreshments such as fruit, mathri, halwa, nimbu paani, and masala chai.

Once the break was over, the boys were divided

into two groups. One group proceeded for an Art

Workshop with Mr. Reyaz Badruddin, where the

boys drew and painted a number of patterns and

styles given to them. The other group went to the

field to play sports and games of their choice. Some

decided to form teams and play cricket, while

others opted for a good game of badminton. Other

boys decided to really get into the spirit of

Independence Day and fly tri-coloured kites. This

continued for an hour after which the groups

switched activities.


After two hours of friendly matches and exercising their

creativity through painting, the boys gathered for a hearty

lunch. We are grateful to Mr. Gurpreet Singh and his

family, who were present to help during lunch distribution

and for interacting with the boys throughout the day.

We were also delighted to have Raghav Sonkar, an ex-

student from the

Second Chance School, drop by to join the

celebrations. Raghav is currently a Creative

Services Coordinator with Galli Galli Sim Sim, a

locally produced version of Sesame Street.

The group then made their way to the Return to

School (RTS) room, where Mr. Gurpreet Singh

distributed Ritinjali t-shirts to all the boys.

The day ended in high spirits with the screening of the movie ‘Lakshya’ and several group photographs.


Second Chance School

There are 18 boys in the Second Chance School and all of them have started working in positions ranging

from Bakery Chefs, Designers, Travel Agents, Computer Assistants etc. Shahid, a boy who had left

Second Chance School last year to attend to a personal emergency has returned and will be staying at the

Second Chance School again while he completes his education and training. Three Second Chance boys

have to appear for the NIOS Exams this October and are working hard on their assignments and exams.

7 boys from the Second Chance School also celebrated Independence Day at the Vasant Valley School

while the others were busy at their work places. A few boys have planned to take charge of their lives as

they have settled into their jobs and will be leaving Second Chance School in a few weeks.

Vocational Centre at Mahipalpur Cutting,

Tailoring and Computers Cutting and Tailoring

There are 16 students pursuing the course at present. The OBE certificates for candidates who were

successful in the exams held earlier were collected this month. The students have picked up the skills of

tailoring quickly and earn as they learn. Some of them earn as much as Rs.4000/- a month by stitching

clothes from home for friends and family.

Computers

Both theory and practical classes were held regularly for the 15 students enrolled in the current batch.

Drishti Visit to schools in Jhalawar, Baran and Kota The Ritinjali team visited 8 schools in Jhalawar district, 5 schools in Baran district and 7 schools in Kota

district to assess the implementation of the Life Skills programme and to gauge how well the students

had utilised these essentials in their lives. The students displayed their awareness of various gender

issues through posters and plays.

In August, most of the visits took place after the 15th since the schools were busy with preparation for

the Independence Day celebrations. In addition, schools also conducted assessment of students. Apart

from making regular school visits, the Ritinjali team also received an update regarding regular


implementation of the Drishti curriculum in the schools. This was made available by school heads and

trained teachers from schools where the visit was not possible.

Meeting with the different District Level Officers in three districts

The team also met the District Education Officers, Principals of the DIET (District Institute of Education

and Training) and the SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) Coordinators of three districts to keep them updated

on the implementation of the Drishti curriculum. They were informed about the meetings by senior

members of the Ritinjali team with the Education Secretaries and the SSA Commissioner at the state

level.

The district level officers keep changing due to in-house transfers and hence, we need to continually keep

the newly appointed officers updated on the progress of the project.

Case Study by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi

Drishti is one of the programmes shortlisted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USA as it works on Reproductive Health Issues covering Family Planning and Contraceptive Use. Since Drishti is a school-based intervention, a case study of Drishti was done by representatives of the PHFI, New Delhi. Under their case study, the PHFI representatives visited five schools of Kota district and met the students, teachers, and school heads. In addition, they also met some selected Master Trainers and discussed the processes and their perspectives regarding the project. The team also interacted with Ritinjali staff working in Rajasthan and discussed the history of the project, how it was conceptualised, and why this region was selected for the project. They were also briefed in detail about the monitoring process, the procedure of selection of teachers and the age group of students.


At Ritinjali we are doing our best, but we can do better with your help. Ritinjali is always

looking for helping hands to create a world where everybody gets equal opportunities. If you

would like to pay us a visit or volunteer with us, please contact:

Arun Kapur: [email protected]

Benu Khanna: [email protected]

Dilreen Kaur: [email protected]

Dipika Nanjappa: [email protected]

Esha Singh: [email protected]

Janusa Sangma: [email protected]

Kavita Trehan: [email protected]

Mahtab Alam Siddiqui: [email protected]

Ritinjali welcomes contributions and volunteers for its cause. All donations will be exempt from

Income tax u/s 80G.

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