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An educational support centre, started in the Giri Nagar slums, helps not only differently-abled children but also allows regular school-going children from poor families to find a foothold in society
What began in 2001 as a one-woman mission to make a difference to the lives of children in Delhi's Giri Nagar slums has turned into a major initiative, with 35 teachers addressing the problems of over 500 slum children. Project Why was envisioned by its founder Anuradha Goburdhan Bakshi as an educational support centre aimed at addressing the capital's school dropout problem. It all started when Bakshi, moved by the plight of Manu, a physically and mentally challenged child from Giri Nagar, who was abused and forced into begging, rented a shed where she could take care of him. Very soon, parents began bringing their handicapped wards to the shed to be looked after by Bakshi. Project Why, which began with 50 children from the Giri Nagar slums, grew into Planet Why with 622 members not only from Giri Nagar but from far-flung places like Shiv Mandir Camp, Okhla Phase I and II, Sanjay Colony and Sangam Vihar. Five hundred of these children attend regular schools while the others are in pre-school or are differently-abled. "We don't realise how much a dysfunctional school system contributes to social discord. The formal schools in fact end up convincing children from the slums that learning is beyond them. Add to that the abuse, mockery and caning and you have the perfect recipe for future outlaws," says Bakshi. Project Why offered the slum children a course in English, which proved to be an instant success. Then, with machines donated by friends, a computer centre was started up where the children were taught basic computer skills. The main objective of the centre is to enhance school performance, contain dropout rates and ensure access to secondary schools. Children from urban slums are unable to cope with their studies due to poor teaching conditions within the schools and lack of help at home. Moreover, children in slums have no place to study and no access to books or tutors. "Poor adults are without hope and their children will forever remain out of the 'good jobs' loop. Schooling for the poor, where it does exist, begins with the presumption that they can never be taught the core skills that good jobs need," says Bakshi. Project Why aims to change all this by inculcating responsibility, purpose and optimism among the slum children, along with routine education to help them achieve their goals. The simple yet creative way in which education is imparted to the students at Project Why has made the project immensely popular amongst toddlers as well as older students. Children who attend afternoon school come to Project Why in the mornings; those who go to school in the mornings drop by in the afternoons. Attendance here is near 100%, and the enthusiasm to learn immense. The teachers at the centre are mostly from the slum itself. Anyone who wants to qualify as a teacher has to have passed at least Class 8. Many teachers are graduates; there is even one postgraduate teacher. Project Why also has around 15 children with various forms of handicap. They are ferried to the centre in a three-wheeler everyday and are washed, fed and taught. One of Project Why's major achievements has been the admission of all its school-going-age children into schools. The personal attention given to every child, over the last three years, resulted in a 98% pass rate among the project's children, in a recent school examination. Assistance from the centre has helped students, who were earlier forced to drop out of school, catch up with what they missed. With a monthly budget of Rs 85,000, which goes towards teachers' salaries and rental money for the five-odd shacks, the project's main objective is to ensure that no child has to drop out of school. And that he/she passes the school board examinations, thereby opening up new avenues in life. Besides education Bakshi also speaks up for the rights of other underprivileged sections of society. She has been involved in demanding rights for a small tribe of gadiya lohars (itinerant blacksmiths) who have lived on the footpaths of Kalkaji Road for nearly 50 years. Although they are registered voters, with ration cards, they are still regularly hounded by petty municipal officials. Contact: Anuradha Goburdhan Bakshi
C 15, Chiragh Enclave
New Delhi 110048
Tel: 91-11-26444324
Email:
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Website: www.projectwhy.org
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