Summary
The initiative aims to generate discussions around important topics such as education, health and child protection, which affect the community
The outdoor learning spaces have been set up in Shivaji Nagar slum in Faridabad
SOS Children’s Villages of India – the country’s largest self-sustaining childcare NGO – has set up child-friendly outdoor learning spaces for children in underserved communities in Faridabad in a bid to support continuity education and raise awareness of health and hygiene.
At a time when pandemic-induced school closures have disrupted children’s education, the organization has painted five walls in Faridabad’s Shivaji Nagar slum with information related to child protection, education , health and hygiene to encourage continued schooling. .
One of the walls has even been transformed into a blackboard to encourage coherent learning at the community level. The initiative was taken as part of the Shivaji Nagar-Auto Pin family strengthening program.
The population of the Shivaji Nagar slum is estimated at between 10,000 and 12,000 people, all migrant workers from neighboring states. Families support themselves by working low-paying jobs in nearby factories or depend on the daily minimum wage.
While speaking about the initiative, Sumanta Kar, Secretary General of SOS Children’s Villages India said, “Children, especially those living in slums, have seen their education severely disrupted by the pandemic, especially since they did not have access to the Internet. and/or smartphones to continue their education remotely. A significant number of children, especially girls from vulnerable backgrounds who have been out of school for a long time, may never return when schools reopen. This initiative has made it possible to recall important aspects such as health, hygiene, education, etc. We wanted to give children some semblance of learning, even when they weren’t in school.
A Bal Panchayat member added, “The closure of schools due to the pandemic has caused major disruptions in our lives, leaving us confined to our homes with very little time outdoors. The lack of social exposure affected our interactive skills. The learning walls in our community have helped us a lot. We’ve all loved coming to this space since the walls were painted, allowing us to learn, play and engage. It helped us make new friends and improve our interactive skills. These paintings brought us comfort, while spreading important messages.
The initiative of SOS Children’s Villages in India aims to generate discussions around important topics such as education, health and child protection, which affect the community. Today, the community blackboard is used for various outreach programs and remedial classes operating in the community. It also became a space for the Bal Panchayat (children’s parliament) for their daily activities.
Last updated on January 06, 2022
