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India

Nareshwadi Learning Centre, Dundhawadi, Dahanu Taluka, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

The Nareshwadi Learning Centre is a 12-acre campus near Dundhalwadi, Dahanu Taluka, about 130 km from Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Established by the Girivanavasi Educational Trust (GVET) in 1991, the Nareshwadi Learning Centre provides holistic education to underprivileged, abused, and orphaned children in an environment that nurtures their bodies and minds; encouraging their innate curiosity and playfulness while helping them realize their full human potential. GVET is a public charitable trust, registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act of 1950 (registration #E-13449). The Centre currently incorporates the Leelaben Kotak Primary School, the KJ Somaiya High School, Children's Hostels and a General Hostel, and a Centre for Vocational Education and Training (VETC). WEIF partnered with two India-based NGOs, "Youth for People" and Girivanavasi Educational Trust (GVET) and constructed a 950 square feet classroom and extracurricular activity room for the Centre.

Funds to sustain this Centre are raised through fundraising events, overseas NGOs, sales of vegetables and fruits grown on the campus acreage, the sale of Warli painting created by our talented students, and through the generous support by the Somaiya family.

Yuvak-Apna Bhavishya (Youth—Our Future)

In 2010, WEIF partnered with GVET under an initiative called "Yuvak-Apna Bhavishya" (Youth—Our Future): the Project is designed as an intervention to improve the quality of life among women, men, and children of tribal communities surrounding the Centre through income generation, access to quality health care, education, and employment opportunities.

Over the next 3 years, WEIF will undertake several infrastructural activities at the Centre and in the surrounding villages, including the construction of a Girls' Hostel, expanding the Healthcare Centre, 12 bore-wells for villages, a water filtration plant for the Centre, and a two-storey classroom building. In addition, WEIF will assist GVET in vocational training, health-improvement, and professional development programs: training 60 village youth as Early Childhood Education teachers and healthcare workers, providing vocational training and a job bank and referral system, and holding information sessions for villagers on nutrition, disease control, and maternal and childcare practices.

The Project has the following objectives:

Improve the quality and scope of education provided at the Centre

  • Construct a Girls' Hostel at the Centre to increase the number of tribal girls with access to a safe and secure home while they complete their education.
  • Train 30 female youth as Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) teachers. These qualified teachers from the neighbouring villages will return to their communities and ensure that young children (ages 3 to 5) have access to quality education during their most vital stages of development. Early Education provides the basic skills to prepare young minds for the full cycle of education, and has been proven to reduce premature dropout rates and increase the number of students advancing to higher education.
  • Train 30 current Nareshwadi teachers in innovative learning strategies and gender sensitivity. Training curriculum will be designed and administered by the Rishi Valley Institute. Gender-sensitivity training will ensure that children receive quality education in a supportive environment that is conducive to female empowerment.
  • Repair the Boys' Hostel to ensure a healthy and safe environment for the children residing at the Centre. Work on both the Boys' and Girls' Hostels will include providing over 550 children, who currently sleep on the floor, with new beds and bedding.
  • Construct a 1-storey 16-classroom building with grant-support from the Community Initiatives Program (CIP). This building will include new classroom and laboratory facilities, and will replace the presently out-dated and inefficient single-room classrooms at the Centre.

Increased local employment among women, men and youth in local villages and surrounding tribal communities

  • Renovate and expand the Vocational Education and Training Centre (VETC). This Centre will provide training to Nareshwadi students as well as youth of the neighboring villages who presently have no formal education. These youth will receive training as day students at this Centre. Access to VETC will ensure that the youth are prepared and trained to becoming healthy and productive adults.
  • Expand and stimulate sustainable economic growth for the Nareshwadi Centre. This will include an expansion of agriculture development, honey making (apiary), garment-making, sale of Warli artwork made by our talented students, and dairy farming. The increase in economic activity will be utilized to support the operational costs of the Nareshwadi Centre.
  • Providing stipend and income generating activities to the women of the villages in order to encourage mothers to remain at home and take care of their children, animals, land etc. The stay-at-home mothers will provide increased parental supervision, live in stable-family environment, ensure that the young children attend the ECE schools, receive nutritious food, increase their income generating activities, and strengthen their agriculture development in their villages.

Promote the health of students and local communities

  • Provide training to local girls with 10th grade qualification to become nurse' aides (caregivers) and village community health workers. These trained health para-professionals will work in villages to assist in providing accessible maternal healthcare in a sterile and comfortable environment, thereby reducing maternal and infant mortality, and increasing the number of women accessing health services. These healthcare workers will play a pivotal role in imparting information and knowledge relating to nutrition, immunization, cleanliness and prevention of diseases common in these areas.
  • Expand the Nareshwadi Centre's Health Clinic to strengthen the sustainable Health Centre to provide quality health care to children of Nareshwadi Centre. This Health Centre will also address the needs of mothers and children under the age of five from the neighboring villages.
  • Ensuring that the 500 tribal children residing at the Nareshwadi Centre receive adequate nutritious meals every day.

India Project seeks generous funding from donors

WEIF is in the process of seeking funds in support of these activities for 2012 to 2015. We continue to be inspired by the meaningful work taking place at the Nareshwadi Learning Centre, and are currently working with GVET in support of their programs through information sessions and covering the costs of tuition and board for several underprivileged, abused, and orphaned children. During our on-site visit in the summer of 2012, WEIF will provide clothing and shoes to the children currently thriving at the Centre.