MJ-Report by Sharon

SUPA Report
Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship
By,
Sharon George
Roll No. 95
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship and especially
Professor J Philip for giving me this wonderful opportunity to undergo a 3 week internship with
Makkala Jagriti. I would also like to thank Ms Prarthana Ungalkar from Ivolunteer.org for directing
me to Makkala Jagriti and Mrs Joy Srinivasan for taking me into Makkala Jagriti and giving me this
enriching opportunity to interact with the children and staff.
Right to Education Bill, 2005
The 86th Constitution Amendment Act added Article 21A affirming that every child between the
age of 6 and 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education. The Right to Education
Bill seeks to give effect to this Amendment.
According to this Bill the State shall ensure a school in every child’s neighbourhood. Every school
shall conform to certain minimum standards defined in the Bill.
Government schools shall provide free education to all admitted children. Private schools shall
admit at least 25% of children from weaker sections; no fee shall be charged to these children.
Screening tests at the time of admission and capitation fees are prohibited for all children.
Government schools will be managed by School Management Committees mostly composed of
parents. Teachers will be assigned to a particular school; there will be no transfers.
The National Commission for Elementary Education shall be constituted to monitor all aspects of
elementary education including quality
Table of Contents
Introduction
2
The Underprivileged Child
4
The Makkala Jagriti Mission and Vision
6
Objectives and Values
7
Founder-Joy Srinivasan
9 - 10
Trustees
12
Staff Members
14 - 16
Partnership with Dream A Dream Foundation
18
Collaboration with other NGO’s/Organizations
19
Location
21 - 22
A Day at Makkala Jagriti
24
The Learning Areas
26 - 27
Other Activities
29 - 31
My Role
33 - 34
My Learning
36
Conclusion
38
Introduction
Being a student of the Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship I was privileged to
work with Makkala Jagriti as part of my PGDBM course during a 3 week winter break.
Our college is one amongst the few business schools that requires its students to undergo such
an internship with a social institution or NGO. This training or internship is aimed at helping students
understand how such institutions are managed and how we as citizens of this country can make
a difference. It helps develop a social conscience amongst the students. This is known as the
Socially Useful Productive Activity or SUPA and introduces its students to the unique concept
known as “Social Entrepreneurship”.
I decided to work with an organization known as Makkala Jagriti, which is a learning center for
children and is situated in Adugodi, Bangalore. My 3 week internship with Makkala Jagriti taught
me many things, most importantly to never take my schooling for granted and that I am one of the
privileged few to have received the education that has been imparted to me thus far.
I shall take you through my journey and share with you my experiences with this unique learning
2
center and its special children.
The Underprivileged Child
India is home to almost 19 percent of the world’s children. 42 percent of the population of India
consists of children under the age of 18. The total expenditure on children in 2005 - 2006 in
health, education, development and protection together is 4.91 percent of the Union Budget 200607. The share of resources for child protection is 0.034 percent .
Despite the fact that elementary education has become a fundamental right since a change to the
Constitution in 2002, official counts say 35 million children are still being deprived of their right
to education. In other words, 19 of every 100 children are out of school. Of those that do attend,
53 will drop out before completing, and 66 percent of those that drop out are girls (HAQ 2005).
The average girl spends
1.8 years
in school as compared to 5.5
years for boys. Of those
denied their right to education, a large proportion are from socially disadvantaged groups. And,
though legislation does exist and a policy of inclusive education, a government study in 2004
revealed that only 0.51 percent disabled students are in mainstream educational institutions at
the school level.
On an average, an upper primary school is 3 km away in 22 percent of habitations. More than 50
percent of the girls in the country do not enroll in schools. When working outside the family,
children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week, at the cost of education and 60
million children are thought to be child labourers. More than 35 million children in the 6-14 age
group are out of school and only 45.8 percent girls complete education in rural areas as compared
to 66.3 percent boys. In urban areas,
66.3 percent girls complete education as opposed to
80.3 percent boys.
4
These figures and statistics are shocking and appalling.
The Makkala Jagriti Mission
Makkala Jagriti is an organization which was founded by Joy Srinivasan in 2003. “Makkala” stands
for “children” and “Jagriti” means “awakening” or “awareness” in Kannada .This organization is a
learning center which aims at working towards supporting the holistic development of children
from the disadvantaged segments of society. Makkala Jagriti works not only with the children, but
also with their parents and teachers to facilitate all-round progress. It provides a space for the
children where they can engage in meaningful and enriching after school programmes. They
have three centers currently reaching out to over 200 children situated in Adugodi, HSR layout
and an upcoming center at a construction site in Langford Town.
Vision
Makkala Jagriti aims at creating a space to help develop the underprivileged child and increase
exposure and create awareness amongst the children and community. This in turn would help
developing the community by integrating underprivileged children from various schools and
locations. This organization aims at bridging the gap so that these children have the equivalent
skills and knowledge that a privileged child would have. It aims at helping children find their own
feet and keeping them from the abuses they face from society. Adult development programs and
workshops are also aimed at empowering the community.The staff members are also members of
the community who have been integrated into the organization and are being empowered with the
6
management of the center.
Objectives
The objectives of this organization are the following
-
Impart and support training programs/workshops aimed at enhancing the ability of teachers
to teach the child better
-
Impart and support training programs and workshops focused on enhancing the personality
of children/parents/teachers
-
Identify volunteers who will assist needy children with academics
-
Award scholarships, fellowships, educational grants and prizes to deserving needy children
-
Formulate programs which will provide funds for needy children to pursue their education
at school, college and vocational training
-
Establish/maintain libraries, reading rooms
Support/encourage Cultural, Social and Sporting activities and create environmental
awareness which are relevant to the child’s development
Values
-
Being child-centered and aware of the child’s needs at each stage
-
Walking with the child in his/her journey of self discovery
-
Looking through the child’s eyes
-
Respecting boundaries
-
Having faith in the child and helping children have faith in themselves
7
The founders of Makkala Jagriti believe in
Founder - Joy Srinivasan
Joy Srinivasan is the founder of Makkala Jagriti. She is a social entrepreneur who has stepped
out of a comfy corporate life and has decided to touch and uplift the lives of many by creating
this organization in Bangalore called Makkala Jagriti, which was started in 2003.
Her dedication and passion have helped her put her dreams into action and she has
spearheaded the organization and helped it grow from supporting a few random children, to
now over a hundred; from one learning center in 2005 to now 3; from gathering resources for
her endeavors from a few well-meaning friends to now having several organizations supporting
her cause; from being a single person with a mission to being a network of partner organizations
helping her achieve that mission.
On completion of her degree Joy chose to specialize in Behavioural Sciences. She is a
professional member of ISABS (Indian Society for Applied Behavioral Science) and has also
undergone a five year certified woman’s leadership course with AVANI. She has worked with
PSI, Digital, and Compaq. Her dream was to create awareness and help children realize that
they have a right to education. Initially she used to help her household help by giving them
financial support to continue their studies but after thirteen years in the corporate world she
decided the time was right to put her dreams into reality and create a learning center which
would aim at imparting quality education to the needy children and in turn empowering the
community.
She received support from family and friends initially but thereafter the funds started flowing
in from other organizations and corporates like VITAGE and Wipro who sponsor the monthly
operational expenses of the centers. She sees Makkala Jagriti’s greatest strength as being
9
an organization which is able to collaborate and network well with corporates.
After starting up the Adugodi center she started another learning center in HSR layout. Makkala
Jagriti empowered the local community folk to take control of the management of the center
and many parents are now full time staff of the centers. A temporary center in Ulsoor was
started where construction workers sent their children to learn while they worked in the
construction site. This center wound up its operations as soon as the construction was complete
but now another learning center is going to be set up on similar lines in Langford Town where
construction is underway.
Once the learning centers were running smoothly Joy decided to step back and concentrate
on the further development of the centers. Makkala Jagriti is now focusing on the institutional
development of these centers and the steps that the organization needs to take to grow from
strength to strength. The centre conducted Vision building exercises with all the stakeholders’
i.e. children, parents, funding organizations, volunteers and staff members to find out what
their vision for the organization is.
The center’s ultimate aim would be to create more learning centers in different communities
and bring up an efficient system with internal change agents. Makkala Jagriti also plans on
setting up a Montessori for the two to five year old aged group. Finally Makkala Jagriti aims at
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tying up with schools to provide children with all the facilities that Makkala Jagriti has to offer.
Trustees
Uma Shankar
Uma has been a Montessori an ever since she attended her training course way back in 1983 in
Calcutta. After teaching at the Abacus Montessori School in Chennai for seven years she decided
to intern with Mrs. Meenakshi Sivaramakrishnan at Bangalore and began the Center for Montessori
Training, Chennai in 1998. She has also worked with NGO’s as well as the Government of Tamil
Nadu in bringing the principles of the Montessori Method to many Teacher Training Programmes/
Workshops at the district level.
Shaheen Ali
Shaheen is currently returning to active work after a gap of almost 10 years. She graduated from
St. Xavier’s Calcutta and worked for three years with REACH, a school for special children. Along
with teaching these children she was also involved in public awareness campaigns and fund
raising. In Bangalore she has also worked with a center for physically challenged adults.
Viswanath G
Viswanath is presently an Organization Development consultant with Organizations & Alternatives
which he founded in 1994.Prior to being a consultant he worked for 13 years in the industry. He is
also on the advisory board of the Center of Montessori Training, Chennai. At the Essae TAPMI
Academy he has been teaching courses on Organization Development and Culture, Human
12
Resource Management and Building Learning Organizations.
Staff Members
Another unique feature of the learning center is the staff. Most of the staff members are parents
who have been integrated into the center and have been given the responsibility of managing the
center. A staff meeting is held every month where the staff of all the centers interact and share
their experiences. What struck me was the fact that everyone is treated as equal. All the staff
members are entrusted with equal responsibilities for the growth and management of the center
and this can be seen through their dedication to it. I was privileged to work with the following staff
members in the Adugodi learning center.
Sapna Rajkumari
Sapna was the first person I met at Makkala Jagriti. What struck
me was her passion and enthusiasm for the center. Hailing from a
Sociology background and having prior work experience with SOS
children’s village of India where she worked as a PR executive,
Sapna’s role in Makkala Jagriti has been of anchoring the center
as well as being a resource person. Her work also includes
administration of the center as well as coordinating the various
Sapna & Manjula S with the
children
projects within the center.
Manjula S
Manjula was initially introduced to Makkala Jagriti by her daughter
who had joined the learning center. At first she was a volunteer but
after honing her spoken English and computer skills, she was put
in charge of the center’s administration and finance. She has been
with the center for more than one and a half years and her energy
and easy interaction with the children is admirable. Her role also
includes coordinating the various activities within the learning center.
14
Left to Right: Sapna, Vanitha
(Top), Sharon, Manjula S
(Bottom)
Vanitha P
Vanitha’s interest in Makkala Jagriti began when her daughter, Deepika
joined the learning center. Initially she helped around with the housekeeping
but soon she was integrated as one of the staff members and now is one
of the key persons who manages the children and coordinates the activities
which take place within the center. I admire her for her willpower as she
learnt to read and write English only after coming to the center under the
guidance of Tara Ramkumar. She and her 3 children Deepika, Shalini and
Madhu have been with the center for more than 20 months.
Vanitha with her
children
Manjula R
Inspired by Vanitha’s success at learning English, Manjula came to the
center as a student eager to also learn the language. Her daughter,
Gayathri, also joined the center. After being in the center for 6 months her
role now includes Kannada reading with the children and also helping with
the management of the center.
The staff at Makkala
Jagriti
D Chandrika
After attending a parent meeting at Makkala Jagriti, Chandrika decided to put her teaching abilities
to use and joined the center 6 months back. She had previously taught English, Hindi and Social
Studies at Vidyasagar English Medium Public School. At Makkala Jagriti her role includes English
and Kannada Reading with children and also handling the arts and crafts section.
Basamma D
Basamma was introduced to Makkala Jagriti when the Ulsoor Construction Project was underway.
Her husband was a construction worker there and on seeing the learning center which was started
at the construction site for the construction workers children, he encouraged her to get involved
with its activities. She has been involved with the learning center for 8 months now and along with
15
the general housekeeping she regularly interacts with the children.
Ismail Gani
When Ismail’s friend working with Hippocampus told him about Makkala Jagriti, his interest was
piqued. Having finished his Secondary Education, Ismail learnt computer basics at the center and
now spearheads the Computer Room. He teaches the children how to type, the basics of Microsoft
Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Paint and also the Internet. He also introduces the children to educational
games and teaches craft. He has been with the center for 20 months.
The following people are the resource persons in Makkala Jagriti
Tara Ramkumar
A Social Worker by profession, Mrs. Tara Ramkumar learnt about Makkala Jagriti through
Hippocampus where her grandson was a member . Having learnt
the Montessori Method of teaching by default (on teaching her son)
she has been the driving force in Makkala Jagriti and has introduced
the children to English Reading. Her goal is to develop fluency in
English amongst the children and this would have ripple effects
and in time lead them to mastering the art of the language. On
becoming a member of the Eloor and Hippocampus Libraries, she
has expanded the library base of the center. She is instrumental in
Tara teaching the children
developing a structured approach to teaching English, Hindi and Mathematics to the children. Her
passion and dedication to the underprivileged shines through as she also teaches at the Spastic
Society.
G S Moorthy
Moorthy began his journey with Makkala Jagriti as a coordinator
and then became a resource person facilitating Tamil learning
amongst the children. He also coordinated the Dream Theatre
Workshops and continues to coordinate the Bala Janagraha
Workshops at the center. Being a businessman this has been his
first experience in teaching children. Having been with the center
Moorthy & the gang
for merely 5 months, Moorthy has already endeared himself to the
16
children and staff and is an integral member of the center.
Partnership with Dream A Dream Foundation
Makkala Jagriti partners with Dream A Dream Foundation.
Dream A Dream was started in November 1999 by a group of 11 young people. Dream A Dream
today is a professionally run, registered not-for-profit trust working with over 500 children coming
from vulnerable backgrounds such as children from the streets / slum communities, runaway
children, orphans, and HIV+ children among others.
“Empowering children from vulnerable backgrounds by developing life skills and at the same time
sensitizing the community through active volunteering, leading to a non-discriminatory society
where unique differences are appreciated”, is the vision of Dream A Dream
They hope to achieve this by providing sustained life skill development programmes to children
through exposure to sports, outdoor camps, creative arts, reading based programmes, computer
training programmes, cinema and theatre among others. Secondly, by creating a strong community
participation model through volunteer-based programmes leading to empowerment and
sensitization of children’s issues amongst the community. Today, this has developed into a fullfledged programme including over 500 volunteers.
Dream A Dream wants to create an empowered future for all, by creating an environment where
the unique difference of each individual are acknowledged and appreciated. Their vision is of an
integrated society where differences exist but discriminations don’t.
Dream A Dream in partnership with basic support providing institutions aims to maximize the
impact of positive intervention on a vulnerable child. This is possible at one end of the spectrum
by empowering these children to be able to make their own conscious choices. At the other end,
the impact will be greater, if the mainstream community is sensitized and made to realize that
every individual is unique irrespective of their socio-economic, physical, mental or psychological
background and that uniqueness needs to be appreciated, thus leading to an empowered future
18
for all.
Collaboration with other NGOs/Organizations
Hippocampus
This organization provides reading programme support and enables children to associate and
read story books.
Ananya Trust
This trust helps in training the teachers and parents and aims at collaboration between the two.
iVolunteer
iVolunteer supports by sending volunteers from various Corporates.
Tomato
Tomato is an organization which organizes adventure travel trips and teaches children on proper
19
food habits.
Location
The Learning Centers are strategically located in central areas which are near to schools and
underprivileged communities. The Center is located in such areas which are easily accessible to
the children by foot from their homes so that transport would not be a problem. Here in Adugodi
itself there are more than 10 schools and children from outside areas such as Wilson Garden and
21
Shanthi Nagar have also started coming.
Some of the schools in the area are the following:
1. Munichinappa Govt Primary School
2. Padmavati Girls High School
3. Gangamma Girls High School
4. Nethaji High School
5. Vivenkananda International Public School
6. S N School
7. Satyanarayana Primary School
8. Baldwin Methodist Kannada High School
9. Hombegodi Boys High School
10. Santhi Vidyalaya Primary School
11. Holy Grace Convent
12. St. Micheals English Medium School
13. Maruti Udyalaya Kannada Medium School
14. Srimathi Narmada Memorial School
22
15. St. Srasa English Medium School
A Day at Makkala Jagriti
A day at Makkala Jagriti starts at 4 pm when the first batch of more than 50 children arrive. Each
batch has an hour to spend at Makkala Jagriti and there are three batches which go on till 7:30 pm
each day.
The children have a variety of activities to choose from- computer learning,
reading in the library, playing in the playroom or learning from the resource
persons available at the center. The children are not restricted to any room
and are free to choose any activity.
The Adugodi Learning center now has 175 children and around 100 children
are waitlisted. After a child is registered with the center, he/she is asked to
come after 15 days. During the first week the child’s attendance is monitored
The boys in front of the
Theme
and if any child is irregular to the center, action will be taken. Sometimes parents approach the
center for financial assistance and after the case is reviewed, financial assistance is provided.
After each batches timing is up it is time for “Circle Time”. During
this time all the children are gathered in a circle for interaction with
one of the staff members. During this time the children are
encouraged to speak of their daily activities and announcements
are made regarding workshops or trips which the children are to
Circle Time in Session
take part in.
Every month the children are supposed to put up a “Theme”. During the month I was at the center
the theme was “birds”. All the children are required to contribute towards the theme and pictures
and paintings are put up on a canvas. This is aimed at helping the children unleash their creativity
24
and also learn how to work in a group.
The Learning Areas
The learning center is divided into 4 learning areas
1. The Computer Room
2. The Play Room
3. The Library
4. The Study Room
1. The Computer Room
The computer room is equipped with 8 computers with internet access
and this is the most sought after learning area by the children. Children
are taught how to type and use programs like Microsoft Word, Paint and
PowerPoint. The children are also allowed to play educational games like
puzzles and math quizzes. After the initial training the children are taught
how to use the internet and email addresses are created for each of them
and they are encouraged to use this. This facility is very educational as
most of these children would not even be able to access such technology
Computer savvy Children
either in their schools or at their residences. Makkala Jagriti has identified computer awareness
as one of the basic necessities that these children lack and would like to bridge that gap.
2. The Play Room
This is the second most sought after of the learning areas. Here
the children are encouraged to play games ranging from caroms to
scrabble and puzzles. Children learn to work in teams and also
learn important communication and interaction skills in this area.
Many of the children have never played with toys and this gives
them the opportunity to learn and grow by playing and interacting
with each other.
26
Play time in the Play Room
3. The Library
The Library is fully equipped with story books, educational books,
magazines and other reading material. Here the children are encouraged
to read and most of the times a resource person will help them in honing
their reading abilities and learning new words and phrases. English and
Kannada are taught here. This is where I spent most of my time helping
the children read and encouraging them to speak in English. This learning
area aims at creating a space where children can come and read and also
do their homework if they have and receive help if they require it. Children
Reading Sessions in the
Library
should realize that reading is fun and should not be afraid to learn new things.
4. The Study Room
This room facilitates Tamil learning. The children are encouraged
to read and write and also interact in Tamil. This learning area again
helps in honing the communication skills of the children from multi
lingual backgrounds. Children also use this room to practice dance
and theatre workshops are also conducted here.
27
Study time with Moorthy
Other Activities
What makes Makkala Jagriti special is that it encourages children to learn and also provides a
home away from home for these children after school. It also has various other activities which
help in the holistic development of the children and in increasing their awareness of the environment.
By partnering with other organizations like Dream a Dream Foundation, Janagraha and
Hippocampus the children are exposed to a variety of activities and workshops.
1. Dream Cinema
This programme is aimed at screening good quality children’s movies for children and using this
as a platform to build creative thinking and critical thinking skills among the children. The programme
also helps in engaging in meaningful discussions with the children, contextualizing the movie to
their real-life situations and helps them gain perspective. Movies such as Life is Beautiful, Children
of Heaven, Dreams, The Bicycle Thief and Iqbal have been screened for the children.
2. Dream Drama
Paul, a volunteer from Dream A Dream teaches Drama to the children in the center, once a week.
The children are encouraged to enact plays and also communicate in English. This is both
educational and interesting for the children. Creativity and talent are unleashed in such sessions.
3. Dream Computer Programme
An enthralling programme designed and executed by volunteers using games, activities and
innovative methodologies to introduce children to the engaging world of computers. Each child
goes through 3 levels of computer learning teaching them computer hardware, opening and saving
files, creating folders, paint, word, and the internet. Over 70 children are currently participating in
the programme at various levels. The programme is spearheaded by Dr. Rajkumar Rao, Dean at
the Center for American Education and Mr. Girish Krishnamurthy from Hewlett Packard. Supported
by a grant from IBM and premises provided by KAPS IT Solutions ltd., this programme has been
29
running successfully since 2004.
4. Adventure Programmes
In partnership with The Adventurers - A Wilderness School run by SLN Swamy, an Ashoka Fellow
in Bangalore, Dream A Dream has initiated a unique outdoor adventure programme for the children
Nature is the best teacher that children can have. Through activities such as trekking, water
sports, camping on an island, nature walks and protecting the environment, children are instilled
with life-skills such as problem solving, decision making, creative thinking, interpersonal skills and
survival skills. These camps are held at Honnemardu, a small hamlet in the Western Ghats forests
of Karnataka. Camps are held in phases each year. Phase 1 camp focuses on Team-Building
Skills, Phase 2 camp on Problem Solving Skills and Phase 3 on Leadership Skills.
5. Civic Awareness and Community Service Activities
This is a unique community service programme where children from vulnerable communities
engage in community service projects. Starting June 2006, Dream A Dream tied up with Bangalore
Bridges, an initiative started by 2 young people to engage children from diverse socio-economic
backgrounds from a neighborhood to understood the needs and issues in their neighborhood and
participate in creating a better neighborhood. 15 children from partner Makkala Jagriti are part of
this 2 month project.
Janaagraha, an NGO working on civic participation in the efficient functioning of the government
has a Bala Janaagraha project aimed at sensitizing and making children aware of their civic
responsibilities in a fun-filled, engaging way. The programme run by volunteers not only makes
the children better citizens but also builds better citizen volunteers.
6. Mumbai Marathon
On the 21st of January, few of the children of Makkala Jagriti will take part in the Standard Chartered
International Mumbai Marathon.40 volunteers from Dream A Dream will also take part in the
marathon- some doing the 6-km Dream Run, some the 21-km Half-marathon and some the 42km grueling full-marathon. The mission is to raise Rs 25,00,000/- (approx. $ 57,000) for Dream A
Dream’s core vision of “Empowering children from vulnerable backgrounds by developing life
skills and at the same time sensitizing the community through active volunteering leading to a
30
non-discriminatory society where unique differences are appreciated.”
7. Self Defense Classes
Self Defense classes are also taught by volunteers of Itithas to the girls of Makkala Jagriti. These
young girls in turn are now teaching the other girls and have formed a group which meets every
week to hone their skills.
8. Parenting Workshops
Parenting Workshops are held and this intervention has helped
parents gain more self-confidence and receive conceptual inputs
on child development and know more about self, interpersonal
relationships. They feel these workshops have helped them gain
better understanding of their children and they would be in a better
position to support them. Parents have been persuaded to meet,
connect & interact with various resource people so they can break
Parent Wokshop
away from inhibitions. Further, it empowers them to free from the clutches of classification that
they hold in the society. Parent meetings are held on every second Sunday of the month to
increase interaction and provide information to the parents on their child’s progress.
9. Teachers Training Workshop
These workshops look at alternative teaching aids and methodology to facilitate a better learning
environment for children. An improvement in the quality of education can be achieved by working
with teachers and there needs to be a paradigm shift from a “teacher-centric” classroom to a
“learner-centric” classroom”.
The teachers training workshop covers the following topics:
Role of the teacher
Philosophy/approaches to learning
Sociology of Education
Communication
Skills Development
Designing Curriculum
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Creating Teaching-learning aids
My Role
I shall take you through the role I played in the learning centre.
Initially I began interacting with children and getting to know them. I was introduced as the “Aunty
who does not know Kannada, Tamil or Hindi.” Communication was a problem initially, but this was
soon overcome as I learnt how to communicate through a mixture of English and broken Kannada.
Reading Sessions
Tara Ramkumar is the resource person in charge of the reading sessions and teaching spoken
English to the children. Unfortunately she met with an accident and therefore the children were
bereft of a teacher. I decided to take up the challenge. I began by taking the children through
reading sessions. The children being from various backgrounds each had their own reading
competency. I was surprised and very taken aback that children from higher secondary were not
able to comprehend or even read simple sentences. This is a reflection of the poor educational
system and quality of education imparted to the children from government schools. The
determination and willingness to learn was what struck me as special amongst these children.
Slowly I encouraged them to read different books and not stick to the ones prescribed for them to
read. The elder children were slightly more difficult to handle. Initially reluctant they soon warmed
up to me and started reading with me.
Language Games
After some time I decided that a change needed to be made and introduced some language
learning games like Pictionary. This was an instant hit amongst the little ones. The fact that they
got to draw and had to guess what the picture was in English caused a lot of excitement. Amongst
the elder children I introduced Dumb Charades and this was also a source of enjoyment and
33
learning for the children.
Spoken English
I had the privilege of teaching Spoken English to two eager and determined
young women- Prema and Vanitha. Both of them had completed their
higher secondary and wanted to apply for jobs. They found that most of
the jobs required Spoken English language skills which they lacked.
Therefore they came to me everyday and strived to learn the language
which had eluded them thus far. They are still going to the center and
learning under the guidance of Mrs. Tara Ramkumar.
Prema, Vanitha & me
Interaction with Symphony Services
During the second week I was invited to attend an interactive session between volunteers from
Symphony Services and the children of Makkala Jagriti. The children were very free and open
with the volunteers and after a few introductory games the volunteers were smitten. I interacted
34
with the volunteers from Symphony Services and shared my experiences at the centre with them.
My Learning
I learnt a lot in the three weeks that I interned with Makkala Jagriti.
-
I learnt that change takes time and that the only way change can happen is if we are dedicated
to the cause. I saw this dedication in each member of the learning centre from Joy to all the
staff members.
-
The fact that the parents were involved and have started managing the centre intrigued me. I
learnt how Makkala Jagriti not only brought about change in the children’s lives but also how
it influenced the community and empowered the community members.
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I learnt that although language is not a barrier for truly expressing oneself, language skills
are very important in this day and age. The children have flourished under the guidance of all
the members of Makkala Jagriti. It was heart warming to see children learning English and
other languages they had never been exposed to.
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I learnt that the learning centre not only helps in developing a community but also helps in
integrating different communities as children from other communities have also started enrolling.
I was impressed with the other activities especially the outdoor camps and self defense
workshops that these children were exposed to. I learnt that these activities not only help in
the holistic development of a child but also teaches them valuable lessons like team work.
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Conclusion
The experience of interacting with the children and the staff at Makkala Jagriti was an extremely
memorable journey and one which I will treasure forever. I learnt a lot during my three week
tenure there and I have great respect and admiration for Joy Srinivasan who had this vision and
made it a reality.
I see the learning centre growing from strength to strength. Challenges like increasing rents, lack
of cooperation from neighbours and parents, lack of volunteers and funding and facilities for
children to play sports will always crop up. Makkala Jagriti will face these challenges with the
determination and spirit that it is made of.
I will continue to volunteer at the centre and monitor its progress with eagerness. The centre has
had a profound influence on these children and I hope to see many more of these centers influence
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many more lives and bring many more smiles.