Asha for Education

Project Brief: Improvements to the infrastructure and education at ICDS Balwadis in Central Chennai area.
Project Type: Formal Schools (description)
Primary Focus: to go to formal school (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Urban
Supporting Chapter Contact: Chennai

Status: completed - requirements ended
Project Steward: Kasturi Easwaran
Project Partner(s): Kasturi Easwaran
Other Contacts: Ananth ES
Project Address: , ,,,
Tamil Nadu 
Tel:
Stewarding Chapter: Chennai

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is a central government initiative to provide services to ensure proper growth and development of pre-school children 0-6 years of age in rural, tribal and slum areas. ICDS runs several Balwadis (pre-primary education centres) across the country targeting children 2-5 years of age. During these pre-primary years is when children make great strides in development, especially in the following areas:

* Cognitive Development – Thinking and reasoning abilities that help children learn letters, colours, counting, and develop their imagination.
* Language Development – They begin to learn more number of words between 50 words at age 2 to thousands of words at age 5.
* Sensory and Motor Development – Kids at age 2 learn to walk up and down stairs, make small strokes with a pencil, kick a ball, while kids at age 5 can make simple drawings and write some letters.

In 2003-04, volunteers of Asha Chennai undertook a study of several Balwadis in Chennai and made quite a few observations. These Balwadis were typically places where children ate and remained inactive. There were no materials for children to explore and learn, and not much to stimulate the child. Not much teacher guidance was available because the Balwadi teachers were constantly doing a lot of administrative work. The teachers seemed to be wasting valuable time just getting children to be quiet while she should have been facilitating children’s activities.

Also, these Balwadis lacked basic facilities like electricity and water. There were no toilets. For cooking, they typically used wood for fuel with a bad chimney causing smoke to enter the buildings. There were often other infrastructural problems like leaking roof. Further they lacked playing materials, plates/tumblers for eating, mats for lying down, etc. Environment and hygienic conditions left much to be desired.

In such a set-up, a lack of direction and instruction hampers the development of children’s important skills during pre-primary years. Based on the study, Asha decided to help with some of these Balwadis in the hope of bringing about positive changes. The government departments in charge of this scheme were happy about this study and allowed Asha to go ahead with this project. A letter allowing the improvements was obtained from this Department of Social Welfare. The people at the ground level (the teachers and helpers at the Balwadi as well as the people of these communities) welcomed our involvement.

Over the past few years, we have been closely involved with six Balwadis through this project:

* Oorur Kuppam (Nos. 1078 & 1082) – two centres in one building (twin)
* Ekambaram Pillai St. (1054)
* Ekambaram Pillai St. (1057)
* Nochi Nagar (1063 & 1064) – twin centres
* Nochi Kuppam (1065)
* Nochi Kuppam (1066)

Asha has made several improvements in these Balwadis over the years.

* Employed additional teachers to actively engage children and promote consistent learning focused primarily on cognitive, language and sensory development.
* Trained teachers regularly through workshops.
* Provided toys and educational materials, as well as stationery items such as picture charts, chart paper, sketch pens, glue, pencils and erasers to all Balwadis.
* In terms of building repairs, significant contributions have been made toward fixing leaking roofs, ground repairs, and kitchens.
* Items for improving and maintaining cleanliness such as cleaning liquids, toilette soaps, towels and brushes have been provided.
* Kitchen items like vessels, pots, water jugs and drums were also supplied.

Asha volunteers have also solved a few vandalism issues and civic problems with the co-operation of the police and municipality. Better teaching quality and educating the parents of the Balwadi children about hygiene and cleanliness are other steps that Asha has taken.

We at Asha Chennai hope to continue aiding FirstStep Balwadis in a constructive manner and take up more Balwadis for improvement in the future.

Jun 2010 2010-11 budget
Jan 2010 Internship report by Aditi
Dec 2009 Report by Anuradha
Jun 2009 Expense report from Apr'08 to May'09
Apr 2009 2009-10 reduced budget for WAH-2009
Apr 2009 2009-10 Budget (for Chennai chapter)
Apr 2009 2009-10 Proposal (Asha proposal form) for WAH-2009
Apr 2009 Site visits by Ananth
Mar 2009 2008-09 Report
Mar 2009 2008-09 Report (Asha feedback form)
Nov 2008 Report by Teach-India volunteer Hitesh
May 2008 2007-08 Report and 2008-09 Proposal
Feb 2008 Site visit report
Jun 2007 Project Proposals 2007-08
May 2007 Annual Report for 2006-07
Nov 2006 Proposal 2006-07
Jul 2006 Newspaper article
Apr 2006 Report
Nov 2005 Proposal for 2005-06
Oct 2005 Construction costs at Ekambaram Pillai St Balwadi
Mar 2005 Report
Mar 2005 Proposal
Dec 2004 Initial reports on the Balwadis by Ananth