Asha for Education

Project Brief: Doorstep School operates in the slums of South Mumbai (Ward A). The population is migrant and most of the adults and the children work in the docks, at construction sites and as hawkers.
Project Type: Non-Formal Educational Centers (description)
Primary Focus: children from slums (description)

Secondary Focus: children of migrant workers

Area: Tribal
Supporting Chapter Contact:
NYC/NJ

Status: CLOSED - ENDED
Project Steward: Bhinish Shah
Co-Steward: Mandar Jadhav
Project Partner(s): Bina Lashkari
Project Address: Door Step School (Mumbai)
Jagannath Shankarsheth Chowk Municipal School Second Floor
Room No 54, Nana Chowk, Grant Road
Maharashtra 400 007
Tel: 011-91-22-23826343
Stewarding Chapter: NYC/NJ

Door Step School is a registered non-profit organization working in Mumbai and Pune, India. They conduct non-formal education classes for out of school and working children (7 to 18 years of age) residing in slums, on pavements, docks etc. With the introduction of the "School on Wheels" bus, Door Step has come closer to fulfilling one of its major objectives - making basic education easily accessible to a larger number of children. The bus drops off the children to school and also acts as a classroom for 5 sessions during the day. It also runs similar classes for adolescent girls whose parents are often reluctant to send them to school and have to work to supplement the family income. DSS also runs Balwadis for pre-school children, so that they are prepared to enroll in school when they are old enough. Doorstep has also recognized the need for children enrolled in school to remain so and to that end runs study classes for first generation learners who have little or no support at home.



<b><u>RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:</u></b>
The school bus used for the “School on wheels” project was old and did not conform to the RTO/Government emissions standards. This meant urgent replacement with a new bus. Door Step School went back to the Japanese consulate in Mumbai to request them, to sponsor the one time expense for the new bus as they had done for the earlier bus. The consulate has given the funding and the a brand new tata bus is on the streets helping to educate the young minds. Beyond that the project is doing great work with street children who spend most of their time begging and rag picking. Here at the School on wheels they spend few hours of their day learning the basic of education, simple math and sciences. DSS also gives them basic computer education and occasionally takes them on a picnic/movie.