An inspiring story of dedication towards work.

To take the teaching tool bag to Latur, Phadke Sir took a lot of effort to coordinate with Badame Sir who could not take the bag or make any arrangements for the same. Finally, Phadke Sir took the bag to Latur. Sachin Sir, despite being on leave for his brother's wedding, collected the bag from Latur station and took it to the class. Girls in class handled the tools in the bag with great interest and also read all the books in the bag. As the bag could reach the students, it lifted everyone's spirits and classes could be conducted with more enthusiasm.

A beautiful experience parents of a DSS student had, with our teachers and volunteers.

 In the Hadapsar CLC area, Vinit Sir teaches English to students of 6th grade. He works in Cognizant. As some students had some difficulties, with the permission of the supervisor and coordinator, he decided to have a discussion with the parents. Vinit Sir stays abroad and takes English classes over Google meet. He spoke to the parents of Vaishnavi Bansode as to how they should pay attention to her studies. The parents said they will follow his advice. Later, the parents spoke to supervisor Manisha Dhanavde and told her that in spite of admitting their child to a private school with a fee of Rs.10000, no one addresses our queries. However, DSS teachers take regular followup of students due to which we see improvement in our kids. Since Vaishnavi attends English classes, she makes a good effort at speaking English and improvement has been seen. She also takes science classes and a positive change has been noticed. My difficulty is that every time while leaving for work, I cannot keep my phone at my place. So for the class duration, I come to my place to let her use my phone. Sometimes I find it difficult to return and provide her with the phone at the given time. Overall, DSS teachers and volunteers take good followup of our kids. We are not given much importance even where we pay money, while at DSS, all our concerns are addressed and due to their involvement and follow-up, we are seeing immense improvement in our kids.

Our small effort in creating awareness about the importance of education.

 On 12th December 2020, a parents' meeting was organized at Mr. Abdul Ajij's brick baking site at Punavale. The meeting was about admitting kids to school. During the meeting, the importance of education and the law about the right to education was discussed. After this, two parents expressed willingness to admit their three kids to school. In all, 5 parents were present for this meeting.

Testimonial by Manali Oak

I have been working with DSS for over 3 years now. My work has majorly been in creative writing, translations, and social media. It has been a fulfilling experience to be able to contribute in my own small way towards the noble cause that DSS is working for. The team members I have worked with, have always been kind and cooperative and I look forward to working with DSS in various domains where I can help. With the strong leadership and dedicated volunteers that constitute the DSS team, it surely has a long way to go. Wishing DSS all the best and a very Happy Volunteers Day to everyone!

Children's day Engagement Program

 Under the Reading Culture program, on the occasion of Children's Day, some online activities were conducted for students of grade 5th to 8th, on November 25, 2020. Activities included writing information about Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, drawing forts, rangoli drawing, and sending photos of the same. Students had to select any one activity and complete it. For students of grades 1 to 4, activities conducted included rangoli drawing and drawing forts. Kids enjoyed the activities conducted for Children's Day!

Testimonial by Mr. Pandurang Thorat (Shikshan Mitra)

Shikshan Mitra is motivated and enthusiastic individuals from the community who understand the importance of education and are inclined to help parents and children around them towards continued education of children Once such Shikshan Mitra is Mr. Pandurang Thorat who has written a heartfelt experience he had working with DSS.

 

Greetings to all fellow members of the Shikshan Mitra group. Friends, on 15th October 2020, I left Charholi and shifted to my hometown. I wished to work for DSS. The work gave me great satisfaction as it was a small contribution towards the noble cause that DSS is working for, to ensure that no child remains deprived of education. I used to enjoy my work. The work of DSS is really commendable. They do not discriminate between rich and poor, weak, and strong. 

*DSS works to provide education to children of construction site workers. People from small towns coming to Pune or Mumbai to earn a living in the field of construction are not able to continue their children's education. Sometimes, older kids in their families have to leave their education and accompany their parents to take care of younger siblings.* DSS works towards providing education to these kids. I was proud to be working as a Shikshan Mitra with DSS. However, as they say, change is inevitable, due to an unavoidable reason, I had to return to my hometown.

I don't want to part ways with DSS with a thankyou. The support that DSS extended to me and my parents, is unforgettable. The organization I worked with, did not think about me or my family. They were only concerned about their labor work. DSS gave me the real support I required. Like I said before, I do not want to part ways with DSS. I want to continue working with them even from my hometown. While working, I hope that DSS will stand by me. 

Friends, I could be a part of DSS due to Satpute sir Ramteke mam, Gore mam, Gurav mam and I am proud of this. In the future too, they will be with me.

Words won't be enough to express what I feel about DSS. Keep me in your thoughts.

Your Shikshan Mitra

 Mr. Pandurang Rohidas Thorat.

Door Step School would like to thank Monica Manmadkar, for raising around 32K (INR) and Mr.Girish Manmadkar for collaborating with his organization to match the same amount. This will go a long way in helping our children.

"As someone who strongly believes in the prowess of education, I have always tried to do my part in ensuring that everyone worldwide has equitable access to quality education. When I was a child, I'd volunteer with my dad for Asha For Education, helping him and other runners raise funds for children in India. As I was perusing Asha's website, I came across DSS. I immediately loved their mission, as it not only pertains to providing education but also focuses on building key soft skills. Through my organization, FUSD Challenge Success, I worked to raise funds to impact my global community and ensure that no child is left behind when it comes to getting a proper education. Our mission at FUSD Challenge Success and my commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind in education worked perfectly to make our fundraiser successful. We hosted a few events and webinars, where all of the proceeds were donated to DSS. Community members, students, and parents all were extremely supportive of this initiative and generously donated. I am glad that there was no major challenge to our fundraiser; however, I wish we'd collect more donations. I'm gratified to know that I played a role in reducing the barrier and the socioeconomic gap to education - Ms. Monica Manmadkar, USA

Testimonial by Shivani Malpani (Volunteer)

 I started teaching in DSS about 2 months ago, and I have to say it's been one of the most humbling experiences in my life. I am really intrigued by the fact that there is an organization out there that is truly helping out underprivileged children. Currently, I am teaching two extremely lovely pupils, and teaching them has in fact taught me that helping doesn't have to be very hard, and even small steps contribute a lot. That is exactly what DSS does! At DSS we try to teach children in creative and interactive ways even if it's online. I'm always looking forward to my next class! I am really proud of being a part of this organization!

Testimonial by Annmary Joy (Intern) - FLAME University

My experience with DSS came about as a result of my summer internship which was a requirement from my college. I approached Door Step School (DSS) and they accepted me as an intern for the summer of 2020. But when the time came for me to begin, there were challenges presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, DSS agreed to let me do the internship in an online mode. The DSS team was very helpful and guided me throughout the duration of my internship. Although, I was not able to physically meet with the parents or the children, I was able to reach out to the children and their parents through the various assignments given to me. As a part of my activities, I was able to understand the circumstances of the children and their families and the problems they face. As a result of this, I am in a position to fully appreciate the work being done by DSS for the education of underprivileged children. Due to the conditions of these families, the children are often forced to work, instead of going to school. During times like COVID-19 instead of learning, they are often made to earn a living. The DSS team came up with innovative ways to help the children study easily at home, even during such times. They also educated the parents on the importance of educating their children and the benefits they would get in the long term. They also made the families aware of COVID-19 and the various precautionary measures to follow to be safe. In this way, DSS is able to motivate the children to study and encourage the parents to let their children study.The efforts taken by the team is very admirable as inspiring. It was a privilege for me to have worked with such an amazing team at DSS Pune. Keep up the great work.

Nandu - Foodgrain Distribution Testimonial

 Nandu, who belongs to UP has been living with his family of four in Dagadkhan for about a year. DSS has helped enroll his son in a nearby school. He works as a laborer in the stone quarry which closed in March due to lockdown. Nandu has not received any payment since. He had to face a lot of hardship as he had no food or money at home. The quarry owner has not helped him in any way. The supervisor informed him about the Coronavirus and how no one was allowed to travel. He cannot avail of the benefits of the government either. The DSS team had been working around that site when they got to know about Nandu’s situation. When DSS gave him a bag of rations he was very grateful as now his family would not starve.

 

Digambar Jadhav - Foodgrain distribution Testimonial

 

Digambar Jadhav lives with his large family of nine. He works as a daily wage laborer doing odd jobs at a construction site, roadside, or any other work that comes his way and he is the sole bread earner of the family. He admits he did not understand the seriousness of the lockdown. He thought it was just for a few days and he would soon get back to work! The family belongs to a village near Nanded and they are in no position to go back. Not working for a particular contractor has made his life very difficult. He stood in a line for more than four hours but did not get any ration. He also has a bank account but there is nothing in it.DSS found him as they were working in that area and only DSS reached out to him and asked about his family’s welfare. He was very skeptical that DSS would help them as DSS helps in school matters. He was very emotional when DSS gave his family two bags of ration.

 

Testimonial by Mr Abhishek Jain - Cognizant Pune

"To me, DoorStepSchool has been one of the most respected organizations working in Pune. But my respect for what you have been doing went many notches up when I visited the community in Bhosari where the food kits we had donated were being distributed. I felt very humbled that day when I saw poverty in its true form and the havoc COVID-19 has created in the lives of these people. I saw people literally ready to do anything to get food grain and ready to walk as long as two KMs whether they are young or old, fit, or injured. It was a very humbling experience and I must say that I am really proud that you are supporting such a community and that Cognizant could play a small part in your endeavor. I left the place thinking that these people have a long way to go before normalcy comes back to their lives. We thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing the true service to humanity." - Mr. Abhishek Jain, Sr. Manager CSR< Regional Head Outreach, Cognizant, Pune.

We , Thank you Mr. Abhishek for your wishes and kind words.

“Stay home,Stay safe” is the messaged endorsed by our 8th grader- Roshni.

Life was beautiful and normal. Everyone was busy with their respective things. Our parents had their jobs and set routines. Schools were operating normally. We were happily going to school, playing with our friends, visiting gardens. It was so much fun! People could travel anywhere they wanted, from their home town to cities and vice versa. There was no worry about anything. Everybody was carefree and roamed around without MASKs.

2020 began with an outbreak of Corona virus in China that changed our life drastically. In no time it spread from country to country, reached all over the world and affected everything unbelievably.  And one day total “Lockdown” was declared by our honorable Prime minister in the country. Most of the offices, businesses, factories were closed down. People could not move around. Our school also closed. We stopped playing with our friends. Our parents lost their jobs. 

Travelling anywhere was banned so the workers who lost their jobs could not go back to their home town. Roads looked empty. The entire scene changed. Mask and sanitizer became the new compulsory items for everyone. People stopped going out of their homes except for essential things. As the transmission of Corona is happening rapidly, people are scared to even talk to each other. With a rise in the number of patients, hospitals are becoming overcrowded. Some patients are dying due to Corona while some people are starving due to loss of their jobs. 

We all should follow the guidelines given by our government. If we need to go out, keep proper distance from everyone, wear mask, use sanitizer. After we come back home, we should wash our hands thoroughly with normal soap. The most important thing we need to follow is “Stay home stay safe”.

Contributed by Roshni Khandare,std 8th. Translated by - Ms. Suvarna Gokhale, Volunteer DSS.

Food Kit Distribution- Testimonial

The Covid-19 lockdown has created unparalleled difficulties for daily wage workers and their loved ones. For Datta Shinde, who lives in the temporary community with his family of five, times are testing. DSS helped enroll his two children in Nagubhau Barne School in the PCMC area. The family belongs to Nanded and came to Pune in search of work a few years ago. Since then, he and his wife were working as daily laborers. Unfortunately, the lockdown started before they could make arrangements to travel, restricting any further movement.

Since March they are surviving with no work and almost no savings. The family received some dry ration from the ‘Robinhood Army’. When DSS contacted them, they were in tears; so DSS made some arrangements to get them a ready meal daily, making their lives a little easier. However, they have neither money nor the opportunity to earn money. Such tough conditions are taking a toll on their livelihood.

 

 

DKSH India collaborated with The Society for Door Step Schools in Pune, India, to help them reach out to underprivileged children with teaching tools and support their academic progress.

On March 16, 2020 DKSH India’s Human Resources team organized a day visit to The Society for Door Step Schools (DSS) in Pune, Maharashtra. During the discussion they were enlightened by the organization’s signature program “The School on Wheels”. DKSH India’s team also visited the municipal primary school, where the children received a variety of reading materials by the Door Step School’s “Book Fairies” with the aim of enhancing their reading skills. Besides providing books, they conducted vocabulary games, narrated stories and sang in groups. Atul Nagarkar, Managing Director, DKSH India, commented: “We are happy to donate towards this good cause. We hope our contribution will help The Society for Door Step Schools to develop innovative teaching tools and materials. The goal is to help children achieve their expected learning levels and be adequately prepared with the basic education before they enter primary school.” To read more kindly check the link below.

https://www.dksh.com/in-en/home/media/news?id=tag:xml.newsbox.ch,2020-03-16:1101.2302.digest 

Lets meet one of our Young scientist

विशेष नोंद शुभम शिवजन्म दास

      २०१८-१९ वर्षा पासून वस्ती वाचनालया मार्फत सायन्स प्रदर्शन भरवले जाते. जे  विषय मुलांना शिकवले जातात. त्या प्रयोगाचे तत्व आणि दैनंदिन जीवनात त्या प्रयोगाचा वापर  कसा होतो, किंवा कसा करून घेतात याबद्दल सांगितले जाते. तसेच या प्रयोगाला अनुसरून काय काय शिकतो, याबद्दल ही चर्चा केली जाते. यासाठी मागील दोन वर्षांपासून दोन स्वयंसेवक येतात.  त्यांची नावे  शर्मिष्ठा देशपांडे जेसीका ताई आहेत. त्या मुलांसोबत आणि शिक्षिकेसोबत काम करीत आहेत.

      शुभम शिवजन्म दास हा इयत्ता १०वी चा विद्यार्थी आहे. हा विद्यार्थी हडपसर सेंटर सुरू झाल्यापासून येत आहे. सी एल सी कडून विज्ञान प्रयोग भरवले जातात त्यामध्ये शुभम भाग घेत असतो. यावर्षी मुलांना मेजरमेन्ट हा प्रयोग घेतला होता. दिनांक २५ जानेवारी २०२० सी एल सी कडून विज्ञान प्रयोग प्रदर्शन भरवले होते. त्यामध्ये शुभमने भाग घेतला होता. त्याने मेजरमेन्टला अनुसरून व्हीलचा वापर करून,आपण कश्या पध्दतीने मीटर मध्ये मोजणी करु शकतो. एका सायकलच्या चाक घेऊन त्याला एक इंडिगेटर लाईट लावून चाक फिरल्यावर कसे दोन मीटर मोजणी होते,हे त्याने त्यांच्या प्रयोगा मार्फत दाखवले होते.

       हे प्रयोग पाहण्यासाठी आगस्त्या फौंडेशनचे श्री पांडुरंग जाधव सर आले होते. त्यांनी सांगितले की, आगस्त्या फौंडेशनकडून सध्या संपूर्ण महाराष्ट्रातून ज्या विद्यार्थ्यांना त्यांच्या प्रयोगात वेगळे पण वाटते. अश्या मुलांनी त्यांच्या प्रयोगाचे व्हिडिओ करून पाठवायचे होते. त्यासाठी सी एल सी प्रदर्शनातील २९ प्रयोगा पैकी १७ प्रयोग निवडले होते. त्यापैकी शुभम दासचा मेजरमेन्ट हा प्रयोग संपूर्ण महाराष्ट्रातून १७/२/२०२० रोजी महाराष्ट्रातून २० मध्ये त्याचा प्रयोग निवडला गेला. त्याला या प्रयोगाच्या वेळी  शर्मिष्ठा देशपांडे, जेसीका ताई, मनीषा धनवडे हडपसर सुपरवायझर यांचे मार्गदर्शन लाभले.

       दिनांक १२/३/२०२० रोजी आगस्त्या फौंडेशनकडून शुभमचा प्रयोगाचा १० क्रमांक आला आहे, असे घोषित केले गेले. आगस्त्या फौंडेशनकडून या सगळया मुलांचा एक व्हाट्सअप ग्रुप करण्यात आला आहे. सी एल सी कडून विज्ञान प्रयोग भरवल्यामुळे शुभमला चांगली संधी मिळाली आहे. त्याच्या या यशा बद्दल डोअर स्टेप स्कूलच्या डायरेक्टर भावना कुलकर्णी आणि डोअर स्टेप स्कूलच्या असोसिएट डायरेक्टर सुनीला पागे यांनी शुभम दासचे अभिनंदन केले.

Science Exhibition 2020

Enthusiasm, energy and eagerness were the three main “E”s one got to experience at Indira Model School at the Science Exhibition held on Saturday 22nd February. Door Step School had organized this science exhibition for the students to inculcate an interest for science experiments and encourage creativity.The DSS teachers, coordinators and the children themselves had taken great efforts to make the event successful. The children, with the help of their teachers showcased interesting experiments like water cycle, food chain, air/atmospheric pressure, windmill, exhaust fan, mirror reflection, periscope, thermocol recycling etc. There were informative projects and models depicting the Solar system, day and night, eclipse of the sun and the moon, functioning of our lungs, how to make paneer and its benefits, food and nutrition etc. Some projects highlighted the eco-friendly concept of reuse, reduce and recycle as well as important issues like harmful effects of smoking.

Along with the brigade of young scientists, our little mathematicians too showed some interesting math tricks and proved that they are “no” less.What really made the experiments attractive was the crisp and clear explanation of every project by the students. Hats off to our teachers for the amazing job of preparing the students so well for the exhibition!Along with the projects on solar energy and kinetic energy, the atmosphere was full of vibrant and positive energy which contributed to this science exhibition being a roaring success.

Contributed by-Ms. Suvarna Gokhale,Volunteer, DSS Pune
Photographs by- Ms. Shruti Dayal,Volunteer, DSS Pune

Rajanitai featured on Jan Bhagidari

We are glad to share with you , our Founder-President Rajanitai featuring in an interview with  Anupriya Mishra on Jan Bhagidari by New India Junction.

To watch the whole video click on the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSf4vvb6t9Q

Inter NGO sports meet.

At Door Step School, we try to work towards the overall development of our children.We firmly believe - " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". And so sports and games form an important part of the education system at DSS.Like every year, this year too children from our Community Learning Centers participated in the Inter NGO sports meet organized by Cancer India Foundation.We were one among the 12 NGOs who were part of the meet and our 56 children participated in different races like 100 m running, long jump and lemon and spoon. We won 4 gold and 1 silver medal. 

Congratulations to all children and entire DSS team! A special Thank you to our sports teacher Ms. Aruna Badhe who has inculcated the qualities of team spirit and sportsmanship among our children.

                             

Congratulations Urmila Tai..

We are very happy to share that one of our team members, Mrs. Urmila Bahirat was felicitated by Mahatma Phule Mandal, Chinchwad where she received the "Samaj Bhushan" award. She was awarded for her DSS work for out of school children in the Ravet - Punawale area since last 2.5 years. She had to work closely with the Corporator and school authorities in arranging for school transport for children in that area. This is where she met Mrs. Rekhatai Tingre, who for her commendable work, recommended Urmila tai for the Samaj Bhushan award.

Following on our earlier post of Rajanitai's and Binatai's visit to President's house....

We would like to share that they had a good forum meeting with our honorable President, Mr. Kovind on the 3rd of January 2020. Among other NGOs in the forum, two NGOs from Maharashtra had received the invite for the meeting - one being DSS. It was indeed an honour.