Rakshabandhan Celebration at DSS

Under the Grow with Books program, Rakshabandhan was celebrated online and offline. 

The children had made Rakhis themselves, which the girls tied on the hands of boys. Thus the festival was celebrated in class with great enthusiasm.

Independence Day at DSS

In the Grow with Books program at Vadgav, in the classes of Raygad Nagar and Patil Chaal, students of the class and of the book lending program, Independence Day was celebrated.

During the celebration, the book fairy told the kids about the significance of this day. Then, the national anthem and the flag song were sung and slogans about India were given.

Nagpanchami Celebrations at DSS Class of Dhanori

On the occasion of Nagpanchami, under the home lending of books program, this festival was celebrated in the class at Dhanori.

Students were told the significance of Nagpanchami. A puja of lord Shiva, Jivati, and of a symbolic snake was performed. Children had come wearing festive clothes and took part in the puja. 

A picture of the snake was drawn on the blackboard and the classroom was decorated for the occassion.

How can Education help underprivileged students

 Importance of Education

Education is a basic necessity to survive in this world. Education is a powerful and significant tool. “50% of Indian children aged 6-18 do not go to school.” A good education can pave the way out of poverty for families from low-income groups. Education enables underprivileged students to gain employment and job opportunities by providing basic skills and literacy. This can help underprivileged children bring financial relief to their homes and contribute to their society’s socio-economic condition. Educated children can break the vicious cycle of poverty. 

Education of Underprivileged girls

Families from low-income groups often favor boys compared to girls when it comes to investing in their education. “More than 50 percent of girls fail to enroll in school; those that do are likely to drop out by the age of 12, 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.” This is because of the gender roles and patriarchal norms present in the underprivileged community. Underprivileged girls are meant to do housework and are victims of child marriage. It is important to break these gender roles and spread awareness about the importance of educating girls.  Education of girls is even more important because that ensures education for generations to come. An educated girl will never have illiterate offspring. Education can also help underprivileged children become aware of their circumstances, and it can provide them with skills that can help them overcome any challenges they come across. 

Education and health

Education makes underprivileged children aware of their health and hygiene requirements. Through education, they not only study but also upgrade their living standards in terms of health and hygiene. With a healthy income and lifestyle, their families can commit to more nutritious foods, can pay for health services and can fulfil their medical needs. Most underprivileged households are vulnerable and cannot afford nutrition, and receive low wages. Their children can therefore gain knowledge through education and help their families step out of this vicious cycle. 

Education acts as an equalizer for our society

From an economic perspective, a good education for the underprivileged will decrease the gap between the rich and the poor, and this will, in turn, increase the economic growth and the economic development of the country. Education acts as an equalizer for our economy. Educating the underprivileged fights inequality, as it provides an equal opportunity to them to make a change. It makes the children competent and trains them to succeed and compete, in turn liberating the low-income groups. According to India Today, 32 million Indian children have never been to any school. In a country like India, where the population is extremely high, having quality human resources will ensure a more prosperous nation. 

Role of Door Step School

At-Door Step School, we have created an environment willing to teach and educate children from low-income groups who are underprivileged and do not have the resources to afford their education. According to our study, many underprivileged students drop out without finishing their complete education. Door Step School aims to provide easier access to education to slum dwellers, construction site workers, and the marginalized section of our society. We provide primary education for all children up to 14 years of age. We encourage healthy sanitization. We at Door Step School are committed to provide an environment of holistic development and ensure easy access to resources for our targeted beneficiaries. We believe that educating underprivileged students is like their ticket to success. 

Asha Bharat bagged a prize in the Patang program by Save the Children, India.

In the Patang (Kites) Program conducted by Save the Children, India, Asha Bharat Potbhare (grade 5) from our PPCE (Parents Participation in Children's Education), Punavle has received an award for her active participation in the class activities. We are proud of Asha for her enthusiasm and sincerity. Students like her are always a motivation for us.

DSS Team Helps Enroll 300 Students to Public Schools

 In a satisfying start to the new school year, our team has helped enroll 300 new students in public schools. Students were enrolled across all grades and the early grades up to 2nd saw the highest numbers. 3 students, enrolled in KG, were from Project Chetana where enrolments were started for the first time this year. 

Our goal is to ensure that every child and family take advantage of their right to education, and also help them bridge related challenges along the way.

The teams are actively involved in meeting and counseling new and old parents to advocate school education for their children. As most of these community members lead transient lives, the enrolment process becomes a year-long initiative with continuous follow-up with every family re-locating into and also relocating out of the communities.

School Fees of 8 Students Paid by We-Muktangan Outreach⁩

We-Muktangan Outreach has paid school fees of 8 students from grade 8 to 10, from Chikhli, Charoli and Moshi.

The fee was for the academic year 2021-22 and was paid on 31st July.

The financial condition of the parents of these children was not good, due to which, there was a possibility that the education of these kids would stop.

However, since the school fees of these kids has been paid by We-Muktangan Outreach, they will now be able to continue education.

We highly appreciate the initiative of We-Muktangan Outreach. The efforts of institutions like these, help the underpreviliged children continue schooling.

Tiger Day at DSS by KPMG

On account of Tiger Day on July 29, 6 volunteers from KPMG gave very good information about tigers, to our students.

The session was interative and went for 1 hour. Students asked questions about tigers which were answered during the session.

Volunteers showed very nice photos of tigers which got the students more interested.

29 children from 9 sites attended this session.

We are thankful to KPMG for this initiative.

Workshop about Covid-19 by Malati Kelkar ⁩

On 27th July, a workshop was taken for parents who are members of the school management team. The workshop was about how to protect oneself from coronavirus and why vaccination is necessary.

The purpose of this workshop was to address queries about vaccination and get help from the members in the DSS vaccination drives.

This workshop was taken by Malati Kelkar from Quest. 34 members (9 old, 25 new) from 13 schools attended this workshop.

In the workshop, Malati Kelkar explained the symptoms of Covid-19, how to take due care and why taking the vaccine is important.

Members liked this workshop. They asked all their queries such as 'is it ok if one does not experience any after effects of the vaccine?', 'what is the difference between covishield and covaxin?', 'what happens if the time between two doses changes?' All these questions were answered well, thus increasing the members' overall awareness about the pandemic.