Chotu goes out to play!

Parents' Participation in Children's Education (Supported under CSR initiatives of Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Ltd.)

Chotu’s friends refuse to play with him as his hair is not combed, clothes are dirty and he has not bathed. Chotu then has a bath, wears clean clothes, combs his hair and goes out to play. His friends join him for play which makes him very happy.

Cleanliness is one of the must have habits in all individuals and what better way than to use puppets like Chotu to influence children to get into this habit at an early age.

Parents and children residing in the slum areas and on the construction sites in Kondhwa.  were invited to puppet shows organized with the theme of “cleanliness”. Through these puppet shows, Door Step School aims to inculcate the habit of cleanliness and teach children the importance of hygiene in their day to day life.

The first show was at `Tilekar Vasti’ which emphasized on “dental hygiene”. The reasons for tooth decay, importance of keeping teeth, gums and mouth clean was explained. The need for brushing teeth twice a day was stressed upon. Almost 25 children and 20 parents enthusiastically attended the puppet show.

Another puppet show at construction sites `Shantivan’ and `Corona’ in Kondhwa had. 20 children and 50 parents. The topic here was `Personal Hygiene”.

(Translated from Marathi by: Deepali Kulkarni, volunteer DSS)

Marathon with a Cause

12th September , 2014, 7:00 am  saw over 100 employees from Geometric, Pune taking over the streets of Hingewadi !.
They were participating in a Marathon with a Cause organized by UDAAN, the CSR forum of Geometric, for creating awareness and raising funds for education of migrant children supported by Door Step School, Pune.

Door Step School thanks all geometric employees who participated and UDAAN volunteers who organised this event. !

UDAAN volunteers have been dedicating their time over weekends towards locating and enrolling migrant children living at construction sites in Wakad and Hingewadi areas through Door Step School's Every Child Counts-Citizens' Campaign!.

Contributing to a better India

Indians dream of a India, which is at par with the most developed nations of the world.

Many organisations are working towards a better India. There are numerous issues we need to work on and one of them is educating our people. As it’s only education, that can change the  outlook of an individual.

Door step school (DSS) is one such organisation working towards imparting education to underprivileged children.

As the name suggests, it’s a school just a few steps away from home. DSS has set up various such schools all over Pune for children  coming from underprivileged families.

Right from scouting of location, convincing parents and making them understand the importance of education, encouraging  students to attend school, by  enrolling children in a near by government school and guiding them with academics and soft skills is what DSS does.

With a dedicated staff of over 600 teachers, teaching nearly 5000 students, today DSS has moved a few steps forward in contributing to a better India.

Unfortunately, people for whom the RTE (Right To Education) act was passed are themselves not aware of this act.

DSS through it’s work is not only making them aware of RTE but also making them aware of their rights as children.

Apart from academics, children are taught the importance of sanitation, hygiene and verbal communication skills. Knowledge is imparted in a way that is child friendly with group discussions, plays, music and outdoor visits.

There are many people out there who want to come forward and help these children.

DSS wants such volunteers by providing  them a platform, which welcomes each one of them to be a part of the transformation, for educating every child and empowering them.

Preeti Mallapurkar

(volunteer DSS)

Every Child Counts : Independence day celebrations 2014

Independence Day and Janmashtami were celebrated with joy and enthusiasm at many locations across Pune on 15th of August. 

Parents, children and entire communities participated with great eagerness in these events which were conducted by our Volunteers and our field team.

Our sincere thanks to all the volunteers who helped organize the events and spent their time with the children!

The  "Every Child Counts " team also used this opportunity to create awareness among  parents  on the need for education and continuous schooling of the children.

If you would like to help organize or participate in our future events, please write to volunteer@doorstepschool.org

Tablet based E-learning

Under the RTE act Door Step School has enrolled over 1200 children this academic year. Nearly 600 of these children are enrolled in age appropriate classes. In the absence of support classes (bridge classes), they find it difficult to cope with school curriculum. To strengthen their basics, Door Step School in collaboration with Rotary club has provided the children a self e-learning tablet. The tablets were distributed by Mr. Kulbir Dodd from Rotary Club.

Children can learn the Marathi Alphabet at their own pace. Their learning levels will be monitored by DSS field staff.

Parent Counselling through Street Play and Role Plays

Parents' Participation in Children's Education (Supported under CSR initiatives of Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Ltd.)

Creating awareness on Right To Education among the construction site workers, counselling them to enrol their children in School and increasing their participation in their child’s education forms the crux of the PPCE project.

Four Street plays were organized on various sites near Siddharthnagar, Kondhwa, Pune in July 2014.

The message on Value of education was effectively conveyed through the  play

Door Step School opens a field office in East Pune

Door Step School opened a new field office in Sasane nagar, Hadapsar, Pune. This is Door Step School’s fourth office and the first one in East Pune. The Parent Participation (http://www.doorstepschool.org/pune/parents-participation/project) is working extensively with migrant community from construction sites and urban slums in and around Kondhwa and Mohammadwadi since Feb 2013. Field staff working in Kondhwa and Mohammadwadi wards use this office for field team meetings, volunteer orientation, parent events and for data entry.