Sparsha TRUST

Shikshana Mitra-1

Shikshana Mitra is a concept of leveraging the skills of educated unemployed youth for the benefit of his/her community. A Shikshana Mitra acts as a mentor to school going children and provides educational counseling, conducts personality development programmes, helps students get scholarship, conducts special coaching classes etc. Achievements of Shikshana Mitra In the first Shikshana Mitra intervention, a group of 35 children of a very poor community near Yeshvantpur Railway Station which used to make a livelihood by selling scrap Iron was identified. In this, 7 children studying standard X under the tutelage of the Shikshana Mitras took the SSLC exam in 2007 scored above 75%, with one of them scoring 93%. They are pursuing higher education through scholarship in Vivekananda College, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru. Prior to their association with the Shikshana Mitra project, the community didn’t have anyone pass SSLC exam. Present Interventions of Sikshana Mitra Shikshana Mitra intervention has started near Hebbal and Kadiganahalli areas of Bangalore during the month of September 2009 and it could reach more than 120 students in 2 units of 60 students each. 6 Shikshana Mitras have taken up activity in these areas. A library and computer class has started in Sanjeevini Nagar Slum of Hebbal area. For a detailed table on Shikshana Mitras and their qualifications and work area, please refer Appendix C.

Shikshana Mitra-2

With the above one year experience and goal, now Sparsha Trust have started 2 more center for the children who are out of school, child labourer, school dropouts at Rachenahalli and Mastri palya, behind Manyatha Tech park, Nagavara Circle, We can find the huge population engaged in the construction work at Manyatha Tech park. This population is migrated from north Karnataka in search of job due to natural calamity and poverty. The children of this community are out of school because of parent negligence, lack of awareness on importance of education, child rights, and poverty. The children are engaged in construction work with their parent, many children stay back home to look after their younger siblings, As a result 90% of the children don’t go to school(according to our survey), so Sparsha Trust with its aims and objectives started non formal center near to the community. We have conducted community meeting and able to motivate the parents to send their children to access the education. We could able to bring the children out of labour force and from with in their house with their younger siblings Survey findings:There are more than 100 huts in Rachenahalli and more than 100 huts in Mestripalya According to our survey, there are more than 85 children who don’t go to school in Mestripalya and more than 50 children in Rachenahalli.They live in unhygienic conditions in which they have no access to clean potable water or sanitation. Because of their conditions, they are unable to take care of their children. Present Interventions of Sikshana Mitra-2 We are working in this area to provide the children shelter and seek to provide them with basic education and bring them to the educational mainstream from next year. At present there are 45 children in each center. Now they are happy to learn alphabets, singing, dance, other creative activity. In this center they gain experience on Child Rights (CRC), Survival strategies, Self protection, personality development, participatory skills, art, singing, dance, sports, and amusements with academic learning’s.

Makkala Dhama

Makkala Dhama is a home for 50 children who were child labourers, orphans, single parented children, street children and drop-outs. It is located at Kuduregere in the outskirts of Bengaluru and is surrounded by fertile land verdant with Guava, Mango and Sapota trees. Organic vegetables are grown in the patch of land next to Makkala Dhama and a Goshala has been established with three cows which helps us to provide nutritious food to children. Among the 50 children, 25 are attending regular school now and the rest are being prepared by in-house teachers to attend regular school. All children are being trained in Yoga, dhyana, dance, music.

Bala Mitra

Sparsha Trust is running two creches in the vicinity of stone quarries at Sonnappanahalli and one creche in the vicinity of Reva College, Kottige halli, Bengaluru outskirts where it admitted 60 children in the age group of 3 to 6 years. The aim of Bala Mitra is to provide parental care to young children who are devoid of it.