Shikshana Mitra
Shaping personalities of tomorrowShikshana 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.
Makkala Dhama
A home for children
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
Aanganvaadis for the little children
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.