Category: Education Projects

Smile and Nai Disha Free Education Society have scaled up the joint initiative to provide free yet holistic education to under-privileged children. Started with 2 children four years ago, this year the number has touched 500. There was a time when the parents and community were to be sensitized hard to send their children to Nai Disha. In most of the cases, the children were the first generation learners in the families. The charisma of quality education has spread far and wide. The surge in the number of poor and mostly illiterate parents bringing their children for education made Smile Foundation increase the capacity to 500. The goal for next year is to provide free and quality education to 1000 underprivileged children.

About the Partner

Nai Disha is a registered Society working for promoting welfare and development of underprivileged children in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It has also been a longtime successful partner of Smile Foundation. Started in 1992 with 2 children, today Nai Disha with Smile Foundation’s support is providing free education (class 1st to 5th) to 500 children (age group-3 to 14 years). Free vocational training for community girls and adult education for the neighbourhood communities are also other two initiatives through Nai Disha.

It is one of the partners of Smile Foundation implementing a project on literacy enhancement among children of daily-wage earners, labourers as well as house maids.

Teachers in Nai Disha are at least with graduation with B.Ed. qualification. The teachers also go through Smile Foundation’s teachers training programme for quality education where different novel methodologies and tools are applied to make teaching and learning interesting as well as effective.

So far 31 children have been mainstreamed into formal schools like Kanchan Public School, Maharishi Vidya Mandir and Sunrise Birla School. School fees are partially contributed by the organization and the rest (balance) by the parents.

The Principle at Nai Disha (a Ph.D.) and Assistant Principle (an M.A., M.Ed.) work on voluntary basis, without taking salaries.

The Project

The project named ‘Basic Education to Under-privileged children’ is covering 500 needy children this year. A special programme has been incorporated in the project for teaching grown-up children in age group of 10-14 years who had remained absolutely illiterate. Owing to their age, such children find it difficult to adjust themselves with crowd of children in age-group 6-9 years in the same class, learning the same thing. Learning has to be imparted to them right from alphabet stage and special teaching methodologies are being introduced. Considering all these in mind, a separate class room with a specially trained teacher has been set up for teaching grown-up children.

This year Smile Foundation and Nai Disha have scaled up the project with the total strength of 500 children from the target areas of Ambedkar Vihar (Sector 37), villages-Chhalera, Nithari, the Sector areas of 28, 29, 30, 31, 36, 39 as well as nearby slums of Noida.

Keeping in mind the growing strength, classes are being held in two shifts with around 250 children in each. The morning school shift is conducted between 8.00 a.m and 1.00 p.m, with the evening shift operating between 1.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m.

Free Basic Computer Training has been introduced for the students of Class IV and V. Free Music classes are also are being provided to interested children regularly.

Health check-up and medical camps for the children have been introduced in the project. This programme will run 3 times every quarter in the school with trained doctors, support staff and free medicines.

Special Focus

50% of the children given Non Formal Education (for non –school going and also school dropouts) should be mainstreamed to some formal schools in appropriate classes during the year. Their retention in school will be ensured through proper follow–ups. All children in the age group of 10-14 may be persuaded to study up to middle class level – informally or in formal school. At least 70% of children in age-group of 10-12 will be ensured to be enrolled in higher classes. Children in age-group of 13-14 and above may be facilitated to undergo some skills training once they acquire basic literacy.

Joining hands with an able partner like Nai Disha, Smile Foundation is sure to realize the dreams for those deserving children well in time.

Smile Foundation’s Mission Education project centre at Ayyapakkam village, Avadi in Chennai, Tamil NaduNadu aims at providing basic schooling to the disadvantaged children in the area. The project also takes care of their healthcare needs and imparts vocational education to them.

Children of construction workers, auto drivers, vegetable vendors, fish vendors and farmers of Konambedu, Reddipalayam, Annanur, Narayanapuram and Ayyapakkam villages, in the age group of 5-16 years are inducted under the project and provided basic education and healthcare facilities.

Many of the students at the centre are the first generation learners in their families to go to school and most of their parents are indifferent towards their education. Special efforts are made to motivate the parents to educate their children. Remedial education on individual subjects like Mathematics, Science and English is provided along with bridge course education to the drop outs so that they can be mainstreamed accordingly, into their age appropriate classes.

With the goal to empower underprivileged children and make them self-reliant, healthy and confident, value based and quality education is imparted to the children wherein they get the opportunity to exhibit their inner talents. Examinations and training programmes are conducted on a regular basis.

Smile foundation has partnered with Iniya Udaiyam Charitable Trust for this project.

Education of socially marginalized children in the remote Sunderbans, at Nandakumarpur village in Mathurapur II block of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal, has been the focus area of this Mission Education project. Underprivileged children, mostly from squatter slum colonies along the railway track from Canning to Baruipur, are getting education under the project.

The centre provides primary and middle level education to the underprivileged children, ultimately mainstreaming them into nearby government and private schools. The drop out ratio of kids each year is 2-3%. The promise of a better future by getting education, supported by nutrition and a healthy environment has been motivating the children to attend classes regularly. A residential facility is also available for orphans, abandoned children or runaways, who have adopted the centre as their home.

Remedial education for kids already in school is facilitated by the centre, to help them perform better in their studies. A scholarship programme is in place for meritorious students to help them pursue higher studies. Regular cultural events and co-curricular activities ensure holistic development of the children.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Sabuj Sangha for this project.

With main focus on the girl child, this Mission Education project aims for the wholesome upliftment and development of children living in the slums or streets of South Kolkata who are deprived of basic education, sanitation and nutrition needs.

The project caters to children in the age group of 4 to 14 years who are leading a vulnerable life on the streets, mostly orphaned or abandoned, with no one to take care of them. After completion of their primary education at the centre, the children are mainstreamed in local private and government schools in age appropriate classes.

Besides education, provision of nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, safe-drinking water and recreational facilities is also taken care of at the centre. The centre is also responsible for protection of children against any abuse and exploitation and nurtures them in a holistic environment.

Special coaching classes and pre-vocational training for school drop-outs and slow learners are regularly conducted. . In addition to these, creative classes of art, craft, music, dance, drama, etc. to bring out and enhance the hidden talent of the children, are also organized.

Smile Foundation has partnered with the Institute of Psychological & Educational Research (IPER) for this project.

The projects provides education and primary healthcare to children living in and around the slum clusters of Jagadamba Camp (Sheikh Sarai), Balmiki Camp and Chirag Delhi in Delhi. People living in these communities are mostly migrants from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, working as daily wagers, rickshaw pullers and domestic workers.

The project identifies children who have never been to school as well as school drop-outs, and provides them quality education to facilitate their mainstreaming in the formal education system. Every year 150 children are being mainstreamed into reputed public and private schools from the centre.

Children between the age group of 3-5 years are provided pre-school education, besides being nurtured in a secure and healthy learning environment. Basic cognitive skills, social decorum and positive values are imparted to these kids, which they unable to receive due to absence of parental care in their early childhood.

The project also provides educational support to the older children who are already in school and find it difficult to cope up with academics. This aspect is especially designed for children of Class 9th and 10th, to help them with difficult subjects like Mathematics and Science, so that they can confidently pursue higher studies in streams of their choice.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Aarohan for this Mission Education project.

This project based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, provides education to children from and around the Malvan region, the Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts. Most of the children belong to the underprivileged and marginalized strata of society – comprising mainly of migrant population, orphans, runaways and single parents.

The project provides primary education to these children while simultaneously focusing on their health and hygiene as well holistic development. Many of these children and their families had to migrate, leaving their homelands, to these cities but found themselves in an even more deprived condition.The centre inducts these children and ensures their integrated development, enabling them to discover their latent talents.

Co-curricular activities, cultural programmes, exposure visits and excursions on a regular basis provide the children an ideal platform to hone their skills. At times, the children also participate in reality shows and meet celebrities and eminent personalities, which becomes a window of interaction for them, to explore and understand the outside world and develop their own perspectives.

Smile Foundation has joined hands with the Zenith Education and Welfare Trust for this project.

About the partner

Littlie Orchard Vivid for Ecstasy (LOVE) Society was found by Dr. Patras Dung dung (VR) who dedicated his life for the poor tribal and other backward classes. The organization was initiated by, for and with the interests of the underprivileged. The focus area of the Love Society is in five specific areas – Educational development, Socio-Cultural development, Awareness, Life-Skill education and Rural development.

About the project

The Sundergarh district of Odisha has a SCST population of 52.5% who live in extremely deprived conditions. This project seeks to enhance development facilities for the underprivileged children here, who live in very difficult circumstances in slums, interior villages and railway stations. Their parents are low income earners like day labourers, small vendors, domestic servants and small farmers. The project aims to make them self-dependant through

• proper educational support including life-skills, art & craft and cultural development
• mainstreaming them in formal schools
• health & nutritional care
• health seeking behaviour; and
• recreation

Other ongoing initiatives

• Primary level education for tribal and deprived children
• Vocational training for the youth
• Old age home and orphanage

LOVE Society associated with Smile Foundation for mission education programme in 2010 with objectives to promote the cause of education and health of orphan and underprivileged children. LOVE Society is a non profitable organization, Smile Foundation has given opportunity to achieve our mission and accelerate our impact. We are very grateful to our partner Smile Foundation for giving us opportunity to serve the needy person of down trodden community.

As a partner organization LOVE Society believes that under the partnership of Smile Foundation, we will be able to extend services to orphans and depressed children in need. Because this project is a step in the right direction to provide quality education leading them to the path of empowerment. We hope under this partnership the project will help the orphan and underprivileged children to achieve objectives in their own lives and to develop interpersonal skills and goal setting. By the support of Smile Foundation LOVE Society will be the big platform for large number of children in future.

This Mission Education project provides education to underprivileged children from Saket colony, situated in the heart of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

Saket is home to many small scale industries and consequently to a large number of daily wage labourers, who have migrated there from different parts of Andhra Pradesh. These migrant workers comprise of ninety five percent of the total population of the colony, and stay in small, congested slum clusters.

The project inducts children from this community, especially those who have never been to school, or are school drop-outs, and gives them basic education, coupled with nutrition and shelter. Residential facilities allow these children to grow up in an environment conducive for their holistic development.

Orphans and homeless children, in the age group of 8 to 14 years are also identified from the nearby slums and given special care. These kids were mostly engaged in child labour earlier, but are now living a happy childhood at their new “home”.

The children are later mainstreamed to government residential or non-residential schools. The centre also provides counselling to parents to make them understand the importance of education.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Karuna Voluntary Organization for this project.

This Mission Education project addresses the educational needs of the rural children of Cholanayakanahalli in Bangalore, Karnataka. It serves communities below poverty line, where most of the children are first generation learners, born to young parents who do not have basic education or skills and migrate from rural areas in search of opportunities to cities and end up in slums.

Children’s education does not top the priority list when providing basic needs and health care itself is a struggle. Even if children are sent to school, it’s very likely that majority of them would drop out of school by the time they become teenagers. This is the challenge that the centre addresses to make sure young girls and boys focus on education and go to college and become independent, responsible and positive contributors to the society.

There are 350 children currently enrolled at the centre who come from and around R.T Nagar, Bhuvneshwari slum, Chammundinagar, Kuntigrama, Hebbal, Kanakanagar& Subramaniyanagar. The project follows strict norms of student eligibility, while admitting new children. It also focuses on parent’s involvement in the children’s education process.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Sukrupa for this project.

In operation in areas of Prem Nagar and Rajeev Nagar in Gurgaon, this project provides quality education to the underprivileged children, youth and migrated women. In addition to these, the people are provided with healthy nutritious food and taught various new skills which may be helpful for getting them a job for living.

The families living in the aforementioned areas are mainly migrants who live in poor conditions. For livelihood, they work as vegetable sellers or daily wage labourers, leaving behind the children at home. These vulnerable children stroll around the streets all day and grow up without their basic rights of education, adequate food and medical aid.

At present, the project is reaching out to more than 500 children who are from such families. These children are either school dropouts or non school goers. The project strives to develop reading habits and instill moral education through books in the children, and also ensure regular health and hygiene check up for them.

Smile Foundation has partnered with Mera Parivar for this Mission Education project.