February 2021
smilescapes
In the pandemic-hit world, education has got a whole new meaning. Distance learning, online classes, digital classrooms, app-based curriculum have taken over the traditional classrooms. This transition is having multi-fold impact on the children – not only in terms of their learning outcomes and cognitive abilities (in case of younger children), but also on their physical and mental well being. However, despite the challenges, teachers and educational institutions around the world are taking various measures to ensure that the children do not lose out on their education with the schools having been closed down for several months now and carry forward the approach of blended learning for the development of children.
SKILLING, RESKILLING & UPSKILLING FOR THE COVID ERA
The economic crisis spurred by the pandemic is said to be worse than the great recession that rocked the world a decade ago. According to a Microsoft report, global unemployment in 2020 may reach a quarter of a billion people. The figures back home are no more encouraging. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown measures led to an unprecedented rise in India’s unemployment rates, particularly for youth.
CHANGING THE FACE OF RURAL HEALTHCARE IN CHHATTISGARH
70 year old Paiti Ram from Matiyari village in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, had accepted hypertension and chronic body ache as part of his everyday life. He spent most of his life working on daily wages at a cement factory to provide for his family. Dependent on his son’s meager income, at first, he was reluctant to even share his health problems or seek healthcare services hoping the pain would go away on its own.
ENABLING YOUNG WOMEN TO BECOME CHANGE MAKERS
“My father worked as sewage cleaner and I worked in a private job. As the lockdown started, our income stopped. Our savings were depleting and we were having sleepless nights thinking about how to manage our family’s expenses. I approached Savita Didi (Swabhiman coordinator) for help. Listening to my ordeal, she instantly suggested me to use the pile of clothes stocked in my house to make handmade masks. She taught me a simple way to make the masks and even advised to connect with the company I worked in for marketing of the masks.
