From Struggle to Success: Akhil’s Journey in Education
In a small village, Akhil, a determined young boy, faced the uphill battle of obtaining a decent education. Being the first in his family to reach class 10, he grappled with academic challenges in a less-than-supportive environment, leading him toward part-time child labor and irregular school attendance. To address the issue, the project team made regular home visits, imploring Akhil’s parents to prioritize his education. However, Akhil’s lack of interest and low self-esteem were barriers.
During the child collective meeting, the project team decided to foster a supportive environment where children can feel belonged. This boosted his self-confidence. The community organizer suggested that Akhil should attend the Bridge Centre to catch up on missed syllabus and bridge the learning gap. This additional support proved crucial in nurturing his academic progress.
The modified approach yielded promising results. Akhil’s determination and newfound confidence led to passing marks in the mid-term exams, inspiring his teachers to support and encourage him further. Finally, in the Class 10th board exams, Akhil achieved a remarkable 85% securing the top position in his school.
The Problem
One of the key problems of Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu is the high number of child laborers. The reasons being, lack of livelihood opportunities, debt, door to door pick up for child laborers working in salt pans and seafood processing units, no access to schools, high fees of private schools, etc. In addition to it, high cost for transport adds on to the severity of the problem that children and communities face.
The Solution
CRY America’s Project RWDS works towards ensuring increased retention of school going children from 70% to 80% and ensuring physical access to schools, infrastructure & quality within schools & ICDS centers, increasing child participation. The key activities under the project are supporting groups formed in all 52 villages comprising community volunteers, Anganwadi workers, local youth and panchayat members, ensuring regular administration of immunization, initiating supplementary classes in 5 villages and preventing dropout rates in schools.
Impact of the Project
● 5 child laborers mainstreamed in school
● 10 dropout children re-enrolled
● Supplementary classes organized in 6 villages
● 107 children provided educational aid through government programs
● 970 children enrolled in children collectives
● 17 School Management Committee meetings conducted
2023 Plans
● Ensuring 100% retention of children who have transited to their respective classes
● Removing 25 children from labor and mainstream them in the formal education
● Enrolling 15 dropout children
● Conducting block level convergence meeting at migrant places
● District level and state level release of evidence gathering on children in migrant places
● Demanding for bus depot that can benefit 500 high school and higher secondary school children including both direct and indirect reach
● Placing the demand of infrastructure upgradation in 4 primary schools and filling the teacher vacancy in 3 Primary Schools
2023 Budget
