Just Joy

Anand is the Hindi word for Joy.


Overview:

  • India has the largest number of out of school children in the world..
  • Between the age of 11-18 years the drop out rate goes up to 70%.
  • Major dropout happens at 7th and 8th standard.
    •  
    Project Anando was initiated to restore joy in the lives of underprivileged rural children. Our reasons for choosing to work in this segment were many.

    The fact that underprivileged children grow up in the most challenging circumstances. Many of them are orphans, single parent children, or under the care of an ageing grandparent and are raised in conditions that impact them for life.

    Their guardians and parents often face the dilemma of choosing between putting the child to work to provide food for the family or to allow the child his/her basic right to education. Most succumb to poverty and put their children to work with gruelling schedules that rob them of their childhood.

    We believe that no child should be forced to drop out of school. Selecting children who drop out of school after the 7th standard, we support them to complete their education, equipping them with skills that would enable them to become self-sufficient. This breaks the vicious cycle of poverty and illiteracy.

    Realising the untapped potential of India’s rural children as a major human resource for our country our approach is three pronged:
  • Educate them
  • Empower them
  • Equip them
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    Our success

  		•  102 Anando children joined different colleges and ITIs (Industrial Technological Institutes) in 2008.
  		• In 2009, 141 children joined different colleges and ITI’s.
  		• Launching with just 25 children in Karjat 2005, Project Anando today has grown to 28 centres in 316 villages and hamlets of 13 talukas of 4 districts, with over 1973 children enrolled.
     
    Anando's Future Programmes:

  		•  There are 4.6 crore children in Rural India who need Anando’s intervention and we hope to reach at least 10% of them.
  		• In 2009-10 we plan to move to another state. Our research shows that our next expansion is to make Anando model more robust should be in one of the following states i.e. Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
     
    Methodology:
    At Anando we concentrate on the all round development of each child. We found most children had very low aspiration level and an environment which supports that.
    Every child is given requisite support

    Material Non-material
    1. Educational material:
    Books, notebooks, guides,
    Compass box, pens, pencils    		 Workshops
    Academic development, general knowledge,
    life skills, others.
    2. Uniforms, casual clothes,
    Raincoats, warm clothes etc.    		 Student Friendly Supplementary Educational Programme (SFSEP)
    Health Career guidance
    1. Supplementary nutritious food Sphurti: Exam oriented study sessions
    2. Medical aid when required
     
    Family Support:
    Various workshops are conducted for the family members to enable them to understand the importance of education and hence get their positive contribution to the development of the child and not engage them in child labour. Regular home visits by social workers ensure that the child is not ill-treated or abused. Regular counselling and support is given to the family members as an when needed. Effective parenting workshops held twice a year. One day for ourselves - A fun day is also arranged for the parents/ guardians titled ‘Palak Mela’.
    School and teachers:
    Liaison with schools is done to gain their participation and hence enhance the process of imparting knowledge.
    Peer group support:
    Various interactive sessions are conducted with the peer group to ensure a positive impact and get them involved in various social awareness programmes.
     
    New Ventures:
    As a result of our experience and research over the years with Project Anando we have recognised the need for additional educational programmes that enable our students to get the maximum benefits of a life transforming education.
     
    Student Friendly Supplementary Educational Programme
    Anando+
    Anant