Coaching for classes 9 to 12 [2nd to 14th January]
The winter holidays started from 31st December last year and we were fortunate to get the support of Deepak Pant from Guruji Uttarakhandi, a group of teachers and educationalists based in Haldwani who conduct online coaching classes targeted towards the youth of Uttarakhand.
We had a total of four teachers coaching children from classes 9 to 12 in Math, Science and English in preparation for the forthcoming final examinations. The classes were conducted for four hours daily and included a session of career counseling on 12th January. The children showed a lot of enthusiasm and religiously attended the sessions, making it a complete success!
On the children’s request, one of the teachers, Vijay Pandey, who conducts tuition classes in Garampani, has agreed to conduct classes at our library in Science and Math on Sundays and holidays from 10 AM to 1 PM. This was initially only for the kids preparing for their board exams but later, we included all children from classes 9 to 12. These classes will be conducted throughout the year.
We also had additional assistance from a young volunteer, Vishwaraj, who came all the way from Darbhanga and spent two weeks with us. Under his guidance, the children learnt Maithali art, samples of which now adorn our library wall!
Winter warmth from Riverside school, Ahmedabad
This year the winter was harsher than usual, and thanks to a heartwarming gesture, the children of Riverside School Ahmedabad gifted warm hoodies to all our children, small and big. 100 shawls & mufflers were gifted to the women and the older boys. The distribution happened on the occasion of ‘Ghughutiya’ – the Kumaoni New Year, on 14th January, 2020.
We wish to deeply thank the students and staff of Riverside School for continuously supporting the library and we eagerly look forward to their visit to our library in the future.
Visit from Blooming Buds School, Ratighat
On 2nd February, 14 children from the Blooming Buds School along with their Principal, Geeta and two staff members visited the library. They interacted with Jaya and a reading session was conducted with them followed by a session of playing games and reading books. After going back, the children sent various handmade artifacts and craftwork items for decoration at the library through Vijay sir, who also teaches at Blooming Buds.
| Khushi ka ek din The highlight of the quarter was the successful organization of the event “Khushi ka ek din”, held on the 15th of February, 2020. Happy Childrens’ Library partnered with Udhyam and Meteores Trust to mobilize local women from villages around Seem for a fun day out. Food stalls, game stalls, a live comedy show starring local hero Pawan Pahadi and a Digiplex experience were set up. The event was held at Byasi village from 11 AM to 4 PM with a lot of pomp and show, which was nothing short of a festive fete. The event marked the first time that most of the women got to watch a movie or play a game, giving them carefree and fun-filled moments they had rarely experienced before! Based on the success of this venture, we hope to arrange for more such funfairs with the help of our NGO partners. Newspaper coverage of the event can be seen below. Here’s conveying sincere thanks on behalf of the village community to Pankaj and Anjali and their entire team from Udhyam and Meteores Trust for what was truly a day of happiness!
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Taking the theatre to the community
Mentorship Programme
Our association with the older children for the past 3 years and more has led us to realise the need and importance for proper guidance for future education, skilling and selection of career pathways and other employment opportunities based on their strengths and inclinations. Only then will the library be able to continue its engagement with the children who have been associated with it.
Towards this end, we have taken the help of India and Bharat Together, a Delhi-based organisation that works with youth in Uttarakhand to find future avenues for them through counseling and career guidance.
Through this collaboration, Aadya and her team from IABT will conduct Career Workshops on a bi-monthly basis and one-on-one mentorship on a regular basis for 5 selected children from February to September. The first of the workshops was conducted on 16th February and one girl, Divya has been mentored since. We do hope that this initiative is useful and that this programme can be continued after September 2020 as well.
Additions to our Library
Our request to Pratham books to support us with their Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) library at Seem has been accepted! So, now in addition to the books already in the library, we have a foldable rack with 100 STEM books, as one kid termed it, “Humari Library Mein Choti Library”.
We received an extra set of STEM books from Pratham and also have duplicate copies of some books in our library. We have decided to pass these on to Blooming Buds School, Ratighat at the start of the next session, as part of our Library extension initiative.
Holi Celebrations, 2020
This year, the combined Holi function for the children and the women was held on Saturday, 8th March. About 150 women and children gathered in the library from 2-5 PM, played Holi, sang and danced with joy and colours.
Awareness on Coronavirus pandemic
Keeping in view the spread of the virus and fear of infections, an awareness session was held on 16th March. The children were told about the virus and the various precautions to be taken to arrest its spread. They were also asked to convey their understanding of the epidemic. This interaction was utilized by us to dispel their fears and misconceptions, if any. The local Aanganwadi In-Charge also used this opportunity to guide the children.
We have suspended all activities at the library with effect from 19th March to safeguard against the spread of the infection, much to the disappointment of the children who would rather participate in the library activities during the forced holiday from school.
Our children, doing their part to combat the global pandemic!
To our donors and contributors – A BIG THANK YOU !! Without your continued support and good wishes our initiative would not be so impactful.
So here’s wishing you all a happy read during these days of lockdown. We will all get through this together. Do stay safe and stay healthy!!
As always great work Jaya, Atul and the team of HCL. Keep spreading joy and knowledge!
Awesome Report
Best view i have ever seen !