Background

Since 2017, AEA has been supporting a cohort/group of 135 girl children of domestic workers living in the slums of Janta Vasahat, Anand Math, Shankar Mandir and Ganesh Mala located in the Dattawadi region of Pune district. The project “Redefining life of the Girl Children of Domestic workers through quality education” aims to bring a change in the life of the girl children of domestic workers through education. The overall approach aimed at the holistic development of these children is based on two key concepts; “Back to Basics” and “Liberate School”.

The Back 2 Basics program aims at developing age-appropriate competency level in reading, writing and arithmetic (3R’s) amongst primary level children. The approach also engages with teachers, communities, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and local governing bodies to capacitate them for sustained access and quality education to primary level children.

The concept of Liberate School aims at creating awareness on the "disconnects" between "schooling systems" and "learning needs of today". The "Liberate School" focuses on promoting learning communities in an attempt to reduce dependency points of the communities and to leverage strengths in people so as to empower them to take charge of their learning.

Target Group

Girl Children of Domestic Workers

Total Reach

135 girl children of domestic workers

Geographical locations

4 Slums [Janta Vasahat, Anand Math, Shankar Mandir and Ganesh Mala) in Pune city.

Key Objectives

?        Facilitating continued Education for girl children of domestic workers and enabling their upward education

?        Building a resilient community through well capacitated Community Collectives who collaborate with other stakeholders, undertake leadership roles to ensure equal opportunities to girl’s and gain access to entitlements

?        Empowering Children, youth, and adults through digital literacy

Key Focus Areas:

?        Enhance competency levels in 3R’s and prepare children for higher education

?        Promoting parent’s participation in continued education of the girl child

?        Making girl children computer literate thereby enabling them to access wider sphere of knowledge and learning

?        Building awareness on health & hygiene and encouraging ecological restoration

Key Stakeholders:

?        Girl Children of Domestic Workers

?        Parents, Community

?        SMCs, Teachers

?        Local governance bodies, Community based organisations and Community based institutions

?        Like minded Civil society Organisations

 Enhancing Child Competency levels

a.        Reducing dropouts and facilitating enrollment of Dropout/Never enrolled/ in school.

b.       Out of school support to children to enhance their educational competencies.

c.        Promoting peer education as human resource to uphold sustainability of education and holistic development for the upcoming generation

?        Holistic Development of children

a.        Soft skills and Life skills training sessions.

b.       Promoting health, nutrition and hygiene amongst children and their family

c.        Promoting safety, security, self protection and care amongst children and their family.

?        Capacitating Parents and other stakeholders

a.        Facilitating active participation of Parent’s (especially mothers) in the overall process to develop tham as the voice for girl’s education.

b.       Sensitising and gaining support of School Teachers, SMC, PRI/Local Governance bodies

c.        Building capacities of the Child Support Center teachers/instructors/facilitators

d.       Influencing and seeking support from government departments/programmes (SSA/Mother & Child Development etc.) especially to gain access to entitlements.

?        Promote Digital Literacy in a structured way

a.        Digital literacy programmes for project girls and Siblings / girls form the community (basics for all and coding for the interested)

b.       Initiating Coding for Girls

c.        Basic digital literacy for the mothers (especially using internet, UPI’s and accessing the government entittlments) 

?        Resource Mobilization

a.        Networking to mobilize strategic support and resources.