An education initiative, started by an NGO in Rajasthan, is changing the lives of thousands of children living in slums in two cities of the state which are Jaipur and Ajmer.
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An education initiative, started by an NGO in Rajasthan, is changing the lives of thousands of children living in slums in two cities of the state which are Jaipur and Ajmer.
For decades, children living in these slums have been facing dire challenges. Many children born and growing up in such communities are victims of poverty. They are forced to become either ragpickers or beggars due to lack of access to education.
What started as a modest attempt to eradicate the curse of illiteracy in 2001, today, the NGO Jagriti, provides value-based free education to approximately 6,000 children from economically weaker sections of society. The emergence of Jagriti schools has provided these children with an alternative route. It begins with the acquisition of pre-existing schools in the cities of Jaipur and Ajmer, including many government schools.
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Door-to-door visits are made in all slum areas to locate children who do not attend school. Then there are rallies and chaupal sabhas or community meetings, where families are counseled on the virtues of education.
The NGO focuses on addressing the lack of infrastructure by upgrading school buildings, developing toilets, providing drinking water, and setting up libraries, computer labs, and science laboratories. Apart from this, the NGO also provides uniforms, textbooks, and midday meals to the parents of the students for free.
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