Sarvodaya Parivar Trust: Residential School at Khadki
Project Description
SPT operates in the rural Adivasi areas, based on the ideals & thoughts articulated by Gandhiji & Vinoba Bhave. They promote education, nutrition, health & various development activities like income generation through Khadi spinning & weaving, distributing roof tiles at subsidized rates, protection of water, forests & soil etc.
SPT started with the view of making this region more self subsistent. They helped create a local Khadi industry. They provided permanent roofing to houses and subsidized grain for the locals. This was all done through donor contributions. Many of these donors were middle class families from Gujarat and Maharashtra. This is true even today, most of the donations to SPT are from the middle-class. It currently has approximately 2,000 donors.
SPT noticed that the families in the Pindval/Khadki region had very little access to education. With this in mind, they started the Pindval school in 1994 and then the Khadki school in 2000.
SPT started their first school at Pindval in 1994. This is a project ASHA has been actively involved with over the last 10 years. The school provided educational opportunities to the children in the Pindval region. Notable successes include the successful transition of many students from the Pindval school to the formal education system of the larger towns.
SPT aims to develop the Khadki school for the benefit of the people of the Khadki region. This is a region with little access to education and SPT is trying to apply its successful Pindval school model to the school they have built in Khadki.
Currently, SPT has Std 1 to 4 in the Khadki school. They teach languages, maths & science for STDs 1 to 4 with the use the textbooks. The subjects are taught with a mix of conventional and unconventional techniques. Textbook learning is supplemented by games, activities & educational kits. There is emphasis placed on extracurricular activities like songs, plays, cultural programs, folk dances etc. Children are taught to tell stories, learn to converse, report events etc. Children are given time to play games, have picnics & make local travels. Children are taught things that are useful in daily life like cleanliness & hygiene, drawing water from wells, cooking, cleaning the utensils, hand-washing the clothes, etc. They learn gardening and how to plant & take care of seedlings in a nursery, growing vegetables, etc. There are physical training & exercise routines as well for the children to participate in.
Long-term goals of the project
- Develop in the children of the region reading, writing and mathematical skills
- Help them transition to the formal education system in the towns (albeit at a slightly later stage in their education)
Secondary Goals / Other positive outcomes
Children receive training to live a good life & learn to meet challenges of life, they learn & understand nature. They should learn to understand & develop pride about their village, their land & their cultural heritage. They should develop a positive attitude for doing all kinds of work. They should learn to do good farming in the futuredevelop good skills for a trade or career. They should develop scientific understanding of good health & hygiene for themselves & their village.
Description of current school facilities
At Khadki: There are separate rooms for boys & girls, where they keep their belongings & sleep at night. During the day, the classes are conducted in the same rooms. In addition, there is one extra classroom. There are three rooms for the staff. There is one large hall for students’ common activities & programs. In addition, there is a kitchen, a storeroom & facilities for dining. There is also a guestroom. There is a large veranda & three courtyards, where classes are conducted (except in the monsoon). There are four toilets for children. The children take their bath in the river. There is running water in the tap for washing utensils etc. A fence & a gate have been made around the campus. There are swings, slides (& a tree house) etc for the children to play. SPTprovidesthe children with a thin mattress, bed sheet, clothes, towel, sweater, textbooks, notebooks, stationery & a bag for belongings.
The children & teachers live a simple lifestyle, which meets only the very basic needs.
Proposed Improvements
There is a need to increase toilets & bathroom for children. Also, they need to buy some more equipment for play & sport. They would also like to buy a few bicycles. SPT needs to replace the thin blanket & the sleeping mat every two to three years & needs money for that as well. There is a need to make a tube-well with a hand pump on the campus.
Recent Improvements
At Khadki, a combination of conventional and unconventional methods are used for teaching languages & maths. To learn new teaching methods, teachers have gone for training to places in Gujarat and even out of Gujarat. Last year, they prepared 75 kits in Gujarati for learning Maths & got trained on how to use the kits for teaching. They needed a spacious room for this which SPT has been able to make available.
What are the problems you have faced in the last year?
After leaving our school, children go to Govt. run schools. Such schools created some problems in admitting the Khadki children. But with the help of district education officers, SPT has been able to resolve these problems.
How would you rate the overall effectiveness of this project over the past year?
Khadki is a very remote place. There was very little education for the children. After SPT started a school in Khadki, almost 80% children from the village & surrounding villages go to school. Children have developed awareness for cleanliness, hygiene, health etc and will in time be able to transition to the formal education system.
Summary:
Stanford ASHA proposes to fund the yearly expenses of staff salary and academic materials as listed in their budget for year 2007.
Location:Khadki, Gujarat (Gujarat/MH boarder)
Area (urban/rural): Remote tribal area in Dharampur Taluka in Gujarat where 99% population is tribal
Primary Focus: An opportunity for never enrolled/dropped out children to study and to enter the formal system
Project Type: Residential school, regular school for local children
# of Beneficiaries: Four villages including Khadki. Khadki has 103 families, 600 people. Plan to increase focus to villages in the interior.
Current Condition of Beneficiaries: Currently children in villages near Khadki and even youth are particularly disadvantaged in terms of exposure to formal schooling (Government schools and teachers, exist only on paper)
Successes/Impact Thus Far: Over the years they have educated some 200 children.
Purpose / Goals
Short-Term Objectives: Basic literacy, numeracy skills, basic science, community living, developing art, music skills, understanding and speaking Gujarati
5-Year Vision: Enrollment of these children into formal schools- for younger children this would mean enrollment in first grade and for the elder children (youth) they would be helped with the 7th grade school entry exam or with vocational training for future employment.
Organization Description
The Sarvodaya Parivar Trust in Pindval was established in 1968 by Kantabhen Shah. She began by walking 13 km. everyday for 14 years to provide medical services to the Adivasi people. Through her efforts, a doctor became a resident and continues medical service there.
Additional Information
The above number is c/o Amitbhai/Narendrabhai/Ashokbhai of Jalaram Rice Mill
Two trustees have cell phones, but due to poor mobile range it is difficult mostly get through
Kantibhai (who also looks after finance)- 9825873338
Sujataben (who looks after the Khadki school)-9879357465
Annual Operational Budget:
Salary - Rs 2,00,000
Food and Hostel - Rs 2,25,000
Vegetables - Rs 25,000
Milk - Rs 50,000
Fuel - Rs 35,000
Uniform - Rs 25,000
Educational Appliances - Rs 25,000
Hostel Utensils - Rs 35,000
Excursions - Rs 25,000
Repairs and Labor - Rs 1,00,000
Misc - Rs 55,000
Total - Rs 8,00,000