Project Sikshasandhan
- Total Amount Donated
$0
- Donation Goal
$26,248
0
Days to goTarget Goal
Campaign Story
About the project
The quality of education in the Kaptipada block of Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, is severely compromised due to the language barrier faced by the local tribal community. This often leads to high dropout rates and irregular school attendance. Textbooks, teaching materials, and the medium of instruction are primarily in Odia—a language unfamiliar to most children in this community. In addition to the language gap, the absence of secondary schools in the region forces many children to discontinue their education midway.
Making a difference
CRY America’s Project Sikshasandhan focuses on enrolling and retaining children in schools by ensuring the implementation of key provisions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and by strengthening School Management Committees (SMCs). Core activities under the project include enrollment drives, community home visits, and capacity building of SMC members to improve school infrastructure. The project also identifies out-of-school and dropout children, facilitates their re-enrollment, and offers support classes to help them bridge their education gap. Additionally, it works with Anganwadi Workers (AWW) to enhance pre-school education and establishes Children’s Collectives to sensitize the community about the importance of education.
The way forward
● Conduct Multilingual Education (MLE) classes in 6 primary schools to address language gaps
● Conduct quarterly learning assessments in 6 schools to review children’s learning levels
● Organize 2 meetings between community representatives and block/district officials to discuss improvements in school infrastructure
● Track all children aged 3–6 years and ensure their transition from Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) to primary schools
● Capacity Building of SMC members
● SMC will ensure that all the children are receiving mid-day-meal
● Drop-out children and never enrolled children re-enrolled in school
● Bridge course learning
● Language support and remedial classes
Project Impact
216
Irregular and dropout children attended remedial classes
1,289
Families sensitized on the importance of education through home visits
39
Teachers appointed across 9 schools
125
Children transitioned from primary to preschool
311
Members of the Children’s Collective sensitized on the importance of education
13
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) AWWs trained in preparing Teaching Learning Materials
Last year’s disbursed budget for Jan 24 to Dec 24: $ 24,074
This year’s approved grant for Jan 25 to Dec 25:
Dubulia’s path back to the school
Dubulia, an 11-year-old boy from a village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, lost his mother when he was in the 3rd grade. After her passing, he became irregular at school, taking on household chores to support his family. Despite his strong desire to study, he was forced to drop out in the 5th grade due to the lack of an Aadhaar card. Adding to his challenges, his family couldn’t afford a school uniform, which further disrupted his education.
When CRY America’s project team noticed Dubulia’s prolonged absence from school, they immediately conducted a home visit. Along with members of the School Management Committee (SMC), they educated Dubulia’s hesitant father on the importance of education and the potential that is being disrupted by limiting his potential. They also assured him of full support in obtaining Dubulia’s Aadhaar card, which was a key barrier to re-enrollment.
After several rounds of counseling and persistent follow-ups, Dubulia’s father was finally convinced. With the support of the Gram Panchayat and the village Sarpanch, the project team successfully facilitated the issuance of Dubulia’s Aadhaar card. They also arranged for his school uniform, textbooks, and ensured he received nutritious mid-day meals to help him stay healthy and focused on his studies.
Today, with the combined efforts of the project team and the community stakeholders, Dubulia is back in school, attending his classes regularly and weaving dreams of a brighter future.
Project Photo Gallery
