Bodarli School Project - Small-Steps Charity 2011-2015
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Saraswati Shishu Mandir School, Bodarli, MP, India
Our Mission: Educate a woman and you educate a nation Role of Small Steps Charity Small Steps Charity has fund-raised and supported the school by
Background In 1999, the Saraswati Shishu Mandir was started to provide access to education without the need to travel long distances outside the local area. The school provided education only up to year 4. Following this, it was common practice for boys to be sent to the adjoining towns for higher education while most of the girls remained at home unschooled. With our support and funds, from 2011-2014, the school has doubled in capacity and facilities which led to more students arriving from neighbourhood villages thus bringing in the much-needed funds and job opportunities in the form of teachers and staff, in addition to students too. More girls have continued their studies after year 4. The opening of an IT suite with computers has made it possible for the students to look into and apply for various vocational courses and jobs as well. Currently this school is well established and regarded in the region with more than 400 students including a good number of female students. History: Equality and education for the girl child: India has made technological and space age breakthroughs in the world and is considered amongst the superpowers but the reality in the heart of the country i.e. the rural India is far from that perceived in the cities. Education for girls is still sketchy, to say the least and although literacy in India has improved by leaps and bounds in the cities over the last few decades, there continues to be a gender gap with female literacy still lagging behind that of males, especially amongst families from low socio-economic backgrounds. Lower female literacy rates have a negative impact upon population stabilization, infant health, and thereby the successful evolution of communities. The challenges they face in their path are numerous, some of them as outlined below- Poverty and gender-based challenge: These are two of the main challenges which impact girl child education. Girls are forced to stay at home or engage in daily wage labour to contribute to the income of the house. According to a UN report, every year more than 1.5 million girls in India are married before they turn 18. Eventually, these young girls become mothers at an early age which has adverse effects on the health of both mother and child. Distance from Home Even though 80 percent of schools in India are in the country’s villages, most of them are non-functional. There is a severe lack of teachers, proper teaching-learning facilities, and infrastructure. Children in rural areas often have to walk a long distance to reach school in a different village or city. Due to fear of harassment and violence against girls, most parents prefer to not send their girls to school. Lack of Toilets in SchoolsIn developing countries like India, a lack of separate toilets for girls and boys is one of the top barriers to education. Adolescent girls frequently miss school due to hygiene-related problems and eventually drop out. Schools do not provide sanitary napkins due to extreme taboo which often lead to girls of menstruating age dropping out of school. More Information https://schools.org.in/burhanpur/23480202504/sarasvati-shishu-mandir-bodarl.html |
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