Asha for Education

Project Brief: Deena Bandhu runs a school and summer camp program for underpriviledged children in the community.
Project Type: Formal Schools (description)
Primary Focus: to go to formal school (description)

Secondary Focus: dropouts

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Boston

Status: CURRENT
Project Steward: Melli Annamalai
Co-Steward: Vijay Dwarakanath
Project Partner(s): G. S Jayadeva
Project Address: Deenabandhu Trust
PWD Colony
Behind Forest Nursery
Chamarajanagar, Karnataka 571313
Tel: 08226 22556
Stewarding Chapter: Boston

The Deena Bandhu School is a totally free school that does not collect any fees. It caters to children from very poor families.
The students grow 50% of their own vegetables, and maintain a cow from which they sell any surplus milk. Several boys from this program have gone on to college.

DEENA BANDHU has undertaken a new project to build a SCHOOL for educating the orphans whom it already supports and other needy children in the nearby area. The new school is aimed at educating children from first thru seventh standard levels. The construction plans for the proposed project have been provided to Asha AZ for information.

The school has been planned to be constructed in three phases.
Phase I of the school construction is already underway. This effort was initiated using funds raised by Ms. Helen De Leeuw, a primary school teacher from Netherlands. Based on the information received, Phase I comprises Hall/Auditorium and internal play area. The goal is to complete the Phase I by June 2001. At present DEENA BANDHU is facing a deficit of five lakh rupees (US$11,000)to complete the Phase I. The project monitors would recommend funding at least 25%($,2,750)of this deficit amount by Asha AZ.

2004-2005 UPDATE
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Deena Bandhu started as an orphanage at Chamarajanar, Karnataka for children in 1992. Its vision is developing orphan, destitute and estranged children towards achievement of their best potential by providing them a loving home and good education. In 2001, Deena Bandhu took up a project to build a School (partly funded by Asha-AZ) to educate the children whom it already supports and other needy children in the neighboring villages. It aims at providing good value based education up to high school. It encourages children to go to college if they are academically good or channel them to vocational training courses in their area of interest. Now its vision has grown to achieve overall development of the community by involving mothers of children in the learning process through self help groups.

Currently it has around forty children at the children’s home and close to a hundred children attending the school. This year Asha-AZ funded $3,000 for providing vocational training for the 6th and 7th standard on Saturdays after regular classes. These additional life-oriented educational packages are- Nutrition, Simple food storage technology, Pollutants and insecticides in food – Awareness, Sericulture dairy farming and Basic hygiene and sanitation. We have seen an overall record of steady progress for past 4 years.

Phase II - Health Program (Proposal of 2005)
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Food Preservation: In rural India use of refrigerators is rare and often spoilt food and food poisoning are common. Several fictitious attributes are made to explain why the food is spoilt. Children are constantly exposed to this kind of unscientific messages in the home environment. Therefore it is necessary to develop a conviction in them about the role of Bacteria, Fungi and insects in food getting spoilt. Children need to know that toxins are produced in the stale food which can be dangerous or fatal.

Dairy and Sericulture are a subsidiary source of income for the people of Chamarajanagara. Therefore it is necessary for children to know some scientific details of managing the Dairy for Milk production and Sericulture for production of silk cocoons.
In dairy children will be trained about the relation ship between Milk yield and food fodder fed to the cow. The importance of Minerals in production of milk and health of the cow are also taught. Routine vaccinations and other health care are discussed.
Similarly in Sericulture the diseases of silk worms, its cause and remedy are discussed. This is more important because the blind beliefs in strong vogue are detrimental to the production and yield of dairy and sericulture.

Kaayaka Geethe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HfbiSOEZUU