Opening new windows

weCHANGE provides underprivileged children with interactive study material, counselling and extra-curricular activities to keep them in school and make learning fun

June 16, 2017 12:22 am | Updated 12:22 am IST

Mumbai: Most people take college projects seriously only as long as they’re studying, or use them to embellish their resumes.

For Shridhar Lokanathan (23), the experience was life-changing. While pursuing an Engineering degree from Vivekanand Education Society, Chembur, Mr. Lokanathan was involved in activities of the college’s Social Responsibility Team (SORT). Among other things, he taught underprivileged children in Patnaupada, Yeoor Hills, Thane.

But after graduation, he felt the need to do more, and was drawn towards helping children. Mr. Lokanathan teamed up with two of his friends from college, Sampada Inarkar (22) and Shantanu Tawte (23), and decided to work towards educating underprivileged children. They founded weCHANGE (acronym for Care, Help, Acknowledge, Nurture, Grow and Enlighten), in Thane in December 2014. By February, they had grown to 10 volunteers.

At Majiwadagaon near Thane, they came across the Navjeevan Prathamik Vidyalaya(NPV), which taught poor children from the slums in the area. “The children studying in this school do not have access to even basic education. They are burdened with the responsibility of home and their younger siblings,” said Ms. Inarkar.

The weCHANGE founders started visiting the school and decided to provide the students with interactive study material for basic English, Maths and Marathi to make lessons more interesting.

“However, we soon realised that absenteeism was high, due to which the children lagged far behind,” says Mr. Lokanathan. The volunteers started visiting their homes, convincing parents to send their children regularly to school. “We felt that more than the children, the parents’ mindsets needed to change,” said Monica Jeshnani (23), convenor, weCHANGE. While the task was not easy, there was a gradual change and attendance became more regular.

When learning is fun

The volunteers introduced video lessons for the children of all age groups. “We had never seen a computer before and to see lessons being taught through one was an amazing experience,” said Kunal MG Rathod, a Class VI student.

The founders also realised the need for value education. “As the parents of these kids leave for work early in the morning and in most cases, are unable to return by nightfall, many children tend to acquire habits like begging, rag picking and stealing,” said Harleen Arora (21), a volunteer.

The volunteers hold classes within the school premises on Saturdays for four hours. They have also begun motivational, career and family-oriented counselling to students. The school administration is happy with the students’ progress. “All the volunteers are dedicated and mix well with students. Their innovative teaching methods have made learning interesting,” said Jitendra Bajaj, Principal.

The volunteers’ efforts have indeed paid off, and there are success stories in the school. Kunal Rathod (11), who was studying in Class VI, for instance, was very irregular and showed no interest in learning. However, with the efforts of the volunteers, Kunal has not only started attending school regularly but completes all his assignments on time and even teaches younger students.

Likewise, Yasmin (10), a Class V student, was a slow learner and had a speech disorder. There is a considerable improvement in her now, says Mr. Lokanathan. “There are many students who have shown a complete transformation with respect to values, academic orientation and extra-curricular activities.”

weCHANGE is also using innovative teaching tools for the children of Narlipada village in Yeoor, Thane and Jyot Bhadushey Samajik Sanstha, Ulhasnagar, which helps meet educational needs of street children.

“The kids of Narilpada village assemble at one place and we provide educational guidance on a weekly basis with various fun-filled activities. Recently, we demonstrated a science experiment with the help of a kit we had prepared,” said AiswariaVaidhyanathan (22), a volunteer from SIES College, Nerul.

Other activities

weCHANGE has grown into a team of 80 volunteers aged between 21 and 24 years. Most of them are either from colleges from across Mumbai or have just started working in multinational firms in the city. The organisation now has branches in Ghatkopar, Thane, Borivali and Ulhasnagar, and has diversified its activities.

In April 2015, the volunteers raised funds for the victims of the Nepal earthquake. The Borivali team has also helped the differently-abled children of Shantidan Ashram and conducted a tree plantation drive at Gorai. They also organised ‘Umeed — A campaign against Cancer’ in January 2016 along with Medigene Homeopathic Research and Development, with a similar initiative on a larger scale in January this year. They conducted a medical camp at Rescue Foundation, Kandivali, which works for the women rescued from trafficking, and write exams for blind candidates.

To make learning more joyful, the volunteers recently undertook an activity called BALA (Buildings as Learning Aid), aimed at using the walls of a school to teach various educational concepts in a pictorial way. The volunteers painted the walls of Thane Mahanagar Palika School in collaboration with Kayvalya Foundation.

No hurdle is too big

While paucity of funds is a major challenge, it has never deterred the youngsters from conducting their activities. “There are many philanthropists who support our work but whenever we fall short of funds, some of the volunteers readily donate part of their salaries,” says Ms. Inarkar.

To Mr. Lokanathan, inspiration is a continuous process. “To work for society, one does not have to go far. There is a huge disparity of resources all around us. All we have to do is give time and be dedicated,” he says.

Founder : Shridhar Lokanathan, Sampada Inarkar, Shantanu Tawte

Funding : Donations

Founded: December 17, 2014

Contact: 9004644541, 9769838922

Email & Website: wechange.ngo@gmail.com

www.wechange.org.in

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