UAE charity boosts education for children of an Indian slum

Free after-school lessons in bid to break poverty cycle

DUBAI // Dozens of young children in an Indian slum have been given access to education as a path to a better life.

Youngsters from Rishikesh, in Uttarakhand, are being taught reading, writing, mathematics, general knowledge and environmental studies for free.

The after-school courses have been made possible by Monyati Initiatives, a UAE charity working with Indian organisation Pankh.

Monja Wolf, founder of Monyati Initiatives, said she was inspired to help the community after seeing conditions in visits for other projects.

“Over the past one and a half years I have spent a lot of time in the Himalayas and often drove by a small slum community in Rishikesh,” Ms Wolf said.

“This community consists of the poorest families in town.

“The thought to do something crossed our mind many times. It was a matter of time until the right people came together to move things forward.”

The charity decided to become involved to give more than the basic level of education offered by the government-run school.

“That required a lot of improvement in quality, primarily due to lack of qualified motivated teachers,” Ms Wolf said.

“Parents of our students have a meagre income and cannot afford to send their children to better schools. “Thus we attempt to bridge that gap by offering free afternoon courses.

“Our lessons strengthen and deepen what the students learn in their day schools and provide foundation knowledge to those children who do not attend school at all due to work commitments.”

The Afternoon Education Centre opened last month and was held daily for three hours and caters to 40 children aged between 5 and 10.

With the parents on very low incomes it has not been possible to improve pupils’ quality of life, Ms Wolf said.

“We strongly believe in providing our education efforts fully free of charge,” she said.

“Therefore this centre’s future sustainability depends on donations to cover the costs of teachers, rent and basic school materials.”

The community was surveyed in the initial stages to find out the needs of the people.

“We strongly believe that an in-depth communication with the community as equals is a core necessity for any successful social development project,” Ms Wolf said.

“As outsiders we have limited insight into their living conditions, needs, interests and perceptions.

“In this case the parents were keen to send their children to afternoon classes.”

The parents understood the value of education and the deficiencies in nearby schools, she said.

“Overall, we received a very positive response from the local community,” Ms Wolf said. There was huge demand for the project and within two weeks of opening, the centre hit its maximum capacity of 50 pupils.

“We are already looking for a location to accommodate more students, but due to the slum setting, high population density in some areas and lack of infrastructure, it is not so easy to find good rental rooms that can be converted into classrooms, have electricity and toilets, and be close enough so that young children can manage the walking distance.

“More importantly, we need to appoint teachers who understand how to manage vulnerable children and are motivated to teach in such environments.

“To me, it is important that not only the salary is an incentive for them, but that they also feel a sincere care and connection with the students.”