Almost 65% of India’s populace lives in villages. About 35 lac registered non-profit organizations aim to serve Indian marginalized communities. Yet, the majority of rural India is under-served and under-reached. Perhaps, this is because of the lack of access and connectivity to villages.
However, a Powai-based NGO is breaking the barriers of distance and reaching out to the interiors of rural India. Blue Parijaat Foundation was established in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. At such a time, it recognized the huge impact of the catastrophe on the marginalized population in terms of lack of basic needs, well-being, and education.
Blue Parijaat Foundation’s mission is to uplift communities by enabling positive and sustainable change through education, livelihood, healthcare, and environmental conservation with a special focus on rural India.
The organization’s first initiative was to set up a Learning Adda (or center) in July 2021 that imparts foundational literacy and numeracy, through experiential teaching methods in a marginalized community in Sitapur district, UP, approx 80 km from Lucknow.
Students began trooping in as they needed a place to learn while schools were indefinitely closed. The morning and afternoon batches were packed with 30-plus students in each batch in a small room. Parents also supported this initiative as students had been deprived of learning altogether in the absence of online options that schools were not providing and neither could the families afford.
Close on its heels followed a center in Lakhad, in the Amravati district of Maharashtra, in December 2021. This village was even more remote, and here COVID-19 had stalled the learning of a large number of students, especially those in primary grades. A female teacher, originally a farming hand, stepped forward to put her higher secondary education to use for the students.
The third center was opened in another village in Sitapur district on Children's Day, November 14, 2022. This center not only attracted students, but also drop-out girls, and even mothers who wanted to study further. To accommodate these adolescent and adult learners, a program called Doosra Mauka was conceptualised which focuses on imparting literacy, livelihood skills, and social awareness to its participants. A fourth center in the Yavatmal district is in the pipeline on similar lines.
Not only are these centers proving to be vibrant, buzzing, and safe learning spaces for students, but also empowering female teachers, who are now becoming self-reliant and financially independent, and also contributing to the family income.
Teachers at Blue Parijaat are getting exposure to various educational best practices through online guidance from educators that volunteer their time to train them. They are actively investing time in enhancing their subject knowledge as well as attending courses on digital literacy and workshops on how to conduct library sessions, teach English using phonics, and plan curriculum among others. Project Kitaabein, a community library project also runs within these centers, bringing the magic and power of books and stories to the youngsters.
So far, individual donors who believe in the cause have helped run the operations of Blue Parijaat’s initiatives. Each such Learning Adda requires Rs 12000/- per month to run smoothly and impart the necessary skills to its students.
You too can be part of the cause that stands for goodness and progress. Simply, email blueparijaat@gmail.com or visit the website blueparijaat.org to partner with us.
