From building community libraries to training educators on sexual health: Top SocialStories this week
Education was the key topic this week for SocialStory . From educating teachers on sexual health to helping underprivileged children learn, this week brought into limelight many social entrepreneurs and NGOs who are trying to bring a change in the country's education system.
As we get closer to the end of 2021, it is interesting to note the important social works that happened during this year. This week, we looked back at the social initiatives and work done by the social enterprises, organisations and corporates throughout 2021.
Meanwhile, SocialStory also met with a few social entrepreneurs who are trying to impart knowledge to the students through building community libraries and through mobile classrooms and free mid-day meals- as well as by introducing sexual health in academia.
How this 19-year-old is empowering underprivileged children through community libraries
Sadiya Shaikh, 19, a Mumbai resident, decided to take a break and visit her hometown in Deora, Bihar along with her family before the nationwide lockdown was announced in 2020.
On moving back to the village, she realised that families with stronger financial backgrounds migrated to the cities, while others were left behind. She recollected that her own family had moved to Mumbai for better prospects and opportunities when she was four-year-old.
After many discussions, she finally convinced her family, and gained access to a relative’s guesthouse, renovating it with Rs 5,000 - money earned from winning a public-speaking award over the previous two years. Her uncle Akbar Siddique, and cousin Nawaz Rahman, helped her with the work.
Named after India’s first education minister, the Maulana Azad Library in Deora now houses hundreds of new and secondhand schoolbooks.
Sex education 101: How this NGO is equipping teachers, educators to talk to adolescents about their sexual health
In India, sex education is not compulsory in schools, with many states like Uttar Pradesh banning it altogether. However, this has had a direct impact on sexual awareness.
“Young people have a lot of questions but due to widespread stigmatisation on any discussion around sex and sexuality in India, these doubts often go unanswered. When these queries go unanswered, they resort to going to their friends or online, where they may access information that is not accurate or verified. So there’s a clear need to reach out to young people,” Tejwinder Singh Anand, Joint Director – Communications at Population Foundation of India (PFI), tells SocialStory.
This is why PFI decided to start Educately, aimed at being the leading source of information on sexuality in India. Its programme on adolescent reproductive and sexual health – ‘ARSH For You’ – trains educators on providing accurate, age-appropriate and culturally suitable information to students.
[Year in Review 2021] Amid COVID-19, these 10 non-profits created social impact this year
On one hand, COVID-19 affected the livelihood of people across the world, but it also brought together people for a single cause – helping people during the pandemic.
The pandemic has affected everyone’s lives in one way or another – from people losing loved ones, students finding it difficult to access education, to families now under financial distress. This has led to an urgent call for NGOs to step in, and many social enterprises are working hard to help people.
To recognise the important work of these organisations, SocialStory took a look at 10 such non-profits that have done commendable social work.
'Hope' on wheels: Bringing education to underprivileged children
Since the beginning of the pandemic, these students have forgotten what going to school feels like. Many may have moved to online learning, but not everyone was able to transition as smoothly.
Realising this gap, a Delhi-based community school HOPE set out to help the many underprivileged children living in the city who do not have access to online education through mobile classrooms and free mid-day meals.
Every weekday, four Hope Buses, launched by NGO Tejas Asia, head to slums in New Delhi and Gurugram to provide education to the children of underserved communities residing here. Around 60 students, aged 4-13, wait eagerly to take their seats on the buses. Some even put a pause on their part-time work so they can study instead.