CHILDREN

Goonj, a voluntary organisation, is initiating Vastra Samman (dignifying clothing), a pan-India campaign, to collect about one crore units of material in the 'Joy of Giving Week' being celebrated across India from 27th September to 3rd October.Goonj will use the collected material as resource under 'Cloth for Work' for development activities in the villages, school material and toys to support rural or slum schools and anganwadis; and useless cloth to make mats, school bags and the entire cotton waste material to be converted into sanitary napkins. Collection CentresSmitha Anand, BTM 2nd Stage,  Ph: 9986213181, 9 AM to 10 PM Jennifer…

"Zapperdockel and the Wock" - Shows on Sep 15 and 16, ‘09Ranga Shankara is proud to bring back "Zapperdockel and the Wock" for five year olds and above! The play premiered at AHA! Fest '09 and was welcomed enthusiastically by both children and adults.The play is directed by Wally and Paul Schmidt of Salz und Pfeffer, Nuremburg, Germany. The music has been composed by Ganesh and Kumaresh and the puppets are by Anurupa Roy of Kat-katha, New Delhi.Practical application of the Laws of Physics, a beautiful story and a brilliant presentation hold children and adults in a thrall. The play…

Coming from a family of academics, I assumed that teaching ability should be second nature even without formal training. And I'm apparently fine according to many children I have volunteered with although I may not match the exceptional skills of my grandfathers, mother and some of my extended family or a few of my school and college teachers. However, I never expected to receive such honour and affection as I did this September, 5.Actually, I have been a tutor, mentor, learner and friend rather than a school teacher and am still amused when kids address me as Ma'am or Miss…

Groundbreaking Children's Ride.When are we riding: Sunday, September 6th 2009Starting point: Sarjapur Road.http://quikmaps.com/show/113961 shows the directions from the junction of Outer Ring Road/Sarjapur ring road to the starting point. PLEASE NOTE THE GREEN ARROW IS THE STARTING POINTGathering time: 4:00PMDeparture time: 4:30PMExpected finish time: 6:30PMRide type: All Road Child Friendly RIDEDistance: two circles - one each 3KM and a 5KM circle. We will try to identify some place where we can stop for ice creams or kid-friendly snacks after the event.Number of children: Unknown at this time. (Will circulate this when we are done)NOTE: THIS IS OUR FIRST RIDE. SO…

In early 2006, many non-profit and community based organizations like SICHREM, ESG, Sangama, OpenSpace, Stree Jagruti Samiti et al and individuals (like yours truly) working with marginalized persons and social issues in and around Bangalore felt the need for an open, informal gathering and expression of life, our spirit and beliefs. The idea crystallized into Namma Jathre, Our Festival signifying that it is an event by and for everyone. When we first held the Jathre at Cubbon Park in November 2006, nearly 40 citizen's groups and 7000 people including the general public participated. This increased to over 40 organizations and…

An Aashayein Foundation initiative, ‘Aashayein Walkathon 09’, will be held on Sunday August 30th at Kanteerava stadium, Bengaluru. The event is expected to start at 7:30 AM. We invite people from all walks of life to come together for the cause of education. Our intent is  to create an opportunity for people to come forward and involve one-self to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged children. It’s a walk for the celebration of education. Aashayein Foundation was a dream project of a few IT professionals in Bangalore to bring education to the underprivileged. In the past three years,…

Ever visited a BBMP school? Or met children studying in one?When I first heard of it, I immediately visualized a dilapidated building with a loud bell and boisterous children. But this one was different. Thanks to its proactive and progressive Headmaster of four years, Mr. Balappa and his committed staff, the BBMP Girls High school in Bharathi Nagar has 251 enthusiastic students in classes VIII - X presently. Located at the intersection of Thimmaiah Road and St. John's Road (near Coles Park), most of its students are Urdu speakers who commute long distances. Almost all hail from very low income…

…Hindus, Muslims, Christians, boys and girls", were the heart warming words of Afreen Sultana, a promising class IX student of a government aided English medium school in Matadahalli, R.T. Nagar. A fornight ago, it all began as a question on the difference between a nest and a cage with Firdaus (of class VII in the Urdu medium government school nearby). This led to the meaning and importance of freedom for all living beings, eliciting interesting responses from Alan, Chetan and Abhinaya (in classes VII, IX and VIII of various government aided English medium schools in North East Bengaluru) on accepted…

  Women with courage, strength and patience. Supporting their children and each other. Speaking out against violence at home and outside. Despite the pain of abuse and the threat of ostracization and backlash. In India, Cameroon, China, Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere. Portrayed through the lens of sensitive and concerned artists. In the women's own voices and others'. This was Daughters of Fire, a festival of films and discussions on violence against women and women's resistance to it. Last weekend, Vimochana and the Asian Women and Human Rights Council in collaboration with the Bangalore Film Society and Alliance Francaise de Bangalore organized…

Have you ever observed or interacted with children from low income families (and sometimes first generation literates) studying in private or government aided English medium schools, in their school or outside? Who are their friends? What is their medium (language) and topic of conversation?  Do they commute by walk  or bus or private transport? Does their body language display confidence and stability or insecurity and discrimination?   While tutoring and mentoring such children I have found that many of them feel diffident primarily because they can't converse fluently in English and lack academic and career guidance at home. Further, their…