This month our staff members and two police officers visited the Kadarganj centre to conduct a session on the “importance of education”. All 40 students (ranging from 4 to 17 years old) are from the Gujjar tribal community, where education is disregarded and children are encouraged to work, completing household chores which then becomes the sole pathway for the rest of their lives. It’s a vicious cycle compounded by a lack of education, generation after generation.
We interviewed students asking how they have progressed and what they find challenging. A key challenge for the students is a lack of educational support from the community. In this light our guest speakers spoke about the significance of education, providing some very important messages;
"Today education is a necessity to earn a basic livelihood."
"Education awakens curiosity to learn new things and develop a sense of innovation and creativity."
The students listened intently. Since joining the centre students said that they have seen behavioural changes and they are concentrating on their health and education. The students were grateful for Project Help and the opportunity to be educated. They recited the alphabet, numbers, poems and described their hobbies to staff members. Akram, a 10-year-old student with a mild intellectual disability, eagerly showed staff members the sounds of vehicles and animals. He is quickly learning sounds, pictures and names, and we are so proud of his progress.
We hope that this session bought an awareness to the importance of education bringing value and purpose to their life. Our goal is to encourage and prepare children for their futures. We have big dreams for them.
