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Why I work at Makkala Jagriti

Home / Blogs / Why I work at Makkala Jagriti

Hi, my name is Nikhil Vasuki, and I manage communications at Makkala Jagriti. This account is a story of how Makkala Jagriti’s story and my story met.

 

The first 15 years of my career have been widely varied. My ties with the corporate world began in finance, moving on to the world of defence contracting. This exposed me to so much geography: Arabia, Europe, the Americas, and Central Asia. 

Nikhil Vasuki - Makkala Jagriti

When I moved to India in 2014, I started my stint in news media. In the field, I got a more nuanced understanding of the socio-economic situation of the people of India, especially the people of Karnataka. As much as administrations are doing their best to bridge the gap between the rural and the urban, it does take time. To identify areas that need extra support needs many more boots on the ground than are currently available. One major area where I saw a large rural-urban disparity was education. From pre-school to tertiary education, there were stark differences in what children and youth were exposed to. With the fraction of rural children and youth who transitioned into an urban setting for further studies and employment, a significant barrier was that of language, i.e. English. With minimal exposure to the language, this would often lead to difficulties in maintaining confidence. Consequently, any opportunity for tertiary education and post-university employment would swing in favour of the urban student.

 

With these thoughts was born a dream to find a way to bridge and eventually eliminate this gap. I ran through many ideas in my mind, a physical centre that provides bridge courses, a mobile centre that goes from district to district, taluk to taluk, village to village, an app that can provide lessons at a single click, or something as simple as a YouTube channel. Quite overwhelming, as I didn’t have the depth to understand every aspect of making access to education equitable.

Makkala Jagriti Team

A bit of soul – and internet – searching led me to the Facebook page of this Bangalore NGO called Makkala Jagriti. “Fascinating name,” I thought, “quite telling in what they’re all about.” Makkala Jagriti – the “awakening of children.” The awakening of knowledge, possibilities, opportunities, and success.

 

The more I explored, the more I got to know how deeply entrenched Makkala Jagriti is in a child’s development. With programs for children under the age of six, primary school children and pre-teens, and high school children and young adults, there is so much time and effort invested in ensuring no child or youth is left behind.

 

I thought to myself, “Here is an organisation that is already doing so much to bring equity in access to education; it is a good place to learn, contribute and build myself up to fulfil my mission in the development sector.” However, I was still not aware of the full extent of the work done by Makkala Jagriti. The knowledge of their reach dawned upon me when I began having conversations with the team.

 

Makkala Jagriti institutionalised the S.P.I.C.E. model of holistic development – building on children’s Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, and Emotional development. Studies have shown that such a wide spread of interventions is beneficial for a child’s growth into a physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy adult. To see this in active practice at Makkala Jagriti was wonderful for me to see.

 

When I came on board in January 2021, Makkala Jagriti was well into solving a significant problem that came into existence – learning was interrupted across the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It took some adjusting from the field team to start managing their facilitations remotely. However, there was one more divide that was created immediately – the digital divide. While most children in an urban setting had access to an electronic device that enabled them to continue learning online, this was not the case, especially in rural areas.

 

Makkala Jagriti, with the help of the organisation’s supporters, marshaled resources together and put together thoughtfully designed learning kits, stationery and lesson plans to reach children. The assistance included creating area-level WhatsApp groups in which representatives of Makkala Jagriti played a crucial part. Children would complete assignments in the workbook and send their feedback to Makkala Jagriti’s staff through the WhatsApp groups – such a detailed and continuous overview of every child’s work! On top of all of this, teachers and parents would be continually brought up to speed with lesson plans, the best ways to teach and guide, and to make the overall experience enriching and fun at the same time.

 

Furthermore, the Bangalore NGO’s work did not restrict itself to academics. These were trying times, and ensuring everyone’s mental health – staff, children, parents, and teachers – became a top priority. The organisation brought sessions in yoga, counseling, and talking circles – facilitated by experts in the field – to check in on and ensure all these stakeholders were aware of safe spaces available for them to let their hair down and use them as frequently as they need them.

 

What humbled me further was Makkala Jagriti’s efforts in ensuring food security within the communities where they work. Residents of these largely marginalised communities were daily wage labourers, and with work hard to come by because of the pandemic, money to put food on the table was scant. Makkala Jagriti’s team identified the communities needing help, mobilised relationships with food vendors and community leaders, and distributed dry ration kits to the families. The organisation has served nearly 15,000 families this way.

 

With all the beautiful things that Makkala Jagriti does for society, I am often asked what makes it the best NGO for children… why do I enjoy working here? My answer would immediately point to the people with whom I work – a selfless bunch of folks on a mission to serve, build up and springboard children and youth to a soaring journey of success, with values instilled in them to pay it forward.

 

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How the education of one girl can impact generations ahead

Both of Mercy’s parents worked in the unorganised sector, who could not afford her school fees. She joined Makkala Jagriti Learning Centre at the age of 11, and always found the facilitators to be warm, welcoming and encouraging. Makkala Jagriti also supported her to pursue her education.

“We had a lot of freedom to explore our interests and talents. They taught us life skills and values. It was a new world for me.”

– Mercy

Through the Yuva Jagriti career guidance programme, Mercy received the right kind of insight and encouragement that led her to pursue a degree in Commerce, that too through a merit seat. Being the first girl in her family to study that far, she set an example in her community and made choices that allowed her to move beyond the circumstances that she was born into. Mercy now works in a reputed bank and is among our celebrated many who not only made a difference in their own lives but continue to do so in that of others.

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Turning a Misguided Youth into a Community Leader

Prabhu was a teenager when the old, dilapidated building in which his family lived collapsed, leaving them without a home. While they were still grappling with the situation, Prabhu lost his father, the sole earning member of the family. Unable to process his difficult circumstances, he found strength in hanging around with his friends, who often indulged in gang wars and all forms of abusive behaviour.

Prabhu was a shy yet playful boy when he joined the Yuva Jagriti centre at the age of 15. He expressed, “I feel I am at crossroads, not sure which road to take”. Following our support and guidance, he decided to pursue an internship at Makkala Jagriti. He was entrusted to work with children from Shelter Homes. Today, Prabhu is a sought-after Creative Facilitator and Coordinator at Makkala Jagriti, managing three Community Centres. A silent yet sound performer, he brings in diverse and highly creative ways to engage children and help them learn and grow.

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From a 10th Std. dropout to a World Taekwondo Champion

Murali lived in Bengaluru with his brother, while his parents lived in a village in Tamil Nadu. After his 10th grade, he lost the interest and inclination to study further. When he joined Yuva Jagriti, he started learning Taekwondo at our centre, which helped him become calmer and more focused. He also showed immense capacity to work with children, especially in the areas of sports and creativity, and this landed him an opportunity to work with Makkala Jagriti. Alongside his work, he pursued Taekwondo and competed at the District, State and National levels. He won a number of Gold Medals.

Today, Murali is an accomplished Taekwondo instructor, teaching at many schools in Bengaluru. He brought great accolades to the Nation when he won two bronze medals at the World Taekwondo Championship in Korea in September 2017.

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Breaking the language barrier for migrant children

Barnalli, a seventh grade student at Government Primary School, Somasundrapalya, is a child of migrant parents from Assam. Unable to speak the local language, Kannada, she found it difficult to adjust to school and struggled to mingle with other children.

“When you are new to a place and don’t know anyone, it is hard to fit in. She didn’t have any friends in school.”

– Barnalli’s mother

Makkala Jagriti’s language development program came to her rescue.

“Although I was in a higher grade, the HDLC facilitator taught me Kannada right from the basics. The different activities and sessions helped me grasp the language easily and quickly. Over time, Kannada moved from being just a new language to my favorite subject. Learning Kannada helped me enjoy school a lot more. I became a class leader and also started representing the school in inter-school competitions!”

– Barnalli

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Equipping parents to become positive influencers

Manoj, a 12-year-old boy, hails from a family of garment workers who had migrated from Andhra Pradesh. On moving to Bengaluru in 2018, he joined the Government Primary School in Ulsoor. The drastic change in his environment and culture left him feeling withdrawn and fearful. He refused to speak or participate in any school activity. Over time, he confided in our HDLC facilitator about feeling neglected by his parents in such difficult circumstances.

Manoj’s mother was invited to participate in Makkala Jagriti’s parents’ workshop. The two-day residential workshop allowed her to reflect on her own mindset, biases and relationship with her son. At the end of it, she made a conscious decision to work on rebuilding and restoring her relationship with Manoj. At school, our facilitator noticed that this had a direct impact on his performance. He became more participative and improved in his academics. Manoj later shared with the facilitator that his relationship had become more harmonious and positive with his mother.

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Nammoora Anganwadi

We have seen great transformation take place when parents and community members are involved in shaping learning spaces for children and understand the importance of preschool education. The Anganwadi at Katamnallur, Bengaluru, transformed from a dull space to a vibrant and colourful learning centre, where children love to visit every day and parents and community members gather to participate in various activities.

“When we started our intervention, we saw that the environment at the Anganwadi was not safe or conducive for children. Although the community could contribute to the Anganwadi’s development, there was a major gap between the community, local leaders and Anganwadi teachers.”

– Gouri, Coordinator

Through community celebrations and fun events, we involved community members in the Anganwadi activities. As their participation grew, their understanding about the significance of early learning and development also increased and they readily contributed to the centre’s development.

“Community involvement in Anganwadi is so important. Inspired by Makkala Jagriti’s work, we saw the community, parents and Bala Vikas Samithi members come together and show greater ownership towards the Anganwadi.”

– Subramanya Swamy, Doddabanahalli Gram Panchayat Member

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A Library with Toys!

In an effort to ensure that every household in the Anganwadi community had access to child-friendly learning materials, we started a novel initiative called ‘Toy Library’, which allowed parents to borrow toys and learning resources for their children.

“The Toy Library has been very useful for children. Whatever we teach at Anganwadi, they can continue learning at home independently. Parents also feel more equipped to engage their children at home. No wonder, within just two months of its launch, over 100 toys were borrowed from our Anganwadi.”

– Bhavya, Anganwadi teacher

The Toy Library concept was welcomed by the community and the time spent on learning at home increased!

“My child always preplans what he’d like to take home from the Toy Library. He has also become very responsible in maintaining the toys because he knows he must return them! In the past 3 months, we have borrowed 20 times already.”

– Shwetha, Parent, Vijayanagara Anganwadi, Doddaballapur

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Empowered Teachers Create Better Learners

To ensure children get quality pre-school learning opportunities in the Anganwadi, we empower the teachers and helpers through enhancing their knowledge, skills and attitude towards early learning and development.

“Through Anganwadi trainings, I have changed in a positive way and gained confidence about myself – especially in terms of catering to all domains of early learning. I have even started making learning materials by myself to teach children”.

– Nirmala, Anganwadi teacher, Rojipura

We train teachers and helpers on experiential learning methods that can be practiced at their centres. We also organise Mothers’ Meetings and regular mentoring visits to provide on-the-job support and guidance to teachers. Anganwadi helpers are empowered to become co-teachers and have an important role in the children’s learning process, thereby not confining them to just cooking and cleaning.

“I was used to just cooking and cleaning in the Anganwadi and did not do much else. However, after I attended the ECCE trainings, I realized I had a lot of potential and could engage and teach the children just like a teacher. Now, when the teacher is absent, I engage children in preschool learning activities.”

– Rukmini, Helper, Jyothinagar Anganwadi

From giving little time to learning, to prioritizing pre-school learning and spending more quality time with children, Anganwadi teachers and helpers have come a long way.