17May

How empowering Anganwadi Teachers enhances Early Childhood Education

May 17, 2023 makkalajagriti 0

Every child deserves a fair start in life. Research shows that most of a child’s brain development happens in the first 6 years. This makes Early Childhood Education crucial for laying the foundation of a child’s learning, health, and overall success in life. In India, Anganwadis (government-run centers) are the primary institutions that provide basic nutrition, health, and pre-school education services to children under the age of 6 and their mothers. Hence, Anganwadi teachers play an important role in providing care and education to children. However, many of these teachers face challenges such as lack of training, resources, and support, which impact the quality of their services.

To address this issue, Makkala Jagriti has introduced the ECCE program, which promotes the holistic development of children across all developmental domains, with a focus on improving the learning levels and school readiness of children aged 3-6 years. Currently, Makkala Jagriti is working with 85 Anganwadis in both urban and rural districts of Bangalore to improve the quality of services provided to children.

Makkala Jagriti takes a sustainable approach by working with Anganwadi teachers and helpers to improve their facilitation skills through capacity building. Providing necessary support to teachers and helpers improves their effectiveness, and they can carry out their responsibilities more effectively. With better-equipped teachers, more engagement from parents, and improvements in the classroom, the quality of services provided by Anganwadis can be enhanced.

During a focus group discussion with Anganwadi teachers in Rajanakunte, Bangalore, several insights were gathered regarding the benefits of empowering these teachers. One of the primary advantages is that they develop a better understanding of what is needed for the development of children, beyond just teaching basic literacy and numeracy skills. One of the teachers said, “Initially, I thought that our job was only to feed the children, put them to sleep and at the most, teach them ABCs and a few basic nursery rhymes. But, after attending training sessions and online classes as a part of Makkala Jagriti’s ECCE program, I realized that there are so many other aspects that need to be covered for the holistic development of children.” The training has led to significant improvements in the classroom, with teachers now providing more engaging and diversified learning activities.

Another teacher shared, “Earlier, we only used to do rote learning, but now we focus on activities that promote learning through play. I learnt to incorporate songs, rhymes, and storytelling, which not only makes learning fun but also helps with cognitive and language development.” During the discussion, it became apparent that teachers are now more knowledgeable about the different domains of child development and how various activities can foster specific aspects of development. It is evident that this increased awareness is largely attributable to the ECCE program of Makkala Jagriti.

In India, there is a common misconception that Anganwadis only serve as daycare centers and not as places for preschool education. The intervention by Makkala Jagriti aims to change this narrative. A senior teacher shared, “Parents are now aware of the significance of the activity conducted by us and, as a result, they are now more engaged in their child’s learning process. Earlier they used to leave the child and walk away, however now they spend some time observing what is happening in the class.”

The empowerment of Anganwadi teachers has also resulted in significant changes in the centers. The use of low-cost materials and innovative teaching techniques has been helpful in attracting parents. One teacher shared, “Earlier, parents were skeptical about sending their children to the center. They didn’t believe that their children would learn anything here. But now, they can see the difference. They are very happy with the progress of their children.” It was noticed that this has led to more community involvement, with parents volunteering their time and resources to support the Anganwadi centers.

Additionally, this empowerment has led to professional growth and development of the Anganwadi teachers, exposing them to new ideas and methodologies that help them provide better-quality education to children. One teacher shared, “I feel proud to be a part of the Anganwadi center. Earlier, I used to feel that I am just an ordinary worker, but now I feel that I am doing something important for the community. People respect us and our work.”

The ECCE program by Makkala Jagriti has shown that providing teachers with the necessary tools, knowledge and skills can lead to significant improvements in the classroom, more engagement from parents, and better-equipped teachers. It is imperative that the government, policymakers, and society as a whole recognize the vital role that Anganwadi teachers play in shaping young minds and invest in their professional development, training and welfare. More efforts need to be made to empower Anganwadi teachers across India, so that every child has access to quality early childhood education.

22Dec

What makes MJ a Great place to work?

December 22, 2022 makkalajagriti 0

What makes Makkala Jagriti a Great Place to work

Makkala Jagriti has recently been certified as a Great Place to Work by Great Place to Work® Institute India.The Great Place to Work® Assessment is considered a ‘Gold Standard’ in workplace Culture assessment. The GPTW assessment measured various aspects such as Trust Index, credibility of management, pride, respect, fairness and camaraderie between team members and the organization scored highly on all these aspects.

MJ has always had a great work culture with freedom and trust at its core, and we are able to continue to foster the same over the years. This certification is a reflection of how all our team members feel about the work culture of the organization.

Makkala Jagriti sphere of work has human centredness at its core and therefore Trust is a core value that the organization not only believes in but puts into practice day in and day out. The Trust factor needs to be and is high between various stakeholders whether it is the employees and the management, between employees, employees and the communities that we work with or the organization and its stakeholders. The high trust factor allows a high degree of transparency and freedom while creating a safe and non-judgmental space between and among any of these actors. Some of the practices of the organization that contribute to making Makkala Jagriti a Great place to work are shared here.

Open House

Within the organization, we have created the process of Open House wherein all employees have the chance to ask questions to the Executive Leadership on any matter anonymously. This has been appreciated all around and while the Executive Leadership has always been accessible to all employees at all times, this has created a greater sense of approachability.

An extended leadership team

Democratic decision making is one of the values that we like to promote and standby in the organization. Towards this, there is a team called the Extended Leadership team that comprises managers representing all Programs and Departments of the organization. The Extended Leadership team meetings are forums to discuss and decide on organizational matters including policies an culture setting practices that are beyond day-to-day operational issues.

Investment in people’s development

People are central to Makkala Jagriti’s success as an organization and therefore investing in people’s development is a strong area of focus. When we say people’s development, it is not just capacity building on the technical skills that they have to bring to the workplace, but also the knowledge and awareness about themselves and how they can tap into it and be the best versions of themselves.

Autonomy and ownership at all levels

One of the unique features of our organization is that employees at all levels enjoy a good amount of autonomy, which stems from a sense of ownership that they feel towards the organization and its cause. This comes from her feeling a sense of transparency and trust in the organization over a period of time. It also comes from sufficient investment being done in ensuring that all employees understand the purpose and objectives of the organization and its various programs deeply.

05Nov

Micro-improvements towards transformative changes in ECCE

November 5, 2022 makkalajagriti 1

Micro-improvements – small steps towards transformative changes in early childhood care and education

Development sector overall is a complex ecosystem with multiple issues, multiple stakeholders and their perspectives, multiple power dynamics and challenges at all levels. In such a scenario, it is understandable that lasting change requires time and sustained multi-pronged efforts. We all want to see significant outcomes, but can easily be frustrated and overwhelmed by the complexity of it all.

This is where it makes sense to realize that changes are gradual and each step needs to be acknowledged and celebrated. The small changes can be empowering and they can also be more specifically defined than long term impact. Another word to describe them is Micro-improvements. And when we look at ‘change’ as a series or combination of interconnected micro-improvements, it helps us to stay motivated and committed to the cause and not be overwhelmed. As such, Micro-improvements can be defined as projects or undertakings with small goals that show immediate results. These in turn aid in establishing practices that can be repeated to create a journey of sustainable improvement.

We would like to thank and acknowledge ShikshaLokam who have helped us realize and explore the concept of Micro Improvements in the education space. To further understand the power and scope of Micro-improvements, let’s delve into what Makkala Jagriti, a Bangalore-based NGO working in the education sector has been doing in the space of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).

It is well researched and understood that the early childhood years are among the most significant ones in an individual’s life in terms of growth and development. It is therefore that quality early childhood education has been rightly recognized by India’s National Education Policy (NEP-2020) as the greatest and the most powerful equalizer that can contribute to addressing social inequities. Achieving the vision of quality early education for all children in the country below the age of 6 years requires transformation at multiple levels – the most significant being at the Anganwadi ecosystem level since Anganwadis are the focal points of child development services for most children across the country.

Makkala Jagrit’s ECCE program focuses on bringing changes in the Anganwadi ecosystem by working with the Anganwadi teachers to equip and empower them with the knowledge and skills to deliver quality pre-school learning services to children enrolled in Anganwadis. We recognize that it is important to work with all the stakeholders to bring lasting change in the ecosystem and therefore we also engage with ICDS Supervisors, parents of children and the larger community.

While we acknowledge that large-scale sustainable change will require time and efforts of high magnitude, we also recognize what are the smaller changes or Micro-improvements that have taken place in our programs. Needless to add, it is an energizing exercise for us to look at these small wins in the program. We see how they can be a spark that leads to bigger changes.
Here are some stories of Micro-improvements from our ECCE program that have set the ball rolling for us to identify more.

An Anganwadi teacher creates a YouTube channel for Preschool Learning

As the world shut in 2020-21 because of the pandemic, Anganwadis across the country did too. With children stuck at home and having little or no means of learning, it was imperative that efforts needed to be made to reach out to Anganwadi teachers and parents with knowledge and instructions to engage children in pre-school learning activities. And while Makkala Jagrit tied with the government to send out bite-sized video content to Anganwadi teachers and parents, on a daily basis, there was a need for Anganwadi teachers also to step up and reach out to their communities in their own way.

Shobha, an Anganwadi teacher from rural Koppal was one of the thousands of recipients of the daily videos sent by Makkala Jagriti. Throughout the pandemic, she was an avid subscriber of our YouTube channel which was used to send the videos and constantly followed our work. Shobha was also an active participant on the WhatsApp groups that were created for the purpose of disseminating ECCE videos.

But she did not stop there. A highly motivated Shobha started her own YouTube channel to showcase the preschool activities that she did and shared with her colleagues. Now, that is something noteworthy for multiple reasons. Not only is her level of participation and commitment to preschool education exceeding expectations, but when an Anganwadi teacher takes responsibility and does something like this, it is much more relatable and inspiring for other Anganwadi teachers to learn and move forward. The steps taken by Shobha may look small in the information age where there are so many contributors, but they are significant for the community of Anganwadi teachers and a right step in the direction of the larger goal. We salute Shobha for her dedication and innovation. It is also an inspiration for other Anganwadi teachers to reach out to their communities and at the same time become updated with the use of technology. Here is a glimpse of Shobha and her work:

Bringing fathers to the forefront

Early childhood care, preschool activities or anything that involves children in their early years is traditionally seen as the domain and responsibility of the mother or women in general. And this perspective prevails irrespective of class or socioeconomic status. This is also reflected in the fact that Anganwadi teachers have been given guidelines to conduct ‘Mothers’ meetings’ in their Anganwadis and do not have any prescribed agenda of engagement with fathers. The potential role and contribution of fathers in early childhood development seems to be ignored.

Incidentally, various research studies have shown how important fathers play in the multi-area development of children.Fathers’ role in younger children’s development is something that has started being seen in the last two decades. At Makkala Jagriti as well, we have recently expanded the scope of our program implementation to engage with fathers on their role in early childhood care and education.

Recognizing that fathers’ participation in meetings requires overcoming deep societal conditioning, we have sensitized Anganwadi teachers and engaged with the community. We worked with the Anganwadi teachers to understand what timings suit fathers and also using techniques of peer-to-peer motivation. We have conducted different innovative activities including organizing group interactions with children. These are small steps in the large ECCE puzzle, but we firmly believe that fathers’ participation adds substance to the larger vision of quality early education for children. And we are seeing the results of persistence. In some Anganwadis, upto 70% attendance of fathers’ is seen in the meeting. We certainly hope that these small but focused initiatives can easily be replicated by others and eventually fathers’ participation in ECCE just becomes a way of life.

Making Preschool learning a priority in Supervisor meetings

The ICDS Supervisor plays an important role in the Anganwadi ecosystem. At the helm of a circle of Anganwadis, the Supervisor is responsible for monitoring various aspects of implementation of the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) objectives at the Anganwadi level that include health and nutrition as well as early childhood education aspects. The latter however has not required the attention it requires till recently. In fact there were no structured mechanisms or training for monitoring early childhood learning though ICDS has prescribed and mandated numerous formats and registers to collect various kinds of information and date.

The Supervisor meets the Anganwadi teachers twice every month to discuss the implementation of various provisions under ICDS. Empowered with understanding of the importance of early stimulation activities on young children, one Supervisor started with the small but impactful step of discussing the agenda, and the timetable of preschool learning happening in her circle of Anganwadis. This simple exercise put focus and demanded the need for the workers to conduct simple pre-school activities for the children. This would be the first step to building sustainable habits and practices. Come to think of it, this step is what every ICDS Supervisor needs to replicate and take up to transform the Anganwadi ecosystem into a space which delivers quality early childhood education. We certainly hope that more and more Supervisors take the cue and get started.

Everyone can contribute

What we see from the above examples is that Micro-improvements can be driven by anybody in the ecosystem and that leadership is not restricted to an organization or someone with large decision making powers. . Something specific can be taken up like a project with little or finite resources, and it can just be a simple incremental change that is seen as a result of it. What’s important to remember is that every one of them matters. And that’s how lasting change can be effected.

We are happy to note that the Department of School Education and Literacy has recognized and taken up the concept of Micro-improvements and launched an initiative called Vidya Amrit with the aim of encouraging innovations in the form of millions of micro-improvements across the 1.5 million schools in our education system, so that our students get a conducive learning environment. We can only say more power to the efforts and more power to Micro-improvements.

10Oct

Empowering children in institutional care

October 10, 2022 makkalajagriti 1

Instilling courage, health and confidence among children in institutional care

What are the most important things that a child needs to secure a good future for itself?

It would not be surprising if the answers include good health, a nurturing and caring family, education, values, opportunities and a safe, positive learning ecosystem. No doubt all of these are important and yet, there are many in our society and the world at large who are deprived of these for various reasons. In fact, there are many children who witness conflict within and outside their families, risky situations, neglect and injustice. And when a child’s impressionable mind witnesses all these, one can only imagine how it affects its sense of confidence, self-worth and ability to grow.

With the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as well as India’s Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act asserting that the institutionalization of children may be used only as a measure of the last resort, we are unfortunately faced with the situation of having many children staying in institutional settings. Child Care Institutions (CCIs) are an important component of the child protection system with different kinds of ‘Homes’ housing children from different circumstances and having different needs. And while they do provide care and protection, the institutions may not necessarily be the best learning ecosystem for a child’s holistic development.

Makkala Jagriti’s motto: Where a child is born should not limit how far it should go perhaps applies most critically to children in institutional care and has inspired the organization to engage with CCIs towards providing holistic learning and development opportunities to the children staying there. Using the SPICE model – an approach and curriculum that covers the Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Emotional development aspects – MJ’s facilitators have been engaging with the children in CCIs through activities and experiences since 2007 with the support of the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka.

When the pandemic struck in 2020, the learning and exposure opportunities for children in CCIs were severely limited. This prompted a partnership with the Department and the launch of a special initiative to virtually engage with children of CCIs across the state. Entitled Project Ullasa, the initiative involved creating and sending lessons and activities for engaging children in CCIs every day, conducting live online activities with children on topics of their interest and well-being and empowering the staff of the CCIs for qualitatively better engagement with children through online workshops and sessions every fortnight. More than 2 years on, Project Ullasa continues to this day with regular online activities for children and staff of CCIs.

Project Ullasa has provided many first time and unique experiences to the Children of CCIs. One such of the unique activities in this project has been conducting online Taekwondo classes for children in CCIs in partnership with Bhairavi.

Bhairavi (Bhairavi.org.in) is a social initiative that is on a mission to empower underprivileged children with the tools and techniques to lead lives of confidence, dignity and health through the martial art of Taekwondo.

The heart and hands behind the initiative include Ved, and his elder sister Neha, who, deeply felt from a young age that they are a privileged minority and there are large numbers of vastly less privileged children. They started Bhairavi in 2013 when Neha was barely in her teens and Ved was less than 10 years. Since they had been training in Taekwondo, they saw the opportunity to empower marginalized children through teaching them this martial art. Neha and Ved started teaching, along with support of their Taekwondo master, in government schools in partnership with Makkala Jagriti before expanding the engagement to other spaces.

In August 2021, when the shadow of the pandemic was still not fully lifted from our lives, Makkala Jagriti partnered with Bhairavi to provide Taekwondo sessions to children in child care institutions online – a truly unprecedented experience in every sense. Project Ullasa was the perfect vehicle to launch the initiative and the support from the Directorate of Child Protection to ensure that the program is carried on forthwith was exemplary.

There were some initial challenges – getting a suitable time-slot that suited most CCIs, internet connectivity issues, apprehensions from some of the CCIs whether the knowledge of martial-art would be abused, etc. There was apprehension about teaching the children online itself because of limited exposure of children to this medium. However, over a period of time, things settled down and a regularity or participation kicked in.

Maria Ashwini Prathima Senior Coordinator, Makkala Jagriti says “…we were unsure of how the CCIs, and children would respond to the sessions… we are now seeing that the children are taking leadership in handling the sessions”. Part of the reason for the success of the program is that Ved and Nagarjuna introduced fun elements such as music, dance, encouraging children to lead sessions and so on. This was to keep children better engaged; but equally to make this an hour of fun learning recognizing the beneficial effect it would have on the mental mood and morale of the children especially in the tough Covid times where children had almost no social and physical activities.”

Consistency is the key. Ved along with Master Nagarjuna of Asian Taekwondo Academy have been taking the weekly 1-hour virtual class consistently so that it has become ingrained in the time-tables of the CCIs. Week after week went by and in August 2022, we had completed a year of the intervention, with many children and Child Care Institutions continuing to participate regularly and enthusiastically.

The sessions were extremely useful to children in the pandemic times as it helped them release their stress levels while developing confidence and good health. Along with other live activities under Project Ullasa, this has also contributed to the sense of community among children in CCIs as they see other children like themselves on the screen. Especially in the pandemic, this was very important to alleviate their sense of isolation and a sense that their world is not limited to their own CCI.

Ms. Kavitha S, a senior officer in the Directorate of Child Protection says “From the last 1 year, Taekwondo classes have been conducted for children of CCIs as part of Project Ullasa. This has really helped children in maintaining their physical health and self-defense. All the participating children have shown great interest in learning this martial art. Most children have expressed that this program should keep continuing and not be stopped for any reason.”.

We are happy to see the children reflect upon their experience and share how Taekwondo is not just a physical activity but a means to help them feel more confident and develop a good attitude towards health.

“I like doing Taekwondo as it makes me happy, relaxes my mind and I can also revolt in case of injustice” – Ruchi (name changed), 8th standard.

Never missing an occasion to celebrate, on the 9th of September, 2022, Makkala Jagriti and Bhairavi with the support of the Directorate of Child Protection organized an online event to appreciate more than 700 children across 37 institutions in 17 districts who have been consistently participating in the sessions. The children were awarded certificates of appreciation and we are sure they will treasure it and it will be an inspiration for others.

Team Bhairavi as well as Makkala Jagriti are thankful to the Directorate of Child Protection, Govt. of Karnataka for the opportunity to touch the lives of thousands of children in a unique and impactful way. According to Ved and Nagarjuna: “When we hear from children like Ruchi, and realize the impact we are having is not only on their physical and mental well-being, but also providing them the confidence to demand and create an equitable society in the future, it feels deeply satisfying and joyous!”. It certainly inspires Makkala Jagriti as well to put all its efforts to ensure continuity of the initiative in the long run.

03Sep

Transforming Anganwadis to bring quality ECCE

September 3, 2022 makkalajagriti 0

Transforming Anganwadis to bring quality Early Childhood Care and Education

Every child deserves a fair start. Research shows that most of a child’s brain development happens in the first 6 years and builds a foundation for future learning, health and life success.

Various global studies have also revealed long-term impacts of early childhood care and education (ECCE). There are strong correlations between quality preschool education and higher incomes and lower rates of unemployment. Estimates reveal that the development of a strong ECCE program is among the very best investments that a country could make. ECCE promotes equity, giving the best chance for children to grow up into thoughtful, creative, empathetic, and productive human beings.

Anganwadis are the primary institutions in India that provide early childhood care and education for children in early years.While the government has been addressing the health and nutrition needs of these children through Anganwadis under ICDS, the early education component needs more attention. ECCE, being a great equalizer amidst inequities, the early learning component in Anganwadis needs strengthening through capacity building of Anganwadi teachers to impart age-appropriate pre-school learning,equip parents to enhance their involvement in the child’s early learning. Further, ICDS-supervisors need to be equipped to monitor the quality and outcomes of early education.

Makkala Jagriti, A Bangalore based NGO has been working with children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities for 19 years now. In the work with government schools and poor urban communities, Makkala Jagriti noticed that children who came to the school at the age of six years were just not school-ready. They lacked the necessary fine and gross motor skills, cognitive skills and socioemotional skills. All these showed that the Anganwadi system was not able to offer the required stimulation for different domains of development.

This prompted us to work with Anganwadis in partnership with the Department of Women and Child Development.

We have three main focus areas for bringing about quality Early Childhood care and Education and school-readiness among children.

First, creating safe, vibrant and conducive environments in Anganwadis:

This is an important first step to ensure that the centers are functional, safe and well equipped, with the right age-appropriate materials and environment for pre-school learning.

Second, building the capacities of Anganwadi teachers, Anganwadi helpers and supervisors through formal trainings, mentoring and handholding. They are trained on the importance of their role, importance of early years and on every domain of development for early years.

Third, empowering parents and communities to be effectively involved in children’s learning process and in the Anganwadis’ functioning: It is not enough to focus on the Anganwadi system only. Parents and communities have a huge role to play, especially in the early years. Parents are trained to create conducive home environments, provide early stimulation at home and nurture children’s development meaningfully and thoughtfully.

Makkala Jagriti’s experience with 300+ Anganwadis have resulted in enhanced school readiness among thousands of children, enabling them to cope up with required learning levels throughout their school years and beyond.

Ecosystem Approach :Makkala Jagriti recognizes that multiple stakeholders need to be sensitized and empowered for sustainable and effective change to take place. Consequently, the project employs an ‘ecosystem approach’ wherein all stakeholders who can influence quality early education of children in Anganwadis are involved right from inception through an inclusive and non threatening approach. Practices like shared visioning, collective thinking and empowerment through training and capacity building equips all the stakeholders to play their roles more effectively.

These stakeholders include the Anganwadi Teachers (Workers), Helpers, ICDS Supervisors, Parents and the larger community. While the capacity building of ICDS functionaries helps create a conducive space and institutionalization of good ECCE practices, the work with parents and the larger community is instrumental in sensitizing them about their role in their children’s education and create demand for quality education. The right to early childhood education is as important as the right to education, if not more.

Build-Monitor-Transfer approach for sustainability:There are distinct phases of the project that we undertake which are classified as Build, Monitor and Transfer. Through the first phase, the necessary capacities are built among Anganwadi teachers and other stakeholders along with putting the appropriate resources in place. This is followed by handholding and monitoring so that best practices in early education become a routine while allowing the creativity and leadership of the functionaries to thrive. The third phase includes a focus on further institutionalization of the practices in the system and advocacy so that quality early childhood education is not just prioritized, but becomes a way of life.

Leveraging policy: The NEP-2020 rightly underscores the importance of early childhood education and Karnataka is the first state to start the implementation of the NEP. We are conscious of the opportunity and leverage the same so that we are able to create scalable and replicable models for the state to adopt. From a policy standpoint, it is a conducive time for implementation of this project so that the knowledge, experiences and evidence generated from the intervention can be put to larger use.

Data driven implementation with conscious use of technology: We have a strong M&E component with assessments of children, Anganwadi teachers, helpers, parents and even the grading of Anganwadis at key points in the course of the intervention. These assessments inform tactical and strategic changes needed, if any, on a regular basis. We are also conscious about using children assessment formats prescribed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development Govt. of India, which are developed by UNICEF and CECED, Ambedkar University. We use technology for digitizing and analyzing the data and also for communication across the stakeholder groups. Promotion of digital literacy by empowering Anganwadi teachers to optimize the use of Smartphones to streamline and simplify their work is a component integrated in the program.

A bouquet of innovations: Various innovative ideas have been a hallmark of our experience in implementing ECCE programs. These include creation of more than 350 short videos (in Kannada) on domains of children’s development with relatable content for parents and Anganwadi teachers, sensitization and involvement of fathers, bringing focus on ECCE in parents’ meetings conducted by the Anganwadi teachers, setting up of Toy libraries where parents can borrow toys and books, large-scale community events(Mela/Habba) that celebrate and create mass awareness on early childhood education.

One of the most important and unique practices of our program is to address Anganwadi workers and Helpers as co-teachers. This has boosted their self-esteem tremendously and is directly instrumental in the functionaries taking up ECCE seriously. From our perspective, it is a small act of giving the nation’s inimitable frontline workers their due.

We gave Anganwadi teachers badges which said ‘Proud to be an Anganwadi teacher’ . Nagarathna, an Anganwadi teacher said that no one had ever called them as a teacher and MJ helped give them a representation. She also said “ people see my saree uniform and identify me as an Anganwadi worker but from today I will wear the badge daily so they also know that I am their child’s teacher

Organizational culture, capabilities and relationship with the Government: Makkala Jagriti is a 19-year old organization with a strong practitioner experience in providing holistic development opportunities to children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We are a learning organization whose guiding principles include being child-centric, creating a non-threatening environment and fostering a culture of inclusion and empowerment.

We have a proven capability of undertaking large programs and our experience in ECCE includes working with over 300 Anganwadis directly both in urban and rural settings and conducting statewide programs virtually. The unique contribution we could make in partnership with the Department of Women and Child Development, Govt. of Karnataka during the pandemic was to reach early childhood learning to lakhs of children across the 66,000 Anganwadis of the state and make an impact in their formative years through a Learning at home initiative called ‘ Maneyalliye Oota, Maneyalliye Paatha’ launched by the Hon. Minister of Women and Child development. Makkala Jagriti has been regularly identified as one of the credible organizations by the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Karnataka.

With the above approach, one could apply the best practices of early childhood education making the ‘right to quality education’ a reality for a marginalized and deprived population, in the truest spirit and intent.

28Jul

Empowering Parents for Holistic Child Development

July 28, 2022 makkalajagriti 1

Engaging and Empowering parents for children’s holistic development in this Educational NGO in Bangalore

Children learn every day, in every environment that they are in. Parents are their children’s first educators, and how parents support their children’s learning and development makes a huge difference. Schools provide the formal structure for education and parents shape their children’s values, attitudes, skills, and approaches to learning.

Parent engagement in learning starts from early childhood and continues as children move through school and beyond.We know from the research that significant benefits are possible through strong parent-school partnerships. Schools with effective parent engagement are more likely to increase academic achievements and student wellbeing and improve lifelong outcomes.

Makkala Jagrit (MJ) i, a Bangalore-based NGO for children follows an eco-system approach for improving access to quality education for children from marginalized communities. MJ considers parents as key stakeholders in children’s holistic development and engaging with parents is, and has always been, at the heart of working with children for Makkala Jagriti, although an Educational NGO.

Why is engagement more important for parents from disadvantaged communities?

The parents that Makkala Jagriti works with are from socio-economically disadvantaged communities who face a number of socio-economic challenges in supporting the upbringing of their children. A majority of them lack adequate exposure or background to support their children’s academic, social and emotional needs. As a result, the learning and development of children are compromised. It is important to work with them to ensure there is a conducive and supportive environment at home with positive relationships between the child and the parents.

Traditional Parental engagement in schools

Traditional Parental engagement in low-income schools or government schools is through Parent-Teacher meetings which happen on a quarterly or half-yearly basis where the student’s progress is discussed. Some teachers go beyond and do community visits where they visit the homes of the students and meet with the parents.

However, often there is a tendency for the school to act from a position of authority or knowledge. The school system and teachers do not treat parents as equal partners. They often blame the parents for the children’s behavior or performance without a good understanding of the realities of parents or providing any support on how parents can play their role differently.. Parent-teacher meetings often end up being a meeting to complain about the child.

How is Makkala Jagriti’s approach to parental engagement different?

Makkala Jagriti follows several engagement models to work with parents, at the heart of which lies the following principles which would be useful for anybody who wants to work with parents from disadvantaged communities.

Being empathetic and understanding the realities of the parents’ household helps connect better and relate to parents
Creating a safe, non-threatening and non-judgmental space where parents feel free to openly discuss, share and learn is key
Treating them with dignity and respect makes parents willing to participate and engage
Being Facilitative, not prescriptive is important to make sure we are not talking down and preaching but merely nudging and facilitating and respecting their wisdom
Equiping, Enabling and Empowering parents with the necessary Knowledge, Skills and Attitude is the most important aspect which will give them the confidence to be more to be more effective as parents and create safe conducive environment at home for their children

This is done through a variety of engagement models with parents including day long workshops, residential 3-day workshops, Parents’ meetings in schools and Anganwadis, videos for parent empowerment, community visits and 1:1 conversations in schools.

Parents-using-simple-teaching-aids-at-home

Changes we have seen in parents

Over the years, Makkala Jagriti has worked with thousands of parents and seen several mindset shifts and behaviour shifts some of which are –

Parents are more effectively involved in their child’s learning and overall development and spend more time with their children
Parents understand their own role as a parent and their own parenting styles
Parents are more self-aware by knowing their self-worth, strengths, limitations, and values and also aware of their own biases, stereotypes, assumptions, and mental models
Parents have taken steps to create a conducive environment at home for the child’s learning and development
There is increased trust and empathy towards their children
Parents recognize that every child is unique and support their child’s education, learning and holistic development
There is improved communication between the school and the parent

When schools, parents, caregivers, and communities work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, learn well and receive a strong foundation for their future.

30Jun

A Brand New Yuva Café: Growing Makkala Jagriti’s Youth Outreach!

June 30, 2022 makkalajagriti 1

A Brand New Yuva Café: Growing Makkala Jagriti’s Youth Outreach!

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. At Makkala Jagriti, we ﬁrmly believe that empowering youth from marginalized communities to discover their potential can bring social transformation. We set up Yuva Cafés – spaces for the youth & by the youth where youth from diﬀerent communities can congregate and access opportunities to learn and grow.

In June 2022, we opened a new Yuva Café in Gopalapuram, not too far from Bengaluru’s Majestic bus station. This is Makkala Jagriti’s third Yuva Café, after our Malleswaram and Halasuru locations, since the inception of our flagship youth empowerment program Yuva Jagriti in 2017. The Yuva Café is a safe space for youth to explore self-expression, interests and engage in various activities.

While there are many programs designed to elevate youth from under-resourced backgrounds towards their socio-economic upliftment, our direct work experience in urban poor settlements in Bangalore over 18 years reveals a harsh reality. Most often, we find these youth opting out of jobs, unable to sustain and leverage opportunities presented to them. These jobs do not match their aptitude, interest or skills, leaving them frustrated and disappointed. Efforts at building employability in youngsters do not nurture their emotional intelligence or life skills, which could help them to find fulfillment in their work and thus sustain a vocation.

Our youth program – Yuva Jagriti – is anchored in the belief that capacities can be built to understand and achieve their dreams, through well-rounded self-development, and not just vocational training. The Yuva Café serves as a platform that provides them access to opportunities to fulfill their aspirations and also prepares them for life by equipping them with the necessary life skills.

A visit to a Yuva Café would reveal a wide variety of courses that contribute to youth development and empowerment. Programs in Computer Literacy, proficiency in Spoken English and Life Skills are among the popular draws for youth, and these programs are available for them without any prerequisites.

Students who have discontinued school studies owing to a variety of circumstances have the opportunity to seek support at our Yuva Cafés, do what’s needed to catch up on their studies, and gain guidance on available pathways that match their interests.

With a growing library, a computer lab and everyday sessions this space aims to facilitate the youth of the community to achieve their aspirations. For youth from marginalised communities, this is something of great importance, considering opportunities for education and personal growth are still far from accessible.

Through the Yuva Cafés, our Yuva Jagriti program has reached more than 1,000 youth over the last five years, with discernible outcomes:

They have become role models and change agents within their communities.
They have grown in their leadership qualities and are able to work together and come up with solutions to problems.
There is greater emotional stability and control.
They are able to enter the mainstream workforce and sustain themselves in their positions.

At the end of the day, all our youth need is an environment that enables freedom of expression and promotes confidence, and this environment must be run by the youth, for the youth. That is the essence of our Yuva Cafés.

24May

Building Capacities Within

May 24, 2022 makkalajagriti 0

Building Capacities Within

We’re rich here at Makkala Jagriti – with over 130 full-time employees bringing with them a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Imagine the myriad inputs that come in with a singular focus in mind – holistic development of children and youth. Of course, as time goes, needs change – needs of our children, needs of our organization, needs of our society. To keep up with these evolving needs, Makkala Jagriti, an NGO for children in Bangalore, is committed to continuous improvement and capacity building of its team members.

So, what do we mean when we say “capacity building”? As the words suggest, we can define capacity building as the process of developing and strengthening skills, abilities, resources, and processes that individuals and organisations need to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced world. Each and every one of us in the organization gains tremendously from such capacity building exercises. Not only are we well-equipped to grow in the positions in which we are and the tasks we are assigned to do, there is a huge amount of personal development that comes along with these exercises.

Joy Srinivasan, Founder and Chairperson of Makkala Jagriti, says, “Continuous investment in building capacity in the team at Makkala Jagriti at all levels has resulted in the teams’ greater understanding of the organisation’s core purpose, values, culture and ethos without gaps. In turn, it has resulted in the teams working with great awareness of self, and an interpersonal and system-level understanding; irrespective of what roles they play in the organisation. The Makkala Jagriti team exhibits a high level of commitment, passion and accountability in their day-to-day tasks, ensuring efficiency in achieving the organisation’s goals year on year.“

An example of the type of personal development and capacity development exercise we conduct is a series of workshops we organized for our Coordinators. Coordinators at Makkala Jagriti are the bridge between program decisions and program implementation. Coordinators ensure that changes, developments and improvements are communicated to the field teams in the way they are intended. The aim of conducting a workshop for Coordinators is to also help them embark on a track towards leadership.

“Coordinators at Makkala Jagriti play a significant role – they think collectively with their managers about program plans, and work with the field level staff to implement these plans efficiently. Hence, building capacities for this level is very critical. Each Coordinator transforms into a better leader with a proper understanding of self, attitude, required knowledge to play the role, and owning smart skills to hand-hold the team. This brings in a paradigm shift in the organisation for best practices in program management and implementation at the field level“, says Ms Srinivasan.

Since 2003, Makkala Jagriti has recognized the importance of, and invested in, personal development. This practice has propelled an NGO for children like Makkala Jagriti towards the kind of organization that continuously supports teams to rejuvenate, innovate, and shed inhibitions – all the while playing their roles with clarity, interest, commitment, and passion. When people thrive in an organisation, the organisation further thrives in achieving its core purpose and goals. “It is for these reasons that I wish organisations prioritise investing in ‘people development’ as it is the people that form the organization,” says Ms Srinivasan.

29Apr

Summer Camp – Sounds Like Fun, But Why Have It?

April 29, 2022 makkalajagriti 1

Summer Camp – Sounds Like Fun, But Why Have It?

Summer holidays are an exciting time for children. That very moment the last bell of the day rings, children throwing their bags up in the air and screaming with joy… all to set off a few weeks of play, fun, and a whole lot more. This is the story of children all over the world, and the children studying in government schools supported by Makkala Jagriti, an NGO for Education, are no different.

After a tough year negotiating the transition between learning at home, returning to the classroom, and getting back to speed with the regular lessons. However, it’s tremendously important to keep children engaged with some activity to stimulate them and their development. Year after year, we organise Summer Camps so our children in various forms. This year, it was special – after a two-year-long gap, children could finally get back to summer camp in person.

Summer Camps, as we organise them, have a multitude of activities. We have them all – from arts and crafts to sports, from singing and dancing to showing movies, from outdoor games to spelling bees.

Why do we do this, though? What are the benefits of organizing summer camps in the first place? It’s important to be conscious of the advantages of such camps and the impact they have on our children:

Improved social skills

Summer camps promote interactions between children outside of the classroom. Beyond the limits of academic achievement, summer camps bring children together to feel a great sense of community. Children also build an appreciation for individual differences and get to celebrate diversity among themselves.

Teamwork

Team-based activities, such as sports and quizzes, and similar competitions that rely on collective thinking, encourage children to find ways to contribute and hear their peers out. There is a lot of character built within children when they acknowledge the role each team member must play. Rather than finding ways of dealing with tasks on their own, children will see the value of teamwork as a solution.

Confidence and Self-esteem

For children, painting their first piece of art, writing their first story, crafting their first mask – these foster a sense of achievement from creating something new, something they can be proud of. Summer camps allow children to find a new talent and grow within it. When they find joy in doing something new, it goes a long way in increasing their self-esteem and confidence.

Independence

Time spent at summer camp is the child’s own time – time away from school and time away from parents. This is a crucial time as children begin to build their own identities and explore their interests and strengths. Such independence leads to responsibility and encourages exploration, and educational NGOs in Bangalore, like Makkala Jagriti, provide children with a safe and vibrant environment to make decisions independently.

Resilience

Resilience is an important life skill. Activities with challenges that allow children to not succeed, find ways to overcome disappointment, and figure out how to overcome these challenges build up resilience in children and teach them the value of effort and determination.

Intellectual engagement

When children are away from any academic engagement, there is a danger of being cut off from any mental stimulation, even if it is for a few weeks. To ease the transition between their academic years, children need to be involved in intellectually stimulating activities, like our vocabulary and spelling competitions.

Moving away from screens

Now, this is a big one. Playtime has gradually been replaced by screen time, and that does not bode well for children’s long-term health – immediately too, we observe risks of sluggishness. We at Makkala Jagriti design Summer Camp activities to ensure a lot of fun while being “hands-on”… “eyes-off” any screens, of course!

Being one with nature

Many of our activities are connected with nature. In fact, that’s the theme of Makkala Jagriti’s Summer Camp 2022: the Five Elements of Nature – Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Sky, and the activities we designed would help children get curious about nature, climate, and science in general! Being close to nature allows children to get physically active and creative, with natural materials forming the basis of any art or craft project they begin.

Finding purpose

Children feel a deeper connection with their community through Summer Camp activities like singing, dancing, or playing sports. As a result, children grow up to value community highly and may feel more inclined to impact the world around them positively. In addition, community involvement provides children with a sense of belonging, combats loneliness, and improves overall well-being.

With so much going on at Summer Camp, boredom is no longer an excuse! Have you been to a Summer Camp as a child? What’s your favourite memory? Write to us and tell us all about it!

30Mar

Early Childhood and the Pandemic – How an NGO for Education Steps Up

March 30, 2022 makkalajagriti 2

Early child development sets the foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour, and health. The experiences children have in early childhood shape the brain and the child’s capacity to learn, setting the pace for school readiness and eventual adulthood.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic through a spanner in the works with closure of Anganwadis (government pre-schools) which caters to over a quarter of India’s children between the ages of 3 and 6.

Although COVID-19 has not been considered a “children’s disease”, when we consider all aspects of young children’s development, the profound implications of the pandemic are evident. COVID-19 not only suspended normal childhood activities such as attending pre-school, interacting with extended family and friends, playing outdoors, and exploring nature but also disrupted the consequent socio-emotional benefits from children’s engagement in these experiences.

Makkala Jagriti, an educational NGO in Bangalore, recently organized a panel discussion on “Repercussions of COVID-19 on Early Learning and Development” with experts from the field of Early Learning and also from the Department of Women and Child Development. This was a discussion on observations, risks and remedies – an acknowledgement of difficulties that arose and the efforts made to curb them.

Impact of the pandemic on Early Childhood Care and Education

With Anganwadis closing, and young children staying at home, they were entirely relying on caregivers to meet not only their home needs but also all their developmental needs. This added burden on families to balance childcare and work responsibilities, compounded by economic instability and social isolation in many cases, is fertile ground for home environments characterized by toxic stress.

Anganwadis provide children with a holistic exposure – seeing, hearing, feeling and experiencing their surroundings, and connecting them with everyday learning. However, this opportunity was no longer available to them because of the pandemic. With children holed up inside their homes, their curiosity began to suffer. We started hearing stories of how some children did not even know what an auto rickshaw looks like!

We know that optimal brain development requires a stimulating and enriching environment, adequate nutrition, learning opportunities and social interaction with attentive caregivers. During the pandemic, access to these opportunities were severely restricted, compromising the healthy developmental trajectory of many children. Unsafe conditions, negative interactions and lack of educational opportunities during the early years can lead to irreversible outcomes, which can affect a child’s potential for the remainder of his or her life.

(Here’s a great article for more on the subject: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-covid-19-and-how-does-it-relate-to-child-development/)

The equity gap has widened as well – children from educationally-disadvantaged families suffer much more than children with the privilege of having families who cater to the various learning and developmental needs.

The importance of early childhood education at Anganwadis is to enable overall readiness of children to go to school – have them get to age-appropriate levels of reading and numeracy. The disconnect from a physical space like an Anganwadi would put these abilities at risk too.

What actions were taken

Learning at Home encouraged

While the social setting is hard to replicate when there aren’t other children nearby, a lot can still be done at home. Here was an opportunity for parents and children to spend more time together. However, parents needed to be equipped with those soft skills that were essential for guiding the child through lessons. The guidance to do this was taken door to door by Makkala Jagriti’s team, with assistance from Anganwadi teachers.

Parents equipped to support Learning at Home

The other side of the argument lies in the fact that parents are now spending more time with their children than before. With a rich experience of Makkala Jagriti’s staff and consultants, Anganwadi staff were equipped to explain the various nuances early childhood care and education to parents. There was a lot of unlearning that had to be done:

Handling tantrums with punishment: the frustration of being at home without friends would tend to increase the incidence of temper tantrums among children. These temper tantrums were often dealt with punishment, leading to more tantrums – an unwanted cycle.
Permissive parenting: the unwillingness to continuously engage with children, instead giving them a mobile phone to keep them occupied, which in turn would lead to device addiction.
Trying to induce learning by fear.

Some of the guidance provided was in positive reinforcement and positive discipline. Whenever children did something commonly construed as good, like helping their parents clean up, or finishing homework on time, they were deserving of praise. When children threw a tantrum or were not listening to instructions from parents, it would warrant a quiet leveling between the parents and the children – an explanation as to why the behaviour was not right, all done with kindness in the parents’ voice.

During the lockdowns, parents were encouraged to involve children in the process of learning and in the plans for the day for their learning, while remaining cognizant of their feelings. They were encouraged to explain about COVID-19 to the children from credible sources, and why they could not go to school at the time. They were also encouraged to help children maintain their links with life outside their home, for instance making them stay in touch with their grandparents.

Nutrition provided at home

An important contribution of Anganwadis towards the growth and development of children is the provision of nutritious meals. With carefully curated lunches provided to children, the right nutrients made available to ensure physical development and ability to grasp and retain what is taught are sustained. During the lock downs however, this availability of nutritious food was at risk. This is when Makkala Jagriti, with the help of generous supporters, ensured the delivery of groceries – key ingredients for nutritious meals – to households, especially those with little children.

Learning through experience is a very important aspect of early education, to foster values such as empathy at a young age. When everyone connected with the children – parents, teachers, the community – understands the importance of early childhood care and education, the sky’s the limit for how the child grows. After all, as the popular proverb goes, it takes a village to raise a child.

Makkala Jagriti thanks the following for their valuable inputs, during the panel discussion “Repercussions of COVID-19 on Early Learning and Development” (watch it here):

Dr. Srividya K., Guest Faculty, Early Childhood Education and Administration, Smt. V.H.D. Central Institute of Home Science College

Dr. Chaitra G. Krishna, Public Mental Health Consultant

Mr. Nischal B.H., Deputy Director – Bengaluru Urban District, Department of Women and Child Development

Mr. Nataraj, Deputy Director – Bengaluru Rural District, Department of Women and Child Development