#parikrmafightscovid19

One Tablet can educate three kids from underserved families

This pandemic has impacted many a hundred industries and fields drastically… and education is one such. Now, with schools being shut, many big schools have started online classes. But, what about children from poor families and those from the slums? Many have little or no access to smartphones. Does that mean their lives will remain on pause till schools reopen, or things get to normal?

There is one foundation that is working towards making the impossible, possible! Parikrma Humanity Foundation has started the Reach V (virtual) initiative where through parents from 87 slums, that come to collect food supplies every week, the teachers are reaching out virtual lesson plans to the children. The biggest challenge? These kids need a device to be able to access these materials.

You can make this happen – one refurbished tablet costs Rs 2000 and the school needs a total of 200! 

Here’s hoping each and every one of you is doing well and so is your family and dear friends. The Parikrma family sends much love and positivity your way to help fight this crisis that has gripped all our lives right now.

Our families in the slums have been faced with many challenges – right from having lost jobs, to having little or no access to food rations and basic sanitation. Ever since the lockdown was announced in India, we set out to work. In these challenging times we are most worried about our children – They come from such poor homes that they have so far survived because of the three free meals they get in our four schools and junior college. Now that the schools are closed and their parents are out of work indefinitely, they are going hungry.

We have been raising funds (since this was never budgeted) to reach out and buy 10 quintals of rice, 5 quintals of ragi powder, 5 quintals od dal some oil and cake of soap. To provide this to our 1500 children and their families living in over 70 slums spread across Bengaluru is not going to be an easy task. But we have started our work. We painted our schools and the streets leading to our schools adhering to the social distancing rules.

Our scheme I TOO CAN EARN was designed to give rations and money to the households of our children where most of the earning came from daily wage. Their mothers, who work as maids or in factories and fathers in construction labour, have been out of work and stopped earning. It is very important for Parikrma families to be dignified even in poverty and be practical about wealth.

We asked our mothers to stitch cloth bags at home and come to school once a week and get rations for the family for the week. We would pay them for the bag and give some weekly homework for the children as well.

I want to thank you each and every one of you for helping us and making this happen. Please stay indoors and stay safe.

Stories of hope

We have been raising funds (since this was never budgeted) to reach out and buy 10 quintals of rice, 5 quintals of ragi powder, 5 quintals od dal some oil and cake of soap. To provide this to our1500 children and their families living in over 70 slums spread across Bengaluru is not going to be an easy task.

So far, (last updated: May 20 2020) we have distributed food and basic amenities to over 1802 children from 1050 families and will be reaching out to our families residing in all the 70 slums in Bengaluru.

We have now started giving out lesson plans, work sheets and story books to our children, every time we do distribution of rations to the families. Our teachers have gone virtual too – working out plans and means to reach out to our children in the slums. More on this soon…

 Reading corner:

Here are a few of our observations, experiences during this crisis that we would like to share with you:

I have got to do what I have got to do:

https://medium.com/@ShuklaBose/i-have-got-to-do-what-i-have-got-to-do-4fb7a2267862

My observations during a crisis:

https://medium.com/@ShuklaBose/my-observations-during-a-crisis-de4760c436c0

Social ills of the daily wage system:

https://medium.com/@ShuklaBose/social-ills-of-the-daily-wage-system-34eff6b3e30

"We thank each of you for your support for making this possible"