Education

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Education

Education is a path out of poverty.

HOPE believes every child has the right to receive an education. It is key to building an independent successful life and a chance to escape poverty.

Education gives children an opportunity to find their strengths and empowers them to pursue careers and to provide for themselves, as well as their future families.

HOPE understands that education is critical for the development of society as a whole. By giving more children access to education, the benefits will inevitably filter through into the wider community. It means that more children live free from exploitation.

HOPE’s Goal is to enable and support children and young people in their education. To bring children to education and to increase student retention.

Childhood should be a time of fun and learning.

HOPE’s Education Programme

Holistic Education

HOPE’s Holistic Education Programme for Underprivileged Children in the slums of Kolkata ensures the basic educational rights of poor children between the ages of 6-18 years, living in derelict and sprawling slums.

The successful implementation of Phase-I of the programme has already resulted in huge impacts among the slum communities.

96% of children aged 6-14 years are attending school throughout the slums in which HOPE operates.
75% amongst 15-17 years.
Intervention has resulted in a reduction of drop-out from formal schools – 75% in 2005 v 13% in 2014
Increase in awareness of rights and entitlements in communities

Such positive impacts have directed HOPE to address the quality of the teaching and learning environments within formal schools in Phase-II of the project.

Over 4,000 children are enabled to complete their elementary education in child friendly and inclusive environments, through HOPE coaching centres and existing formal schools. These come from 21 slums across Kolkata and Howrah.

A special focus is placed on special-needs children and those with learning difficulties. Inclusion in age-appropriate classes and additional educational support aim to improve the educational environment for all students.

Crèche’s

Pre-primary education is provided to children aged 3-6 years in a fun, energetic and child-friendly environment. Children are encouraged to learn through play in 4 HOPE run crèches. These projects act as a stepping stone into mainstream formal schools. The programme integrates all aspects of child care covering physical, cognitive, emotional, social and cultural aspects of child development.

The crèche caregivers’ use activity-based and child centric methodologies of teaching, using Montessori and Froebel techniques for the holistic development of each child. The caregivers also take responsibility for the children while they are in the crèche; planning their daily routines of hygiene, nutrition and immunization.

Special Needs Education

Orphaned and abandoned special needs children in the SICW Home are provided with care and protection to ensure their physical and mental development, ensuring that they are empowered to become as self-reliant as possible.

These include children with special needs suffering from various forms of disability, from Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism to Thalassemia etc. HOPE provides coaching support to these children, through which they learn tailored life skills,preparing them to be placed in families or other organizations where their holistic development is ensured.

Nabo Asha Centres

HOPE’s original Nabadisha projects began in 2004 in partnership with The Kolkata Police. HOPE originally ran Nabadisha projects in Gariahat, Topsia, New Market and Tollygunge. In 2017, HOPE opened its own centres, which were renamed Nabo Asha centres, in Gariahat, Topsia, New Market, GD Park and Central to provide educational support and empowerment to hundreds of children across Kolkata who are forced to call the streets their homes, children who are engaged in child labour and child beggars. The centres provide underprivileged and disadvantaged children with education, healthcare and nutrition support, necessities often deprived to them due to their family’s meagre incomes.

The street children who attend the Nabo Asha Centres are provided with both formal and non-formal educational support. Many of these children are first-generational learners, meaning they are the first in their family to ever attend school. Beyond educational support, the children also receive nutrition, health check-ups and counselling, as well as the opportunity to play and interact with other children. A special focus is also placed on the cultural development of the children. To tackle the gender bias rampant throughout India, this project also gives priority admission to girls, who face far worse consequences than their male counterparts in the face of poverty.