Education support to deprived children during Covid-19 pandemic

To address the digital divide and to ensure that children from the poor background we tried out a new system of informal education in which families and communities get involved in ensuring sustained learning of children. From May 2020 onward Parents and School Management Committees were contacted over the phone and guided in mobilizing volunteers to organize library and activity session with children while keeping Covid safety in mind. About 350 volunteers mobilized and were oriented. They were provided with about 6,000 library books and later provided on-hand support. Thus Lokmitra team ensured that about 8000 underprivileged children (in Jaunpur, Banda, Raebareli & Saharanpur) get stress free, story-based and activity-based learning opportunities at home, in the neighbourhood with the help of local volunteers. In the month of July, the learning assessment of 4000 children was done. It was quite reassuring that more than 60% of children had moved up in ‘Foundational Reading & Numeracy’, as compared to the Jan-March figure. Stories from these work were posted on the Facebook page of Lokmitra as well as it was published by TOI and Oxfam India.