Five New FreeSchool Centers in Sugauli

On 1 October 2018, under the directorship of Sr. Ambrose of Sacred Heart Sisters Training School in Sugauli, Bihar, FSWL inaugurated five new centers in five villages at Sugauli Block East Champaran district. Five teachers were selected, one from each village, and each center was provided with basic supplies such as a blackboard, chalk, chart paper and pencils, a stool for the teacher and a mat for the children to sit on.

A two-day training session for the new teachers was held at the convent by resource person Mr. Bhagrashan. The instruction focused on selecting students (6 to 14 years of age and adolescent girls between 12 and 18), creating peer groups, the teaching methodology, dealing with the parents, and how to manage their centers.

Two field staff, Vishal Victor and Sonelal Kumar were hired to weekly monitor and supervise all five centers. They guide the teachers, the parent groups and education committees to promote literacy and livelihood for rural poor school dropouts and illiterate adolescent girls to reduce their poverty.

We are now in our second year of this program, which will go until October 2020. For this year we have added tailoring classes as well as menstrual hygiene management for the adolescent and older girls.

Sr. Ambrose's Report for 2018-2019

Education is a gift for life. SHSTS, in partnership with FreeSchools World Literacy, helps children unlock their potential and realize their dreams. We believe that every child is extraordinary and can scale great heights if provided with the right learning opportunities. With generous contributions from our supporters, we are able to march steadily towards achieving these goals. We are committed to insuring that all children, irrespective of their origin, are able to attend school, play, interact and learn with other children of their age. We help children with limited means hone their creativity and skills under the guidance of trained teachers and make persistent efforts to enable them to secure a life of dignity for themselves, their families and the community at large.

We conduct meetings at 5 villages of Sugauli block where our FSWL center is established with SHSTS Director, FSWL teachers and staff. We counsel parents coming from the economically weaker and marginalized sections of the societies on the significance of sending their children to our centers and assist them through the admission process. In our centers we make learning fun. We train teachers to impart learning using child-friendly and interactive teaching-learning methods. We promote and facilitate extracurricular activities and sports. The idea is to provide holistic learning to children. We work with the local communities to form School Management Committees (SMCs) and work with them to ensure that they take accountability of the development of the children in their communities and that even the most marginalized children in their area are sent to school.

This one year (Oct 2018 to Sep 2019) I observed that the rural ultra-poor majorly consists of migrant population. As the families are struggling to make ends meet in a new environment, education takes a back seat. With no support at home, older siblings are made to discontinue school to take care of younger sisblings. We take a dual role by conducting education centers which engage children from the age of 4 to 14 and introduce them to three hours of disciplined study time daily. Alongside, the children are enrolled into the closest government schools or Anganwadi schools to resume education.

Our mission is to empower kids to become independent, creative, and conscientious citizens capable of thinking for them and collaborating with others to create a better world. Our FSWL program honors freedom, promotes responsibility, and nurtures the well-being of each student and the community. Students are supported and challenged to find meaning in their lives, adapt to the world as it is, and create the world in which they want to live. We are committed to restorative justice, honesty, self-direction, and promoting and practicing values of life, liberty, and happiness.

Details of the Five Centers

1. Nemui Village Center
Teacher: Gulabsha Khatoon
Total students: 35

2. Nawadhi Village Center
Teacher: Mis. Nikki Kumari
Total students: 38

3. Bahurwa Village Center
Teacher: Nikki Kumari (2)
Total Students: 40

4. Bangara Village Center
Teacher: Anamika Kumari
Total Students: 35

5. Rampur Village Center
Teacher: Puja Kumari
Total students: 45

Tailoring Center
Teacher: Sunita Devi
Center: SHSTS Mission Sugauli

Menstruation Hygiene Management (MHM)
Staff: Rupa Devi

Annual Budget in Rupees

• Set-Up Costs (learning materials, etc.) in 5 Villages = INR 15,000 ($200)
• Five Education Committee meetings and five Parent Group Meetings, including stationary and snacks = INR 30,000 ($395)
• Two-day Teacher Training Session (including trainer's wages, lunch, snacks, stationary = INR 3200 ($42)
• Five teachers' honorariums INR2000x5x12 =INR 120,000 ($1585)
• Monthly Team meeting (lunch, snacks, stationary) = INR 3600 ($50)
• Supervisor's honorarium = INR30,000 ($400)
• Tailoring Materials and maintenance = INR 12,000 ($160)
• Tailoring Teacher's annual salary = INR 36,000 ($475)
• Two-Day Menstrual Health management for rural girls (includes trainer's fee) = INR 1,500 ($20)
• Annual travel costs supervisor and director = INR 6,000 ($80)
• Accounting, Auditing = INR 13,500 ($180)

TOTAL BUDGET for ONE YEAR = INR 270,000 ($3,570)