40 children are being taught as part of a project by DJB and Larsen & Toubro, with an aim to deter these kids from begging
Seven-year-old Laxmi now knows that she should always wash her hands before meals. She has also developed a liking for studies. She still cannot read more than a couple of English and Hindi alphabets, but still its no mean feat, as she didn't even know this much a month ago.
Laxmi is among the 40 children who are being taught as part of a collaborative project under the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Larsen & Toubro. DJB officials said the initiative was a part of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project and the aim was to deter children from begging."The aim is to help promote the idea of education among children and their parents from nearby clusters and to ensure that they are deterred from begging. We try to provide the children with basic pre-school education through an empanelled NGO," said a DJB official.
The school, being operated from a small quarter near the DJB headquarters in Jhandewalan, provides children with daily meals, books and stationery as well.
Pradeep, 5, has a similar story to tell. He used to beg at a traffic signal. He also used to sell flowers, pens and pirated books. "My parents are rag-pickers. We live in the nearby slum cluster. This is the first classroom I've entered," said Pradeep with a smile.
He said he liked school on most days and has even made some new friends. "I don't want to go back to begging. It feels good to be in school. We get meals twice a day, we play games and I'm learning to write in English," he said.
For Karan, a five-year-old, the last month had been rather surprising. He celebrated Christmas for the first time. Though he doesn't have much knowledge about the festival, he now knows that it's a festival of gifts, thanks to all the gifts he received from his teachers. "We received several gifts, new clothes, chocolates, sanitary kits. This is the first time I have celebrated this festival. I will celebrate it next year as well," he said.
The NGO running the school stated that the timings of the school were changed to ensure that it overlapped with the timings when these students used to beg. "Most of the children used to beg in the afternoon. Our our prime objective is to ensure that they do not go back to begging after school," said Vandana Khurana, President of Mata Kalka Seva Samiti (MKSS).
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