Balika Shivir : Girl Educational Camps

Programme Background

The project was developed considering the following issues:

With a view to promote disadvantaged (belonging to marginalized families, drop outs etc) village adolescent girls continue and pursue their education, Urmul Setu has been organizing Balika Shivir’s (Residential & Non Residential educational camps of nine months duration) since 1998 and has till date organized 58 such camps benefiting 4300 adolescent girls pursue their primary, secondary, higher secondary and graduation level education. Moreover, offline and online coaching camps to prepare girls for competitive exams like for police constable, BSTC, Patwari etc. have also been implemented by the organization benefiting 1580 girls. These camps not only provided the needy and drop out rural girls with an opportunity to continue and realise their dream of higher education but also helped them to become a confident and informed individual through trainings on financial and life skills. .

To address the mentioned issues, organisation developed, implemented and monitored the project in consultation and with support from donor agency, community members, duty bearers and PRI members.

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Location

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Partners

Bikaner and Churu district.

INTERVENTIONS

a) Setting up and running primary/upper primary/secondary/graduation level residential and non-residential girl’s educational camps.

b) Training of female teachers on teaching methodology and course content.

c) Training of teachers on gender.

d) Training of teachers and students on life skills.

e) Workshop for teachers and students on FELS.

f) Workshop for students on entrepreneurship lab.

g) Skill based training of students on making Rakhi, Bandhanwar, painting of pot, foot mat, chandeliers, embroidery work, paper bags, handicraft items, artificial jewellery, sanitary napkin etc.

h) Dream workshops for students.

i) Training on self-defence.

j) Celebration of national and international girl child day.

k) Career counselling.

l) Campus level games/sports and co-curricular activities.

m) Theatre workshop on social issues.

n) Access to library and computer classes.

o) Cultural programs.

IMPACT

Most of the girls who passed out from Balika Shivir have opted to pursue their higher education and went on become nurse, ANM, teachers, Sarpanch, Police constable, ward panch, member of Panchayat samite/ JilaParishad. Many of the girls have completed their BSTC and B.Ed courses and are awaiting for their chances to become govt. teachers in future. Apart from school education, the girls also received financial and life skill education enabling them develop healthy habits, good personality and entrepreneur qualities so that they are able to take informed decisions, become better citizens and improve their lives. These camps have greatly helped in promoting a favourable environment in rural areas, towards girl child education. These girls are now role models in their villages. Motivated by the success of these girls hundreds of village girls enrolled themselves in these camps and also in govt. schools to realize their dreams of higher education and becoming financially independent.

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