Coimbatore, Nov. 24
It is often said, "Be happy for no reason, like a child". But the question is, are all children happy and smiling? Certainly, no. There are children whose innocence and childhood has been robbed either by their parents or socio-economic factors. Here, we are speaking of children studying in government and corporation schools.
Sadly, they do not have the luxury of waving a goodbye to their parents at the plush school gates or sharing their day-to-day school affairs with their parents. But not to forget to thank the parents who despite their economic crisis give that extra push to make their child's life happier.
Generally, people assume that children studying in government schools belong to economically weaker sections but otherwise they are normal children. Wistfully, no one cares to realize the burden those children carry in their heart along with their bulky school bags.
Apart from a few, most of the children studying in government and corporation schools are deprived of everything a child should possess. The constant fracas in their homes keep them perturbed; their 'alcohol addict' fathers keep them petrified; they have none to give a pat on their back ; hence they are timid and gloomy; they hardly sleep peacefully hence they do not dream big; lastly they remain sober as there is no one to make them smile.
Though education is regarded to be a great tool for such children to stand tall and gel along with the mainstream but is it just the education part that would embolden these children? It can't be. Looking at the mental scars of these children, more than education, they need love, care and attention. Is it right to expect these children to cherish their schooling or focus on learning?
Well, the physical weakness of the child is taken care of by the mid-day meal schemes provided in schools. But how do we enhance or relieve these children from the undue distress they have been put through at this young age and add some colour to their life?
Mrs. Latha Sundaram, Founder and Managing Trustee of Aram Foundation and Charitable Trust has an answer to it through her 'Happy Child" project.
It is a project that aims to empower school-going children (government and corporation) in the age group of 5 to 10 by imparting essential soft skill training on varied subjects.
After fortifying thousands of children, the 'Happy Child' projects has now stepped into the sixth year to empower more children from government schools.
Speaking on their futuristic goals, Mrs Latha said "This year is very special to us as we have added government schools to our list. Earlier, we have been only working with children from primary and corporation schools."
"Every year, over 9,000 students have been imparted with soft skill training by the volunteers of Happy Child project. At present, there are over 1000 trained volunteers to handle these children. The volunteers are professionally trained through skilled experts like child psychologists, soft skill experts, counsellors and educationists. Professional training is mandatory for these volunteers as handling and talking to children who are under stress is not that easy. Things might really go wrong if the child is not properly dealt with. Hence, we do not compromise on that part at all. Over these years, we have built a strong team of experts from different fields," Mrs. Latha said.
When asked about the common problems these children face, Mrs Latha said "Oh! not just one. These children face enormous problems in their day-to-day life. Sadly, problems for these children are caused by their parents and relatives. Most of the fathers' of children studying at corporation and government schools are alcohol addicts. The child trembles in fear every night, as their fathers would come home in an inebriated state and beat them up. We even come across cases were grown-up children are forced to work in petrol pumps and restaurants as cleaners to fetch money to fulfil their father's alcohol needs. There are even more heart-rending situations; children had to undergo physical and mental abuse by their own kith and kin. When this is the reality, how can we expect the children from government schools to excel in academics, unlike other children?", lamented Mrs. Latha.
How exactly does the 'Happy Child' project empowers children?
The volunteers interact with the children informally and establish the initial bondage. The volunteers deal every child individually to understand their issues and need better. Soft skill training is provided on varied subjects including how to control anger, path to success, altruism, forgiveness, goal setting, time management, personal hygiene, hobbies, positive thinking and methods of learning.
"Even adults do not prefer long lectures and advice. Hence, we have devised a fun-filled and engaging way of imparting the soft skills to the students. We conduct plays, short dramas, games, quiz, etc., to get them involved in the learning process. And, with these learning methods we are already seeing promising results", explained Mrs. Latha.
"The teachers are also insisted to participate in the training as it would help them deal with children in a much better way. Self-evaluation pamphlets given to children helps to monitor their progress. During the parent-teacher meet, the teachers stress on the importance of mental wellness of their child to the parent and urge them to provide a happy and peaceful environment at home, as well. The feed back forms from the teachers helps us evaluate the effectiveness of the project even better", she added.
"Among the soft skills, 'ways to control anger' and 'goal setting' are considered to be very crucial. As these children are deprived of happiness and undergo humiliations in all forms, there are high chances that they could in a fit of rage could become aggressive either at home or school. Hence, we focus hard on teaching the children how to control anger and stay calm even during critical times. Next is the goal setting. Mostly, these children do not have any goals. The restlessness in them curtails them from thinking forward and to see life with positivity. Hence, it is important to instil the sense of goal setting in them," she said.
"Even recently, 152 volunteers from Sri Ramakrishna Women's College took active participation in the training session at a government school held from October 4 to 20. This year, we have provided 10-hours of soft skill training in the selected schools. So far, we have trained thousands of students from 41 corporation and 8 government schools. Going forward, we intend to add more government schools to our schedule to ensure no child is in distress and deprived of their childhood," stated Mrs Latha who also works for the Southern Railway.
The best thing would be to see a child smile and the next best thing would definitely be to know that you are the reason behind that smile. Certainly, these words aptly fit the "Happy Child" project.