Empowering Lives Through Education
Hamari KakshaSince 2003, we have empowered over 400 underprivileged children and their mothers through innovative educational programs, fostering their growth and potential with the support of dedicated teachers and volunteers.
A class apart
About Our NGO
Hamari Kaksha is a non-profit organization based in Chandigarh – The City Beautiful – since 2003. We provide education and hope to underprivileged children and their mothers. By taking a unique approach to educational training, we get these young minds to flourish and enable their personalities to shine bright. In contributing to the national goal of “Education for All”, we have gone from 17 children of maids and daily wagers being taught by the NGO founder in her verandah in 2003 to 3 centres across Chandigarh serving more than 400 youngsters aged 5 to 15+ years in 2016.
Hamari Kaksha takes pride in its slogan of “A Class Apart” by helping to create a helpful and caring environment for children in poverty to thrive, under the guidance of a core staff of 16 teachers and 12 teaching assistants (some of whom are former Hamari Kaksha alumni themselves). Many individuals and institutions have volunteered with us to contribute their time, effort, and energy to help these children unlock their potential.
We know that these children have ‘Potential Unlimited’. We teach, play, and laugh with them to make that potential a reality.
Potential unlimited
Our Approach
When you visit the Hamari Kaksha centers, the first thing you hear? A resounding melody of unabashed and delighted laughter. We make it possible for our children to fulfill their potential by the combination of simple educational strategies, confidence building, hard work, and personal touch. We believe that a comprehensive education requires sound methodology. Our strategies involve:
Second parenting
Many of our children are first-generation learners and come from impoverished and underprivileged communities. Most of their parents are daily wage laborers due to migration and illiteracy, and face immense difficulties in breaking out the cycle of poverty. We take to heart the idiom of “teachers as second parents” – we provide a caring environment with enthusiastic staff for our students. We also teach basic literacy skills to mothers who wish to avail of our services.
Child Centered Teaching
Our students are a mix of non-performing children, dropouts, repeaters, and out-of-school kids with no formal training. Due to gaps in elementary education, many have not mastered the three R’s (Reading, wRiting, and simple aRithmetic) for their age or grade levels. Most lack positive self esteem, healthy confidence, and strong connections.
We tackle these gaps in two ways. Firstly, we teach the basics – English comprehension, mathematics, science, communication skills – according to the child’s learning pace and capability. Once they feel confident in their learning skills, we help them catch up to their specific grade level in school.
Secondly, we focus on helping them build their talents and capabilities. We work to augment and enhance their communication skills, interpersonal skills, and creative abilities. Through encouragement from us, friendship with their peers, and improved participation from their parents, our children learn human values, holistic development, and build confidence.
RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM METHODOLOGY
Our students are a mix of non-performing children, dropouts, repeaters, and out-of-school kids with no formal training. Due to gaps in elementary education, many have not mastered the three R’s (Reading, wRiting, and simple aRithmetic) for their age or grade levels. Most lack positive self esteem, healthy confidence, and strong connections.
Rather than traditional teaching methods, we adopt Responsive Classroom Methodology, i.e. understanding that how children learn is as important as what they learn. We develop and use highly successful and cost-effective modules to make the teaching-learning process joyful. Over the years, we have adapted our own methods from working with Hamari Kaksha students to great effect. Methods include peer teaching, dramatization of chapters, video-based training, storytelling, field trips, expert visits etc We also have a computer lab and an ever-expanding library, both thanks to generous donations from individuals and the community.
Activity Based Learning, and Exposure to Mainstream
Through our informal training center for Activity-Based Learning, our children participate in several non-academic activities that help develop their personalities and open up to them a much larger world of possibilities. Activities like theatre, story-writing, field visits to educational and scientific institutions, photography, art, craft design and production are a few of them. Of special note is that our students have presented more than 20 skits, street plays, and performances all over Chandigarh since 2008 with help from various theatre groups and professionals of the city.
Literacy Programs & Counselling for Parents
The first part of the idiom “teachers as second parents” is that “parents are the first teachers”. So we work not only with the children in our centers, but also their parents. We provide regular counselling for parents to develop positive and interested attitudes towards their child’s development and performance. We also provide literacy programs since 2011 aimed at the mothers of our students. We have taught basic reading, writing, and mathematics to more than 100 mothers since last six years.
Personalised Attention to Problems faced by Children
Due to poverty and underdevelopment, common external factors can lead to our children missing out on school or underperforming in their education. For example, due to the migration process, children might miss classes. So we track down local guardians or neighbors to establish contact. We also counsel parents to plan their return during school holidays so that there is no break in the child’s education. Similarly, ill health and sickness can cause absences; so we arrange regular health workshops and camps at our centers as well as the children’s home localities. Transportation is made available in the form of a 20 seater van, cycles and shared rickshaws where needed. Learning materials are provided to students to use at home and follow-ups are arranged with school principals and teachers so that the child does not become a drop out. In cases of extreme recalcitrance, volunteers will visit the child’s home and attempt to identify the problems causing his/her absence, and accordingly find a workable solution.
We want to ensure that all children can access a good education and we work to make this a reality.
Our Mission
Hamari Kaksha aims to empower women and children in poverty through access to education. We believe that we are helping create future generations of smarter, happier, and more productive citizens of the nation.
Our Vision
Everyone deserves a chance – and we make it possible for children in poverty to surpass their circumstances. We ignite minds by developing unique, engaging methods of teaching, and sharing them with the world, so no child is left behind.