EDUCATION

Low wages of parents (a monthly average of 1000 per family) incidence of child labour, bonded labour, alcoholism, labour oriented migration, poor accessibility to health and educational institutions, absence proper housing, clean water, other basic facilities etc are the characteristic features of the community to which these children belong. Many children of quarry workers are born at and grow up around quarrying sites. These children get used to helping their parents with quarrying activities. They tend to naturally develop a disinterest in studying even if educational opportunities are present. There are hardly any decent studies on the health of children of quarry workers. Indeed it is practically impossible to get any reliable statistics on their numbers, prevalence, whereabouts, etc. It’s hard enough to get state government facts about the population. They are not a significant vote bank because of their undocumented status. The kids are totally ignored in the government statistics.” Children working in quarries are even less significant than cattle or tools.

The Beneficiaries are from 20 backward quarry villages of Bangalore rural district, they are as follows;

• Children from quarry families
• Children from BPL families (marginalized)
• child labours and bonded labours children aged between 2-14 years
• Rescued children from Karnataka police child helpline
• Children from slums and street children
• Orphans and children of the destitute mothers
• Girl children from difficult circumstances
• HIV/AIDS infected Children
• Children of the commercial sex worker
• Dropout children from target villages
• Semi orphans or single parents’ girl children

We Nurture, We Believe in every Child’s potential

The educational programme at LOVEDALE endeavours to create an environment that nurtures this capacity for inquiry. Over the years in school, the student is encouraged to explore areas of interest, academic or otherwise, and attain the competence that she is capable of. This process does not rely on competition and comparison. Dialogue is a central feature of the life in the school. The student is encouraged to question issues in the classroom and in the larger domain of the relationships at home and school.

The school tries to help the student discover interests and vocations that are not merely the reflection of current values and trends in society. This demands that teachers and parents do not succumb to anxiety about the future, and instead look at creative livelihood options.

Parents, right from the start, are invited to take an active part in this learning and the dialogues that are part of it. The potential of this learning can only be realized if parents, teachers and students are deeply engaged in it.

At the core of the Lovedale Model is the delivery of top-class education so that the children can have equal access to the best opportunities. There are several hurdles to making this happen. These children come from backgrounds where most of their families have not been through school. They come from households and communities that are full of limitations of the possibilities of living a dignified life. Add to that English is non-existent as a language of communication in the communities, making it a difficult task for children to learn and acquire proficiency in it. We have focused on different strategies.

We believe that for change to happen it is necessary to touch the life of a child in its entirety. Therefore, our development program consists of not just education but includes healthcare, nutrition, community involvement and career counseling. We are committed to offering the highest quality of care within these areas.