Comprehensive Education by integrated and holistic approach for slum area children (girls) in Katihar district of Bihar
 
PROJECT SUMMARY

EDUCATION SUPPORT TO POWERTY RIDDEN SLUM AREA GIRLS
Education is the most vital key to ending extreme poverty. Free primary education is constitutionally mandated in India. This may be true in the narrow sense that public schools do not charge for tuition. But the real cost of schooling for parents turns out to be quite high. These “hidden” costs include for instance, school Fees, Fees for cloths, textbooks, snacks, sports equipment and so on. The pressure of assuming these financial burdens while losing a potential helping hand at home or another household income (Some form of child labour is common in our parts) often proves to be more than poor families can bear. Also besides the poor quality of primary schooling eliminates any incentive the family may have to send their children to school.
                           If parents are discouraged from sending their children to school, it is because they feel that schooling is often a waste of time and money.
“The situation of Slum area education is related to the quality education in general and not solely to bring slum area. Of course being a slum area also means that most of the time they are also poor. They live in area where the provision of education is very weak. So the situation is not only because they are Slum area but because of these inter related issues. It is important therefore to view the problem in all its complexity”
 
INTRODUCTION
Muskaan Foundation is a social welfare organization working to uplift people. The company is concerned in the welfare of the community without any distinction of caste, creed, religion, race, or other limiting considerations, for the betterment of the poor by rendering formal and non-formal education in order to make people aware of their rights and duties as well as to develop leadership. It was registered on 17th March, 2016 under section 8 of Companies Act 2013. Our organization aims to work towards poverty free-society, socially, economically self-reliant and healthy mind conscious about their basic rights and human dignity.
 MISSION-
“To care for the basic needs and priorities of the poorest, especially the women and children and empower them towards their overall development and self-reliance”
VISION-
We visualize communities where all enjoy equal rights, opportunities and the members respect each other and live in harmony with nature and the divine.
OBJECTIVE-
To help and support the distressed, needy, neglected and vulnerable people residing in Katihar District socially and economically by providing them necessary assistance for sustaining their healthy lives especially the women and children.
 
Proposed Programme-
 
The overall objective of this project is to improve the educational status of poor Slum area girls to meet the millennium development goals. The specific objectives of the project are to initiate the community to advocate for support and education of poor Slum area girls to increase the enrollment of Slum area students in the school, to increase the access of Slum area girls to education, to change the life condition of poor Slum area girls through education and to empower the households of poor Slum area children girls economically. Major activities to be carried out are selecting poor Slum area girls, support to poor them, conducting community meetings, empowering the families of poor Slum area girls economically, formation and strengthening of girl’s club. The direct beneficiaries of this project are 50 poor Slum area girls in Katihar district whereas the indirect beneficiaries are their families. The expected outputs are 50 Slum area girls supported in education and their families supported economically.
Background
 
According to the total Katihar population for 2011 census, 8.92 percent lives in urban regions of district. In total 273,822 people lives in urban areas of which males are 144,686 and females are 129,136. Sex Ratio in urban region of Katihar district is 893 as per 2011 census data. Similarly, child sex ratio in Katihar district was 939 in 2011 census. Child population (0-6) in urban region was 40,308 of which males and females were 20,788 and 19,520. This child population figure of Katihar district is 14.37 % of total urban population. Average literacy rate in Katihar district as per census 2011 is 77.27 % of which males and females are 82.46 % and 71.40 % literates respectively. In actual number 180,433 people are literate in urban region of which males and females are 102,172 and 78,261 respectively.

As per 2011 census, 91.08 % population of Katihar districts lives in rural areas of villages. The total Katihar district population living in rural areas is 2,797,207 of which males and females are 1,455,744 and 1,341,463 respectively. In rural areas of Katihar district, sex ratio is 921 females per 1000 males. If child sex ratio data of Katihar district is considered, figure is 962 girls per 1000 boys. Child population in the age 0-6 is 580,024 in rural areas of which males were 295,603 and females were 284,421. The child population comprises 20.31 % of total rural population of Katihar district. Literacy rate in rural areas of Katihar district is 49.60 % as per census data 2011. Gender wise, male and female literacy stood at 56.90 and 41.59 percent respectively. In total, 1,099,757 people were literate of which males and females were 660,084 and 439,673 respectively.
Educational status -
 
Education is still a distant dream for millions of children. But here for Slum area girls, it is more than that. Because of this the literacy is very low in many areas.
Average literacy rate of Katihar in 2011 were 52.24 compared to 35.09 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 59.36 and 44.39 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 45.31 and 23.80 in Katihar District. Total literate in Katihar District were 1,280,190 of which male and female were 762,256 and 517,934 respectively. In 2001, Katihar District had 655,119 in its district.
Problem statement and Target area-
 
In India education is still a distant dream for millions of children’s and in our area too. Our target area Katihar District came under the Bihar state. The villages come under this district, majority of the people depend agriculture and agricultural occupation for their income. But India’s agriculture dependence on rain is too much. In the absence of adequate irrigation facilities, as much as 70% of the cultivation in our area looks to rains for water supply. But rain in India is inadequate, uncertain and irregular. So this makes agriculture an uncertain occupation. So rains keep our target district drought for a decade. People don’t have other opportunities and they suffer a lot with their big families. So in natural, education to the community has remained beyond the reach of their children. Poverty family illiteracy, lack of resources and social backwardness are the major contributing factors. In, India, in our area nothing has been done for the improvement and upliftment of the poor Slum area Community. So majority of the people in our target area are backward in socially, educationally and economically. So our area people are living in most miserable conditions devoid of essential facilities of life especially they don’t have much education due to the absence of any support system.
So, our target area’s illiterate, poverty ridden Slum area poor parents do not wish to educate their girl child, because -

• These Slum area people living in the definite geographical area in different village where they have separate culture, custom, religion believes, own local language. They have taboo regarding mirage profession and have developed well assessed system of reciprocity and of obligation.
• These people have economically backward and depend on exploiting natural resources.
• Every tribe have least functional interdependence within the community
• They have geographical isolation of its people.

They think that investment in education for their children is considered mere waste of time and resources and most worry some is girls education. The reasons are:-

• Many rural house hold need the income the girl child earns as domestic helpers from the jobs provided by small village industries and agriculture.
• Children’s do sometimes abandon their studies as a result of their own disinterest, illness or failure in examination.
• Education on girl child is seems as a bad investment, as she is bound to marry and leave home one day to live with her husband’s family. This is a mindset of our area Slum area people.
• People in our target area saying that we don’t educate girls in our community.
• Parents are reluctant to send their girls to schools outside the village for fear of violence or some social ill will befall them.
• Parent’s illiteracy, domestic labour, helping parents in their occupation, care and sibling, social taboos on the onset of puberty, sex discrimination from parents are the main factors of school dropouts and that of female illiteracy.
• Due to poverty and backwardness, children are deprived of basic education. Children’s at a very young age start helping their parents at works i.e Their time is spent in rearing the domestic animals, domestic work, catering to younger siblings, agriculture coolie work etc., and therefore, prove to be assets for their family. So parents don’t mind if their children did not attend the school regularly. So school dropout is on rise.
• Some social factor is still wide spread among Slum area people that education make their off spring deviant, insolent them from rest of their society.
• Most of Slum area communities are living very far from the main area and this entail long travel to attend school. And for young child and Slum area girls are not able to go that far distance.
• Some time language of communication of their tribe and the language taught in different school are different and the young students are not able to get the language which is told by their teacher results lack of interest in studies.
• The surrounding of the Slum area peoples also one factor that most of the Slum area people are illiterate and do not know the value of education to their girl child.

Due to all these reasons they are unceremoniously denied the opportunities to get the basic knowledge and literacy skills. Majority of our area Slum area children were in out of schools or working/helping their parents in fields. So we wish to give education through support system, so as to remove/solve the existing problems.
Goals
 
To improve the educational status of Slum area girls to meet their millennium development goals.
Specific Objectives-
 

• To increase enrollment of Slum area girls in the school.
• To initiate the community to advocate for poor Slum area girls to have access to education.
• To increase the access of poor Slum area children girls to education.
• To change the life condition of poor Slum area children girls through education.
• To empower their families economically.

Activities-
 
This project includes different activities. These are selecting poor Slum area girls, community meeting on advocacy to poor Slum area girls, provision of support to educate them, conducting students meeting, formation and strengthening girls club, children club and empowering the poor Slum area girl’s families economically.
Selecting the vulnerable Slum area girls –
 
The first activity of the project is selection of beneficiaries. They will be selected from villages and a small town Katihar District. A team shall do recruitment from community, Village administrations and different representatives. There shall be criteria to identity the poor from each of the village. Beneficiaries will be poorest of poor Slum area girls.
 
Provide support-
 
The selected poor Slum area girls will be supported through education. During their education there are some provisions that need to be fulfilled. These are stationary materials, clothing and medical expense. We also provide bicycles to them.
 
Community meeting on gender issues-
 
The community is the nearest body to Slum area girls and they are parts of the society. They have the responsibility to support and advocate for the Slum area girls. To this end there is a plan to conduct community representative meeting on how to support and care for the poor Slum area girls at community level.
Project Management –
 
Muskaan Foundation has its own boarding through which the association carries out different activities. Foundation has the responsibility of implementing, monitoring, supervising and evaluating the project. Monitoring will be carried out on regular basis through project coordinator and Project assistants. Education desk has the responsibility of providing technical support, monitoring and evaluation. The community shall involve from planning to hand over of the project. They shall involve in selection of poor students, monitoring and evaluation of the project. The funding agency shall monitor, evaluate and receive the financial and physical accomplishment report.
Project Sustainability-
 
The sustainability of this project will be guaranteed because the project involves the participation and collaboration of all concerned line offices and community. These will involve from planning to evaluation of the project. The phasing out shall take place when the awareness of community to advocate for the poor raises and when the poor Slum area families are capable of educating their girls.
Expected Output-
 

• The educational status of poor Slum area girls improved.
• 50 poor Slum area girls supported in education
• The awareness of the community to support poor Slum area girls increased.

CONCLUSION
 
Education is the single most important means by which individual and society can improve personal endowments, but capacity levels, overcome barriers, and expand opportunities for a sustained improvement in their well being.
In context of Slum area girl education finding a balance between preserving Slum area identity and mainstreaming for economic prosperity means building education programme that ensure a Slum area child’s success in mainstream schools. Recognizing that the education system this programme is aim vulnerable Slum area girls and their need to be invested in creating support mechanism that supplement the integration of Slum area children in formal education system.
 
 
 
 
 BUDGET-
 

S.No	Activities	Project Budget
1.	Support to 50 Slum area Girl-
	Stationary Materials, (Books, Note books, Pen ,Geometry Box, School Bag, etc, 675 per student)	33,750
	Clothing (Uniform, Shoes and rain coat for Slum area girls @ 750)	37,500
	Medical expenses	5,000
	Transportation (Bicycle @ 4500)	2,25,000
	Grand Total	3,01,250