Help us Educate Underprivileged Children through the medium | Milaap
Help us Educate Underprivileged Children through the medium of Art
  • A

    Created by

    Hemlata Pradhan
  • uc

    This fundraiser will benefit

    underprivileged children

    from Kalimpong, West Bengal

Tax benefits for INR donations will be issued by Himalayan Trust for Natural History Art

Crisis:
i. The children in the hills are skilled and talented yet there is a lack of proper schools or colleges especially for the underprivileged section of the society that would help them channelize and hone their talents. 
ii.Poverty and unemployment are also the major issues in the hills the repercussion of which is that the students quit school early on to work in the fields or as manual labours to bring income to the family.
iii.With the ever increasing human population and degradation of forests, a large number of natural life forms and a complex web of life in the Himalayas are in danger of being destroyed.

Pedagogy:
Our philosophy at the Himalayan Trust for Natural History Art generates from our belief that art can be a means to help provide holistic education to children at the grass roots level, preparing them mentally and physically to meet the challenges of day to day living as well as the academics. It could also be a very important way to make them environmental conscious while helping them bring livelihood and sustenance in the future.
  1. Art is a universal language that everyone, even a layman or a child can understand and enjoy.
  2. Nature encompasses everything and is the best teacher one can have if we are open to it.
  3. A child, with his/her natural curiosity, power of observation, open mindedness, inquisitiveness and playfulness could become its ideal student.
  4. A child could become an instrument of positive change in his/ her society and the world at large.
Vision:
At Himalayan Trust for Natural History Art we want to create spaces for the underprivileged children of the Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the surrounding hills to explore and learn about sustainability and conservation of Nature and its resources through the field of Natural History Art and ecological studies and other traditional art forms.

Method:
We at HTNHA follow hands on learning method where the children are given opportunities to explore all the aspects of nature while learning through the medium of Natural History Art and other traditional art forms.
  1. The children are asked to identify the flora/fauna they want to study.
  2. They then maintain a nature journal and are encouraged to observe and document their subjects through mediums like sketching, writing, drawing, doodling,  photography etc. 
  3. While journaling, the students constantly are in touch with their facilitators in a debrief circle where they discuss and share their experiences and learning and develop a shared understanding of the environment and their surroundings. 
  4. With the help of the facilitators the students decide upon the final form for their art post which they have to begin the deeper scientific and historical research of the subject. 
  5. The children then begin with botanical/ zoological illustration, portraying the subjects scientifically and accurately in its entirety. https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/what-is-botanical-illustration.html 
  6. Once the scientific illustration is complete, students then venture into botanical/ zoological art, recreating the scientific illustrations into aesthetically pleasing artworks. 
  7. They also learn how to re-create their artworks into designs which is later translated into ceramics, jewellery, textiles, fashion, accessorise design, product design etc. 
Requirements:
Digital equipment: Cameras, laptops
Science equipment: Electronic microscope with camera lucida,  dissection tools, hand lens
Art equipments/ Materials: Table easels, papers, colours, pencils, brushes, canvas, gateway sheets, light table, desk lamps  
Design equipments: electric sewing machine, jewellery making tools, electric potter’s wheel, an oven for ceramics.
Infrastructure : Dormitory, Library/ Digital library, reference books, Gallery, toilets, kitchen, canteen, seed bank, herbarium
Furnishing: Windows, doors, tables, chairs, fans, storage cupboards and drawers
Other operational costs: Generator, Inverter, water pipes.
Join hands with us in fostering young minds towards a sustainable future.
We understand that it's your hard earned money and we ensure that we will make the best use of it and also keep you updated with the progress through reports and letters.
On behalf of our staff and Children, we would like to thank you already for spreading the word and contributing.
 

Read More

Know someone in need of funds? Refer to us
support