Education Centers for India
In the slums of Mumbai, India, our partners are working to break the cycle of poverty and offer a hope and a future through God's love. They are offering quality education through their day centers and preschool, vocational training courses and small business opportunities. They are working with some of the most marginalized and forgotten, including a blind community, to offer opportunities to those who would otherwise have no hope of education.
Day Centers and Preschool:
The day centers and preschool provide education to the shunned and neglected slum children of Mumbai, India. Many of their families earn a meager living by picking rags from the dump and selling them. The children are very vulnerable to human trafficking, disease, and a lifetime of poverty. Many children regularly come to the day center and are willing to learn, but they are hungry and malnourished. The day school provides nutritious meals of protein, fruits and vegetables to these children. Children at the centers are also routinely instructed about the importance of cleanliness, health and hygiene. Medical and dental clinics as well as community workshops, offering information and training on topics such as women's health, disease prevention and substance abuse, are also offered to the community through the day centers.
Vocational Training:
Vocational training programs are offered to older students in order to help them successfully learn skills that will enable them to provide for their families. These courses are equipping youth in Mumbai who otherwise could not afford to go to school due to poverty. Once they complete these courses they can start a small business or obtain a job. Tuition for each course per student is $100.
Vocational training courses currently being offered:
- Basic Computer and Advanced Excel course for both boys and girls (3 months)
Beauty Parlor Project:
The beauty parlor project aims to operate a beauty parlor to increase the income-earning capacity of vulnerable girls, young women and single mothers. The goal is to rent a space for a beauty parlor and purchase all the necessary equipment required to run a good shop. During the part of the day the beauty parlor will run as a business, generating income, as a small step towards self sustainability. In the afternoon, the beauty parlor will be used to run the Beauty Parlor Course. The Beauty Parlor Course covers hair styles, make-up (including bridal make-up), and applying henna. This course will provide the students with the knowledge needed to obtain work in a beauty salon. After some experience, the students will be able to set up their own business or take orders during wedding seasons. At the end of their course a special workshop on soft skills and business guidance will be conducted to enhance their capacity and give them an exposure to business.
Hope for a Blind Community:
Among the estimated 22 million people residing in urban Mumbai, there is a blind community of around 300 families. The adults in this community are blind and many of them beg on the local trains to earn a living. Many deaths result each year from blind individuals falling off the train platforms. The children from this community often drop out of school so that they can care for their parents. The children who do go to school usually drop their blind parents off at the train station in the morning and pick them up again in the evening.
Serve the Children's partners in India started an educational center for the children of this community and also provide vocational training for the youths. The goal is to help children pass their government examinations and provide youths with the skills they need to get a decent job or start a small business from home. In addition, our partners are helping the blind men and women of this community find safe and sustainable ways to earn an income so they do not need to beg or sell items on the trains or train platforms.
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