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Sector: Balwadi (Pre-School)
Educating children at a young age allows them to
develop skills that are necessary for them to
contribute to society. However, children in
rural communities are often needed to work and
earn money. Also, discrimination often keeps
young girls at home where they help their
mothers care for their younger siblings. This
keeps them from attending school and obtaining a
proper education. An essential part of this
education begins at the age of two when
children’s minds are very impressionable.
However, a child’s pre-school education is
neglected because parents are busy trying to
earn enough money. As a result, children often
accompany their mothers while they work, or they
are looked after by neighbors or older
relatives. They miss out on a Balwadi
(Pre-School) education which teaches children
basic skills, allows them to interact with other
children, and stimulates their minds.
Education is a matter of empowerment. However
before empowering children, parents must be
empowered first and made aware of the necessity
and advantages of an education. For the village
of Slate Godam, a poor and underdeveloped
village, the first step would be the empowerment
of women through Mahila Mandals (Village Women’s
Groups). With the formation of such a group,
women could begin thinking about the development
of their village and their children.
It was not until four or five women from Slate
Godam visited a neighboring village that they
realized the benefits of this group. They saw
the Mahila Mandal discussing issues in their
community that they too wanted to bring up. They
also saw the Mahila Mandal members form small
Self Help Groups (SHG) and take loans to buy
animals and to construct houses. These SHG were
created to further the women’s own economic
development and financial situation. These women
who were never able step out of their houses
were now managing their own households and
actively participating in their community. The
women of Slate Godam wanted to start their own
Mahila Mandal so they informally gathered once a
month and collected 5 rupees each (equivalent to
about 9 US cents). Soon more than a hundred
women started attending forming about nine SHG.
After becoming affiliated with CORD, Urmila, a
CORD worker, began to regularly attend their
 meetings.
After coming to the village for some time Urmila
noticed that the small children were wandering
here and there. Many of the children would play
in the mud of the fields that their parents
worked on. Some of the children would talk back
to their parents. Education was not valued among
the villagers as reflected by the lack of a
nursery school and a poor primary school with
only one teacher. Urmila understood the
importance of an education at this age and she
brought up the issue of the children’s education
at a Mahila Mandal meeting. By bringing
awareness to the women, she lit a fire in their
minds, but it was up to the women to come up
with a solution. After one meeting, the women
decided that the best option for their little
ones would be to start a Balwadi. The women were
so enthusiastic to educate their children and
keep them busy during the day. Although the
enthusiasm was there, the women told Urmila that
they lacked the money to hire and train a
teacher. Urmila assured them that this was no
problem because a teacher from an outside
village was not necessary. All the women needed
to do was to elect someone from their own
village to receive training at CORD. The women
of the village elected Achri Devi, a dedicated
member of the Mahila Mandal, to be trained as a
Bal-Sevika (teacher). An intensive 8 day
training took place at CORD where Achri Devi was
taught basic teaching skills and how to develop
the minds of these small children. She was also
instructed on health issues relating to children
such as how to check for anemia and how to treat
diarrhea, fevers, and headaches. Although she
only completed schooling up to the sixth
standard, she was enthusiastic to learn. After
the training, Achri Devi brought back the new
knowledge she gained to her village and a
Balwadi was started in 1993.
Starting the Balwadi was not as easy as the
villagers thought it would be. It required
materials and effort, both of which the
villagers were lacking. In the beginning, Achri
Devi would have to teach the children without
basic materials like b ooks
or slates. Without these necessary supplies,
Achri Devi could not give her students the best
possible early education that they deserved.
There were also times when the children would
have nothing to eat so the Mahila Mandal would
provide the children with food. If there was not
enough food for them, Achri Devi would bring
food from her own home. In time, Achri Devi
started getting material support from CORD like
stationary and nutritious food. Achri Devi’s
connection to CORD has become very strong. She
continues to get material and financial help
from CORD to support her endeavor. She also
attends monthly follow-ups and receives
additional training from time to time at CORD.
 However,
at times the villagers did not show their
complete support for the program. For eight
years, Achri Devi would have to go from home to
home picking up the children. Since there was no
place for these children to learn, she would
take them to her own house which had become a
makeshift classroom. This would be on top of the
other responsibilities like developing a lesson
plan and providing snacks for the children. But
Achri Devi was persistent and never complained.
She knew that once the villagers realized the
importance of this kind of education for their
little ones, they would take some responsibility
for the program. Soon enough, the parents
started dropping their children off at the
Balwadi and taking ownership of their children’s
education.
This new interest in education motivated the
villagers to ask for funding from the government
to build a classroom for the Balwadi students
which could also be used as a meeting place for
the Mahila Mandal. In due time, a classroom was
constructed and the excited Balwadi children
moved from Achri Devi’s home to the brand new
classroom.
As a result of the new emphasis that the parents
and villagers placed on their children’s
education, marriages done at a young age were
stopped. Urmila also showed the villagers how to
obtain a birth certificate from the Chief
Medical Officer so that the children of the
village could attend school. Today, the Balwadi
of Slate Godam is a thriving program. The
children participate in Balwadi competitions and
programs which are attended by all the
villagers. Balwadi is also attended by handicapped
children who otherwise may not have had a chance
for an education in a rural village. The Balwadi
program helps to ensure that the welfare of the
children is a priority of the village. The
parents of the children are so pleased that
their children are learning something and headed
on the right path. The Balwadi program has given
the children of Slate Godam a bright and
promising future.
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