In rural India, where student retention can be problematic,
providing a school environment that the students and teachers can be
proud of is the first step in encouraging attendance.
The
central aim of this project was therefore to provide such an
environment through the upgrade of the school in Jambha, a desert
village in Rajasthan. Over 3 days the project included:
- the painting of the school rooms internally and externally
- the supply of 6 desks
- development of a stone wall at the front of the school
- general maintenance of roof and windows
The project aims were met by the 11 participants (on the World Expeditions Community Project Trip
to Rajasthan) who physically worked together from 19-21 October 2008 ,
in challenging conditions to complete the work tasks that were
identified.
Positive Footprints: India - video documentary
Amanda Byrne of WorldNomads.com and Trent O'Donnell filmed a documentary of the experience that you can see here.
Positive Footprints - India from WorldNomads on Vimeo.
Community Involvement & Feedback
This
was the first community project of its kind in the region. At first,
the community were possibly a little suspicious but this dissipated
when they witnessed the sincerity of the participants and their work
efforts. some of the trip participants found the peoples from the
Jambha community a little reserved to begin with, however this
sentiment diminished after the first day.
The important thing is
that the community valued the project as an important mechanism to
encourage students to attend school and to appreciate that education is
an integral aspect of youth development and enhancing future prospects.
Future plans
This
project was undertaken as part of the World Expeditions Community
Project Travel program where the philosophy is to start and complete a
project within the given timeframe, ensuring that no work is left
undone. It renders a permanent and immediate benefit for the
community.
Travellers on World Expeditions North India Adventure pass through the Jambha village and can see the results of the school Repair program.
(Update posted 09 March 2009)
Project Costs include :
Construction materials, paints, wages for one foreman, costs associated with transporting the materials to the village.
Project Objective:
To improve the learning environment at Jambha school in order to increase school attendance and improve learning. The project aims to achieve this by:
- The roof and wall of the classrooms are rough, dull in colour and in need of repair and so they will be repaired and painted.
- Repair windows and construct tables and chairs
- The blackboards are in poor condition and it is difficult to write clearly on them
Background:
The village of Jambha is located 140kms south of Bikaner in Rajhastan. The Rajikya Adrash Prathmik Vidyalaya school has a total of 175 students enrolled; 95 are boys and 79 are girls. Children come to attend the school from the nearby villages that are approximately 3kms away.
The school was built in 1963 as a primary school (up to class 5) and later was converted into a middle school (up to class 8) in 1996. The school has only 3 teachers for 174 students ranging in years from class 1- 8.
World Expeditions provide responsible-travel tours in this area of Rajasthan. Through their close ties to local communities, this school was identified as needing assistance and has become the focus of the 2008 Community Project Trip to India. Footprints is providing funds for the project's material costs.
Get Involved:
Some of the volunteer labour on this project will come from the World Expeditions' Community Project Trip participants who will perform the work over 3 days, under the guidance of local partners and villagers.
You can join World Expeditions Community Project and help to upgrade the Jambha village school house in Rajahstan, India, departing 11th October 2008 for 15 days.
To see what these community projects are like, see the documentary video about the Saramthali school in Nepal.
How was it this funded?
Thanks to hundreds of tiny donations from these online businesses and their customers.
- ***WorldNomads.com.au
- ***WorldNomads.co.nz
- World Nomads USA
- World Nomads Canada
- www.WorldNomads.com
- ***World Nomads UK
World Expeditions is one of the world’s original adventure travel companies. They have earned an impeccable reputation through the unique experiences they
provide in the field, through an environmental philosophy of minimal
impact travel, and for the special quality of giving something back to
the communities visited. Footprints partners with World Expeditions' on selected community travel projects to provide funding for materials.