March 2020 saw the nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic. Consequently, this led to the closure of schools all over the country. Children all over the country sat at home, reeling from boredom, lack of education, and a digital divide that threatened to undo the strides in the area of girls’ education made over the decades. Khushi (name changed) was one such kid. A 10-year-old child from Jharkhand, she looks forward to meeting Dharmendra on Mondays. Why you ask?
Dharmendra is ChildFund India’s community mobilizer in Jharkhand. He travels on a cycle, decked up with storybooks in local languages, through the narrow bylanes of remote villages in the Deoghar area while kids look on with curiosity. This ‘Cycle Library’ ensures that children continue having some connection with education.
Challenges such as gaps in learning and access to quality education existed for children from marginalized communities even before the pandemic. However, during the lockdown, the digital divide and loss of learning continuity have further increased these gaps and decreased confidence in children, forcing students from marginalized backgrounds and remote villages to weigh dropping out as an option. In a study by ChildFund India, 64% of the children expressed that they may drop out if not provided additional educational support. Girls especially stand to lose out a lot due to these challenges.
The driving idea behind Cycle Library by ChildFund is that it’s essential to keep children engaged creatively to ensure emotional stability and academic continuity. Children get to pick out any books from the Cycle Library and practice their reading throughout the week. Then, community mobilizers give a few activities, based on the books, that children need to finish and show when they return the book to the ‘library’.
Community mobilizers have also conducted literacy classes for adults to read along with their children. Khushi’s mother has benefited from this program; she has picked up reading after these classes and continues to improve her reading with Khushi’s support.
“My mother and I wait for Dharmendra uncle to come with books! Every week, we read new stories about the jungle, how the lion is the king of the jungle and the jackal is a cunning animal. But, my favourite is the story about the wise monkey. My mother and I always read these stories together. Though she is not very educated, she has recently learned how to read a little. If she finds it difficult, I help and correct her,” says Khushi.
ChildFund, a child development organization, has been working with underprivileged children, youth and families in remote, backward, and inaccessible areas in India since 1951 and provides support to children until they reach 24 years of age.