Introduction
LENS Foundation added another center in association with Samarpan Foundation which is located under Delhi Yamuna Bridge. The community there consists of rickshaw pullers, farmers, and low-paying labourers who work very hard to make ends meet. The community lives in harsh conditions with no sanitation facilities and access to clean drinking water. Children in the community are deprived of basic amenities like food, shelter, and education. They are treated as mere extra hands and forced to beg or work as a labourer. LENS Foundation started the center with a temporary set-up as concrete construction is not allowed in the area. LENS Foundation serves children of the whole community in the form of education and nutrition.
| S.N. | Details of Batch | Age / Level | Total No. of Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afternoon School | Level 1 | 30 |
| 2 | Afternoon School | Level 2 | 26 |
| 3 | Afternoon School | Level 3 | 27 |
| 4 | Afternoon School | Level 4 | 22 |
| 5 | Manpower Deployed | 10 |
Project Highlights
| Interventions | Status |
|---|---|
| Academic Interventions | School going – A total of 105 children from Nursery to class 12 were given academic support. |
| Library Programme | At the Yamuna Pushta centre, there is a dedicated library for all the children attending the centre. The library has a large number of books, and these books help to capture and retain the interest of the children. Interactive sessions on various topics of general and day-to-day interest were used as a means to keep library time interesting for the children. Apart from library books, students are also encouraged to read newspapers (both in English and Hindi language) for further improvement of their learning skills. |
| Workshop, Trainings & Capacity Building | Many different workshops and training were conducted by LENS Foundation for the students, teachers, and community members like training for teachers, voting rights awareness, dance workshops, workshops on Menstrual hygiene, etc. |
| Health & Nutrition | Children studying at LENS-supported schools come from under privilege backgrounds so it is more important to provide them with better health facilities, good nutrition, and do and don'ts for proper hygiene. Students' BMI is monitored regularly for them to reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce diseases and promote their overall health. LENS also supported medicating them with properly prescribed medicines and, de-worming medicines on demand so that they could be free from any disease or ailment. |
| Sports | Regular physical activity not only gives good health, but is also helpful in many other ways, it controls weight, reduces the risk of obesity, improves strength and endurance, builds healthy bones, reduces stress and anxiety, and feelings of depression, increased concentration, etc. Several activities like football, cricket, yoga, etc. were conducted regularly. Additionally, during the women's day celebration at, different games were played with a big group of women from the community. |
Classroom and Toilet Construction
LENS believes that a classroom environment is a second teacher for any student, as a large amount of the child’s time is spent sitting in a school classroom. LENS Foundation supported the construction and renovation of the classrooms. Apart from the classroom, a toilet was also constructed during the year.
Distribution
Many important things are required along with changing seasons hence the LENS foundation periodically distributes essential items such as sweaters, shoes, clothes, etc. to the students.
Nutrition
A healthy and balanced diet is very important for a growing child; a kitchen is run in the school to provide the hot meal for the students. In the kitchen, it is taken care that the students can get nutritious meals that are good for their health and physical growth. During the celebration of different events, and programmes, a special meal was also served including some sweets and chocolates. The BMI of each child is measured quarterly to measure the Nutrition Aspect also. LENS also support medicating students with properly doctor’s prescribed medicines, and de-worming medicines so that they could be free from any disease or ailment.
| Day | Lunch |
|---|---|
| Monday | Daal and Rice |
| Tuesday | Kadhi and Rice |
| Wednesday | Rice with Lobiya |
| Thursday | Potato with peas curry and Rice |
| Friday | Rice with Lobiya |
| Saturday | Poha with different Green vegetables |
Awareness Workshops
Menstrual Health Management
It’s not uncommon for women to talk about menstruation with code words, considering the taboo surrounding this subject and the restrictions placed on girls and women when they are menstruating. LENS facilitated workshops for awareness on the matter to help break the myths surrounding menstruation and debunk the taboo attached to it. With the help of Raindrop Foundation and partner NGO Samarpan, a workshop on menstrual health was held at Yamuna Pushta School to spread awareness among the students and community inhabitants.
In a highly interactive session, a big group of women and young girls participated in the workshop and learned many things about menstrual and personal hygiene. A question-answer session was also conducted to clarify any doubts and myths related to menstrual hygiene. Underclothes, Sanitary napkins, menstrual cups and tasty/delicious refreshments were also distributed to them.
Water conservation
In order to sensitize children on the prevalent shortage of water and how important it is to save it- a workshop was conducted where children were taught to plant more trees and save water wherever possible. Not just this, but the repercussions and the consequences were eye-opening to the kids. The session made them realize the significance of water.
