UNESCO Award to Recognize ‘Grassroots’
Grassroots Media
PRESS RELEASE
UNESCO Award to Recognize ‘Grassroots’
Commitment to change the lives of poor and marginalized receives recognition sooner or later. Grassroots India, a committed national NGO based in New Delhi, has received worldwide recognition when it won UNESCO Wenhui Award for Educational Innovation 2010. The prestigious global award has been given to extraordinary achievements made by the organization in implementing the IEUPC Education Project in Meerut, Moradabad and Aligarh cities of western Uttar Pradesh, India, having 43.8%, 51.21% and 52.42% population, respectively, living in slums or slum-like habitations. This pathbreaking education project addressing Muslim minority communities is jointly supported by European Commission and Islamic Relief.
The jury of the award is reported impressed with the project’s efforts in providing educational opportunities to poor girls in disadvantaged urban communities. Jury also appreciated the integrated and holistic approach to education by involving key stakeholders and local communities, utilizing locally available materials, resources and skills. As one of the two award winners from Asia-Pacific Region, the Executive Director of Grassroots India and Project Leader Mr. Hasrat Arjjumend will receive the $20,000 prize and Certificate of Excellence in an award ceremony to be held in Hangzhou city of China during 7-9 November 2010. The project was conceptualized and is being managed by Mr. Arjjumend with the conviction that “education is one of the main tools that empowers individuals to make informed choices, resist oppression and assert the rights, besides harnessing new possibilities and opportunities”.
According to Mr. Arjjumend, the IEUPC Education Project operates mainly through 15 Alternative Education Units (AEUs) established at 15 different locations in all 3 cities while linking about 3200 girls every year with the school education (about 1700 directly, 1500 indirectly). The poor girls of 7-12 years age are being prepared upto standard-III and mainstreamed in formal private/ government schools at the end of one year. They get preparatory education of the subjects like English, Mathematics, Urdu, Hindi, General Knowledge and Basic Computer. They also get special education on Water & Sanitation and Health & Hygiene with the purpose of changing their practices and attitudes. All the course curricula and lessons have been designed and written keeping the socio-cultural needs and girls’ level into consideration. Girls of 12-18 years age get non-formal education (NFE) upto standard-V in English, Mathematics, Urdu, Hindi, General Knowledge, Computer Operations and EVS subjects, and vocational education (VE) of Stitching, Hand Embroidery, Machine Embroidery, Menhendi, Bag Making, Beauty Care, Jute Work, Soft Toy Making, Paper Craft, Paintings, Digital Photography, Videography, etc. They also get special education on Water & Sanitation, Health & Hygiene and Gender Rights with the purpose of changing their practices and attitudes. Most of the pupils are also linked with extra-curricular and leadership activities.
Besides, the project intends to build the perspectives and capacities of formal school teachers in a way that they can (sustainably) change their methods of teaching, course curriculum, approaches, attitude and perception in accordance of local minority children especially in urban poverty zones. Sustainability-centred emphasis is on bring about significant change in the attitudes of the Muslim minority families and communities so that they give importance to girl child education, and on empowering the poor people so that they can assert for their right to education and livelihood and seek the accountabilities of responsible stakeholders in the chain of service delivery. To accomplish efficient implementation and sustainability the Mothers Committees (MCs) and Mohalla Education Committees (MECs) are constituted. These community institutions take decisions pertaining to working of AEUs in their respective areas and provide logistic support to the project apart from protecting the girls. Ward Education Committee (WECs) and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) formed around formal schools are being strengthened to take part in reforming the formal schooling system.
UNESCO award to Grassroots India would not only provide impetus to India’s elementary education but also strengthen the people’s commitments towards girl child education in general and Muslim minority education in particular.
More details on the award can be found at:
or Contact:
GRASSROOTS INDIA
Post Box 9726, New Friends Colony, New Delhi - 110 025 India
Tel: 011-26955452, 41006478, +91-9868993710, 9910188948
E-mail: grassroots...@gmail.com, grassro...@rediffmail.com
Website: www.grassroots.org.in
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GRASSROOTS MEDIA INITIATIVE
301 H-51/E, A. F. Enclave
Okhla, New Delhi - 110 025 India
Tel: 011-26955452, 09868993710 Fax: +91-11-26936366
E-mail: grassrootsme...@gmail.com
Web: www.grassroots.org.in/communication.htm
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Led by youths the GMI promotes application of media & communication in development of poor and eradication of poverty and hunger through capacity building, research and mainstreaming of voices of voiceless.
Civil Society
Congratulations to Hasrat and his team from Civil Society magazine.
Keep up the good work!
Umesh/rita/shreyasi/saibal/susheela/jehangir/basharat/rakesh..
On Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:39:40 +0530 wrote
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