School to School

Children in urban and rural schools dwell on two opposite spectrum of resource gaps: one blessed in abundance while other grapples for even basics. A small village school's needs are very basic and comprises of only the indispensable components of learning. In most cases, students don't even have basic stationery, uniforms and mats to sit on. The lack of such essentials discourages them to go schools becoming key factor for major dropouts and hindering their learning process.

Goonj’s “School To School” initiative is addressing the educational needs of thousands of remote and resource starved village/ slum schools by channelizing under-utilized material of city’s affluent schools, not as things to distribute but as tools to bring about comprehensive behavioral changes. Children take up various creative learning activities for which they are rewarded with carefully designed “School Kits” . All stakeholders in education; teachers, children, parents, local community get involve, be part of problem finding process and collectively find resolution.

Apart from fulfilling and continuously catering to material gap, there was positive impact on attendance in schools, learning became more fun with adequate resources and with reciprocal engagement, children learnt about achievement and dignity at young age rather than being exposed to charity. Parents, teachers and community members not only took ownership of what they did but becomes important figures in larger scheme of conducive learning process. In the financial year 2017-18, Goonj has reached out over 39,000 “School Kits” in over 2000 schools and other educational set ups in over 1000 villages