Umang Pathshala - An effort to bring children of brick kiln workers in mainstream education!

It all began with a dream and a belief - the belief that every child can! Disha Trust was established a decade back when Umang - a democratic school was started to bestow students with a voice which is usually missing from the formal education system. Being a secondary schools Umang is able is provide schooling up to 10th grade after which students join other schools for further studies but a sense of belongingness is entrenched among alumni of Umang who continue to assist their juniors and contribute in whichever way possible.

In 2023, the school staff along with the students visited a nearby brick kiln to learn how bricks are made. While it was fascinating for them to learn about the whole process, the school also got to know about was the life of the workers and their children at such kilns. Ganaur block is home to about 30 brick kilns that employs around 50 to 60 families and so every kiln is home to at least 50 children who aren’t enrolled in schools, their life revolves around mud and the bricks along with constant struggle and schooling means a lot to them. What happened post that visit, was an unwavering commitment to start the Umang Pathshala (now called Maati Pathshala) at the kiln by the school staff. A teacher was placed at the kiln from the nearby community and that is when our yearnings came into life. Now the children are able to beautifully express themselves and are courageously asking for more with regards to their education. They are doing the what was once unthinkable for a community whose dreams were suppressed due to harsh realities. Watch the journey of the children here - journey of new hope and energy for these children.

Presently, 2 teachers are employed at this kiln, engaging and working with them every day working on their foundational skills, doing fun activities and amplifying what was already started. It also needs a whole different kind of motivation and determination to teach at the kilns since they are not like the usual classroom. The teachers teach in a make-shift classroom in the midst of the kiln area where most of the time teachers have to compromise with some basic facilities too but they have an unwavering resolve and are committed towards bringing a change for this community. 

Two organizations now - Disha Trust and Learning Initiatives for India (LIFI) are working collaboratively at two brick kilns and aim to expand the work to more such kilns in the Ganaur block.

A milestone achieved

 Yet another milestone that we achieved on Saturday - 18th March, 2024 when a meeting was held with the parents of the students and they agreed for 15 of them to be mainstreamed at Umang school. And they did not just agree for the mainstreaming but are ready to pay a monthly fee for a cab driver who can take the children to the school every day. By July, 2024 is when we want these children to be at Umang and that is where we need your support. 

Watch the complete story of our work at the brick kilns here (copy paste the link on your browser to watch the story) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=Z1wMoKcCmn4