SOLI Hub started with an idea. How do we reclaim the fundamental impetus for learning – curiosity. How do we ensure that children are truly free of any compulsion? That they learn only because they want to.
Brainstorming followed. The idea was fleshed out and we started our pilot in 2018 at Wai, a town in Maharashtra, located in Western India. The first session with children of the age-group 12-14 at Dravid Memorial High School, Wai was exhilarating. The fact that participation was absolutely voluntary, that children could drop off, re-join, join at any point of time, was something they had never come across before!
Adding to the novelty was the fact that they were about to actually do something they had decided, the way they wanted – clean River Krishna which flows close to the school. Innovation is exciting and along the way more kids joined in. A few dropped out. But the number of those who joined far surpassed the latter. Some even wanted sessions on Sundays!
In 2019 we added another school, another community. This time in a remote village in Maharashtra – Tamhini. This is a place which doesn’t have internet connectivity, where the 1500 odd inhabitants are largely farmers. The children of age group 12 – 14 wanted health care. There are no medical facilities here and a ride to the nearest hospital takes long in this mountainous region. Death by snake-bite is a very common concern. And road accidents too turn fatal many a times. Driven by the desire to make a change all the children of Grades 7 and 8 (yes, everyone wanted to participate!) are now working towards ensuring healthcare in the village.
As a response to Covid19, SOLI Hub has taken the lead in coming up with a non-formal educational project for children of migrant workers and children in general, in the States of Jharkhand and Chattisgarh in Eastern India. In the long run, we hope to see this as a viable alternative to regular schooling for children in rural areas.
The road is long. But thrilling. And nothing fills the heart as much as seeing our children gain in confidence and so engaged in learning.
