The children of families affected by leprosy, unfortunately, face discrimination and exclusion even though they themselves do not have leprosy. Although their parents see education as a necessary means to both social and economic betterment, they are constrained by the poor economic situation and unable to send their children to good schools.
His Holiness Dalai Lama – Sasakawa Scholarship Program (HHDLS-S)
For most students from leprosy colonies who have completed their Class XII, professional higher education remains a distant dream. Professional courses are expensive and scholarships offered by government and private organizations are very few. Knowing this, children do not aspire to acquire professional degrees.
Since 2015, this scholarship offers financial support to meritorious children from leprosy colonies to pursue higher studies and attain professional qualifications for securing meaningful employment. The program is currently in nine states – Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Choosing the right course for a career is the most crucial decision to make. The most popular professional field in our scholarship program are medical science/healthcare followed by hospitality.
Under its ambit, selected students receive a monthly stipend, tuition fees, and other benefits. In the last six years, this program has provided scholarships to 124 youth from affected families. Out of which 31 have completed their course and 20 are placed. Starting salaries range from Rs 6000-Rs 60,000/ monthly.
NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS
Nursing is a noble and altruistic profession, so it follows that those who pursue it are well respected and valued members of society. The profession is in high demand throughout the country.
S-ILF’s Nursing scholarship program was started to meet a strong desire expressed by girls from leprosy-affected colonies to become nurses. Several girls want to become nurses so that they can look after their family as well as the other community members. Girls from leprosy colonies usually drop out after completing high school due to a shortage of funds. S-ILF’s Nursing Scholarship Program bridges the gap between their circumstances and their aspirations to become dignified, responsible and financially independent women.
Since 2011, S-ILF has provided scholarships to 115 girls out of which 41 scholars have completed B.Sc Nursing and 39 are successfully placed. The starting salaries range from Rs 10,000- Rs 50,000.
DLC and HiWEL
S-ILF brought Hole-in-the-Wall Learning Stations along with a digital learning program for residents of Shri Ramavtar Kusht Colony, Indore with support from the NIIT Foundation. Bridging the digital divide for marginalised children between 6 to 14 years of age, Hole-in-the-wall learning stations provide solutions in the areas of elementary education, life skills, and computer literacy. Hole in the Wall program is a special arrangement of a combination of different subjects like mathematics, science, languages, general knowledge and digital skills, etc. which are pre-set-in non-invasive computer devices available for access anytime.
For the elder population, certificate courses are run in basic digital learning under Digital learning centres. The core agenda of this program is to promote digitally-enabled sustainable growth in the colony for a larger good and provide impetus to Prime Minister’s Digital India Dream.
After-School Learning Centres (ASLC)
Dropout is an unfortunate truth of the education system in the country, especially among marginalised communities. Girls in India tend to have higher dropout rates than boys. Similarly, children belonging to socially disadvantaged groups like leprosy-affected families, SC & ST have higher dropout rates in comparison to the general population. Many children, who enter school, are unable to complete secondary education factors such as poverty, low educational level of parents, a weak family structure etc. When students experience school failure, they become frustrated with the lack of achievement and end up alienated leading to dropout. It is important to carefully design preventive measures and intervention strategies that could be adopted in order to help these students.
After school learning centre is one such intervention to address the problem. Children in colonies find difficulty in coping with the curriculum. Some parents send their children to tuition classes while most cannot afford to do so. When the child repeatedly fails in the examination, the parents pull out the child from school assuming the child is with low intellectual capacity. ASLC provides them with an opportunity to bridge the gap and develop a habit of regular studies. ASLC centre assists children in their school homework, provides tuition support and when required remedial classes with a focus on Maths, Science, English and Computers.
Currently, S-ILF is running 11 ASLC centres located in leprosy colonies of Indore, Ujjain, Dhar, Barwani (Madhya Pradesh) Bankura, West Midnapore (West Bengal), Solapur (Maharashtra) Ranchi, Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and Rourkela (Odisha) catering to the over 400 students.