Education is supposed to be the cornerstone of individual and societal development. However, the rural community is often caught in the vicious cycle of having no access to the services and opportunities that might lift them out of poverty, education, gainful employment, adequate nutrition and more. With this thought in mind, our team on the ground reached out to several villages across our intervention states to bring several stakeholders, like Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) representatives, Self-Help Group (SHG) members, school teachers, children and parents, together around a common agenda. TRI works towards bringing the community and schools together to break down myths and build relationships through a network of local volunteers, called ‘change vectors,’ to narrow the gap.

So as part of the National Children’s Day festivities, bal melas and bal sabhas were organized across several villages in Madhya Pradesh to mobilize and educate communities about important issues from dropout rates to inadequate infrastructure facilities. Teachers were also felicitated for their efforts by the schools across several blocks. In Jharkhand teachers and the community came together to put forth many cultural activities and programs for the students. This helped them recognize the potential of integrating local context into their classroom curriculum. It also served as a turning point where they all  celebrated childhood with respect, dignity and, of course, fun.