Project Udaan

During a visit to Bharatpur, I saw children in a juvenile care institution who had almost no regular academic support. They were bright and curious, but nobody sat with them with a book or a worksheet. That stayed with me.

Children in juvenile care institutions rarely get steady schooling or one-on-one attention. By the time they leave care, many have fallen behind in basics like Maths, reading and simple communication, which makes everything after that harder.

A few of us go to the institution regularly and run simple sessions:

• Basic Maths and Science, at whatever level each child is at
• Reading practice with picture books and simple texts
• Everyday communication: speaking, asking questions, expressing ideas

I've learnt that showing up consistently matters more than a well-planned lesson. Some sessions go well; some are chaotic. The children have very different starting points, so we had to slow down and teach individually rather than as one class. It has changed how I think about education, from an idea to something you actually do, week after week.

• Sessions have been running regularly since we started.
• We've built a small set of picture books and worksheets for different levels.
• The staff at the institution have been very supportive.
• Honestly, attendance and continuity are still hard. That's the part I'm still trying to fix.

• Keep the sessions going through the school year.
• Add simpler, play-based activities for the youngest children.
• Get more students from school involved, so the project doesn't depend on me alone.