Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic, the children of rural India have been hit the hardest. With schools closed, they are left without access to education, a basic right that every child deserves. It is a heartbreaking reality that threatens to destroy their futures and condemn them to a life of poverty and despair.

But there is hope. In July 2020, Team Aranyaj took a stand to ensure that education would not be a luxury for children in the most deprived areas of India. We set up small learning centers “PATHSHALA – The Unstoppable Spirit” in each village of our adopted area, providing a glimmer of hope and a chance for a better future. According to UNESCO, we may have prevented the number of drop-out-school children in India from doubling to 24 million.  Despite the odds stacked against us, we refused to let the light of knowledge and hope fade for these small children.

The Pathshala-project has been a lifeline for the children of Sundarban, providing access to quality education and nutritional support. Even after the pandemic, the issue of children not learning enough despite attending school is a significant challenge in India. An estimated 250 million children are not learning basic reading and math skills, although half of them have spent at least four years in school. But Team Aranyaj implemented various strategies to improve education, involving parents and the community, improving resources for educators, and implementing survey-monitoring-evaluation mechanisms. For example five ways to improve education which we strictly follow:

1. Providing Free Education to the children
2. Nutritional Support Programs
3. Involving Parents / community: It is helping in monitoring and smooth functioning of each pathshala
4. Improved Resources for Educators:Here the educators are digitally equipped and they are getting online as well as offline training by our experts.
5. Survey-Monitoring- Evaluation

And the results have been astounding – the children are now confident, joyful and interactive.

Currently, we are running 20 Pathshalas with 487 children in the most remote parts of the country. We are committed and ensure that all children, regardless of their socio-economic background, have access to quality education. We also believe that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering children to achieve their full potential.

In a world that has been struck with a global pandemic, it is heartening to see our members and volunteers working towards ensuring that the most vulnerable do not suffer the brunt of it. Team Aranyaj has proven that with determination, hard work, and a passion for change, even the most significant challenges can be overcome. The children from underprivileged section of society deserve access to quality education, and initiatives like the PATHSALA project are a ray of hope in a world where hope seems to be dwindling. Their work is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, we can come together to make a difference and change lives for the better.