Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world and the most effective way to break out of the cycle of poverty. Yet, millions of children remain out-of-school in India. Before the COVID-19 crisis, 6 million children were out of school. When the pandemic struck, school closures impacted the education of 247 children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. These children are not only deprived of their right to receive a quality education, but they lose their childhood by being pushed into child labour and early marriages.
The government, through the Right to Education Act, 2009, has been making its way in enrolling and retaining children in school, especially from the marginalized sector. However, any progress made had been hampered by the pandemic. While online education replaced regular classes, students from vulnerable communities without access to smartphones and the internet were left behind. Two years of school closures in India resulted in a huge learning gap.
The Power of NGOs
Whenever there is a major imbalance, NGOs exist to balance the see-saw in times of crises. NGOs like Oxfam India play a significant role in ensuring that every child, especially those from vulnerable communities, receive the opportunity to build a better future through education. Organisations such as Oxfam India, Save the Children, World Vision, UNICEF, Cry etc in India work at the grass-root level to strengthen the education system, spread awareness about the importance of education and enrol as many children as possible so they can thrive in life.
Oxfam India is an NGO that works in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha to send the most vulnerable and underprivileged children back to school and empower them to break the cycle of poverty. As well as ensure that the education of children from such communities continues in the midst of the pandemic.
NGO works through contributions and you too can support an NGO and change a child's life forever. While supporting a cause, your donation is eligible up to 50% tax benefit under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act. When you donate to an NGO like Oxfam India, you help in the following ways:
Enrolment
NGOs work towards identifying the most vulnerable children in the poorest states of India. Due to unaccessibility and poverty and in times of humanitarian crisis - children miss out on school. Oxfam India helps enrol children in school under the Right to Education Act (RTE), and ensure that children who have dropped out of school as a result of the pandemic, are re-enrolled in school. As of September 2022, 1081 children have been re-enrolled in school as schools across the country start to re-open.
Awareness and Counselling
Through workshops and various activities, awareness is generated amongst parents and local communities about the importance of education. Oxfam India also conducts regular counselling sessions to encourage parents to send their children especially girls to school and help them participate in various activities
