Prabha gives hope to children, while contributing to the family income

Forty-six year old Prabha, is a balwadi (kindergarten)  teacher at one of the study centers run by Sahaara, in Dharavi. She hails from a middle class background and lives with her husband and daughter. Her husband works as a driver and their daughter is studying BSc in college. The husband’s  income alone does not suffice to meet the needs of their family and pay for the education for her daughter.

Prabha realized that the financial position of the family was  precarious and that a medical emergency could wipe out all their savings. She wanted to take up a job, so she could save some money to tide the family over unexpected emergencies. Since she was not well educated, she had few employment opportunities, and started taking tuitions for children in the neighbourhood.  In 1996, When one of her friends suggested applying for a teacher’s position at Sahaara, she went for it and soon became a staff of Sahaara.

Prabha teaches children between three to five years of age, at the Dharavi center. She loves her job where she gets to impart knowledge to disadvantaged children living in slums.

Teachers at Sahaara are equipped to teach pre-primary education covering areas of math, hindi, general knowledge and art. Once a week, Sahaara conducts Training for Teacher’s where they are trained in lesson planning, curriculum development and implementation, teaching methodology: methods and teaching aids, classroom environment, discipline, maintenance of registers, Parent teacher meetings, conducting tests and student assessments.

Here is a first person account from her on why she started teaching and what it means to her –

”My husband is a driver and to help family income I took up the job at Sahaara. It has been 15 years that I’m working in Sahaara. I teach children from the age group of 3 to 5 years basic English and Maths, Environmental Studies, Hindi and also undertake coaching for municipality schools. I love my job and find it very fulfilling when the children answer my questions correctly!”

About the Teacher’s Training sessions, she says:

“It has helped me a lot. Meeting with the other teachers and sharing best practices encourages and motivates me to try innovative approaches in my own class.  Also TTC gives me practical, hands-on and  easy-to-apply ideas on reaching the children more effectively”.

Prabha values early primary education and believes that every child ought to get an opportunity to study and realize their dreams. She believes in their potential and wants to continue teaching children living in slums and see them get a good start in life.

Your generous donations, Kyley, Alice and Brad, Erik, Mike and Suzanne, Neil (x2), Craig, Sanjiv-Rajani, Janet (x2), Susan and James and Dean and Julie, will enable Sahaara to pay for Prabha’s training and monthly remuneration for a period of three months, thereby ensuring that she continues imparting valuable knowledge to disadvantaged children, who deserve it the most.

Thank you so much, for coming together to support of Prabha, thereby giving children from the slum community of  Dharavi a chance to break out of the poverty cycle.