As you enter the Rajendar Ashram, the sight leaves you in awe. About 130 boys in the age group of 6-16 years are busy shouldering responsibilities and showing diligence unseen in other children of their age. The young ones are keenly reading their course books, a few others doing their weekly duty in the Ashram mess. Some others are doing their chores of washing clothes and some more cleaning the ashram and maintaining hygiene. All this halts when the clock strikes eleven. It is time for the pupil to dress up and go to the Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya where they are also engaged in academic pursuits.

The Rajendar Ashram run by the Rashtriya Ghumantu Jan Sewak Sangh has been running in the Pandav Nagar area since 1985 and has ever since been housing about 100 to 150 boys coming from various backgrounds – orphans, children of jailed parents, children having single parents who cannot support their child, children whose parents are terminally ill and children from tribal families from very interior areas.The common thread amongst all these children is their need for education and the limited access to it in their domestic circumstances. RGJSS brings these boys to the Rajendar Ashram and other such ashrams run by them, where these children get intervention in education, health and nutrition. After the students have completed class tenth, they are sent back to their families. It is not difficult to imagine the pressures on the caregivers for the 130 boys, 60% of them at the adolescent stage and most of them having undergone trauma in their childhood. The caregivers are constantly hassled with behavioural problems, abuse problems and problems of little interest in education. When XANSA met with the Ashram team, it was keen to support the holistic development of the ashram and play a more active role enabling the inmates at the ashram for a sustainable livelihood.

XANSA began by making interventions which made the life easier for the inmates . It built toilet complexes, started computer literacy classes and engaged teachers for giving tuition to the students. Still wanting to do more, XANSA contacted another NGO The vigyan Vijay Foundation (VVF). VVF studied the gaps to identify specific areas for intervention at the Ashram. Consequently, it began the “Life Skill Imparting program at Rajendar Ashram”. This was a six months pilot module to give the inmates the opportunity to explore and expose themselves to various vocations available to them after school. It endeavoured to help the child dream of a socially and economically self-reliant future for themselves and more so to make these dreams come true.

The children underwent many workshops conducted by specialists from the respective fields. Psychological Assessment was conducted by Dr. Sameer Parikh and Geetika Parikh, an Art workshop was conducted by Atul Bhalla from the Meera Centre for Arts. Another NGO, URIVI Vikram Charitable Trust joined hands to given specific career counselling to these pupil making them aware of the different professional opportunities available to these children and the kind of preparation, mental, academic and physical, they would require to adopt these careers. Pupil from class VIII, IX & X were given training in Computer Hardware and Troubleshooting and Basic Accounting and Book-Keeping skills. The participating students have become proficient in repairing and assembling computers, an invaluable skill set which will help them be mainstreamed in the society and become part of the digital revolution. The pupils have proved a boon since now the ashram is saving its costs on maintenance of the computers as the skill set is available in-house. Also a theatre workshop was conducted, giving the pupil the first of its kind opportunity to discover their latent skills. It also helped the pupil in identifying and voicing several of their problems faced in daily life through the medium of plays and nukkad nataks.

XANSA will continue its interventions by further identifying the gaps and taking actions to fill the same. Students who have been identified of having any specific learning disabilities will be provided specific attention by special educators provided by XANSA. The pupil above 15 years of age will be trained and assisted for taking the exam for A+ certification, a globally renowned certificate course enabling the holder to become eligible for the global IT market. XANSA’s CSR initiatives are striding forward taking along all stakeholders with it, touching lives and transforming them to become self-respecting aware citizens of the world, teaching them to dream and empowering them to make these dreams come true.

Monthly visits by Career counsellors to guide and prepare them for various employment options available and the necessary procedure and eligibility criteria

Monthly visits by a Psychologist to counsel them and help them leave their troubled past behind and reconstruct their lives

Exposure and expertise in a Life skill which would enable trainees in becoming self-reliant

Training in basic computer literacy and computer hardware assembling and troubleshooting for inmates studying in classes VIII to X. The skill will help them in becoming part of the knowledge revolution in the country and getting employed / self-employed in the IT / IT services industry.

Monthly activities like: Theatre, Painting, Industry Visits, Science Activities, Street play etc.

Exposure to entreprene- urial skills and financial management

Workshop in: Financial Accounting, Marketing skills, Product placement and market research