Becoming young scholars: This year a massive accomplishment of the Centre was giving free uniforms to all the students.
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Akangjungla
Dimapur | May 3
Eight years old Shanti dreams of becoming a medical doctor when she grows up. She hopes to help and make well the sick. Shanti would be the first from the locality where she lives to achieve this feat if she can go to a proper school and is admitted to a medical college. Shanti has no complaint of staying with a Naga family who treats her with care and love and provides proper meals and clothes. She looks forward to live in her own home with her three siblings and parents, but her parents cannot afford to provide the basic needs to the whole family. Her day starts at 6:00 am. After completing her share of domestic chores, she gets ready for school.
Sonia aims of becoming a teacher. She is nine years old. The thought of teaching other children brings a smile to her face. She is the eldest daughter to her parents who are both daily wage earners. She had been to a school few years back. Unfortunately, after few days, the teacher never came back and she had to discontinue her schooling. 2014 is a good year for Sonia as she was admitted to a school again and she can pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.
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Separated by their own stories of fate, these two girls have one thing in common- They aspire to become somebody. Their dreams grew wings when Sinai Educational Centre (SEC) reached out to empower them through education. Shanti and Sonia’s lives and futures have been irreversibly transformed through the intervention of SEC.
The SEC is an initiative and project of the Christian-faith based Sinai Ministry, to help the downtrodden and the poor. It is an endeavour to bring change in the society through education by providing free education to children who cannot afford to go to school.
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This philanthropic endeavor was started since 2009 in a small room with set of little furniture, which was donated by a club at Island Colony in Dimapur. Irrespective of caste, creed or religion, students are enrolled for free-education every year.
This year the Centre has enrolled thirty-six regular students, which is divided into junior and senior sections. Majority of the students come from poevrty-stricken families. A team of four voluntary teachers invests into these children two hours of their time and giftings from Monday to Friday.
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Recollecting the struggles of the Centre opening years, Dina Ross Longchari, the administrator of SEC says, “To convince the parents to send their children to school was a big challenge in the initial years. They thought more children mean more income, as they children went to work along with them. They used to say, “If our children go to school our income level will go down.” Now we see parents are realizing the need of education.”
SEC administrator Dina says, “I also remember how we used to struggle to provide the children with basic things like books and stationeries. We started out with the slates and chalks but today we are able to provide them with the best because God has been faithful. The journey has not been easy but the hardships and sacrifices are forgotten as we see the school and the student progress.”
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As a part of its ongoing services towards the student community, SEC has been distributing free books, and stationery to the students. The books are from the nearby government schools and some from contributions. This year a massive accomplishment of the Centre was giving free uniforms to all the students. The Centre also provides meal, organises medical check up, outdoor activities and camps on regular intervals.
SEC is registered under National Child Labour Project. However, it has not been very successful in meeting the support terms like “Mid Day Meal, Stipend @ Rs.150/- per child per month, Health care facilities through a doctor appointed for a group of 20 schools etc” which the Centre is suppose to receive as per the Government’s scheme.
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(Photos by Aden Jamir)
Equipping the children with basic education is the key goal of SEC. The teachers are driven by the purpose to let the children enjoy and not miss out their childhood, to encourage the parents to send their children to regular school after the basic have been taught, to identify their talents and give them proper guidance to become educated and self reliant.
Asangla Lemtur who has been teaching in SEC for the last three years shares, “Being a teacher, dealing with the kind of students we work with can be sometimes very tiring and tasking, especially when you are in difficult situations or facing challenges in your personal life. However, the children give me lesson of love and encouragement. It is a God given chance, making me a finer person to take better care of children.
Another voluntary teacher, Achila, a qualified BA, BD graduate said, “I really appreciate Dina Longchari for understanding the need of education and giving hope to the lives of illiterate children. SEC not only educates children how to read and write but to impart moral character in the society. Being a part of SEC has been a revelation and enriching experience. By seeing the zealous and enthusiastic spirit in the children, I am encouraged and challenged to teach them. In the three months teaching and spending time with these children, I have learnt to be more open, patient, creative…Cheers to the SEC children!”
(Names have been changed to protect the identity of the students observed)
