Cityzens Giving For Recovery - Mumbai

OSCAR’s Digital Learning Centres have proved to be an accessible and valuable asset to low-income communities. Through these centres, children are able to access computers and attend courses which help promote digital literacy. This has especially been crucial during COVID times with school shifting to online lessons. OSCAR has 6 digital learning centres across Mumbai and has reached out to 892 children and youth till date. 

Our Mankhurd digital learning centre is our most recent addition and caters to children belonging to the Deonar Municipal Colony. This area is a low-income community next to one of the largest dumping grounds in the city. Most residents live in dilapidated housing and work on daily wages. Most households have very limited access to mobile phones and no access to computers. During COVID times, such children are at great risk of dropping out of school due to limited access to devices and internet. More than 80 children in Mankhurd have benefitted from the infrastructure available at the Mankhurd Digital Learning Centre. Beyond attending their school lessons, they are able to enrol in specially designed courses by OSCAR Foundation. Read below to know more about Sakshi, one of the beneficiaries of our Mankhurd centre.

Sakshi (16) stays in Mankhurd and has attended the OSCAR Digital Learning Centre (DLC) since the last 5 months. She is planning to study commerce and wishes to become a successful businesswoman in the future.

At the DLC, Sakshi has learnt a number of different softwares like Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Paint. Learning these softwares has also helped improve her typing skills and speed. She finds it especially useful to fill online forms and complete her assignments and presentations for school. While she has always been a good student, the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has been really difficult. The DLC has helped alleviate some of these issues. At first, Sakshi would get very frustrated if she was unable to understand how to use softwares. However, with time she realised that she must try and be resourceful and find solutions with the help of her trainers. This has made Sakshi more confident and she often learns new things beyond the curriculum. She wants to further her computer education and complete an advanced IT certification course from our DLC. She is also using online tools actively to improve her written and spoken English. She thanks OSCAR for helping provide her with key skills that are important for employability and education.

Links:

• OSCAR Foundation Website
• OSCAR Foundation Instagram

Ayush (9) has been associated with OSCAR for the last three years. He started attending football and life skills sessions following the example of his two elder brothers who also used to attend OSCAR sessions. Ayush and his siblings were recently orphaned after losing their mother to lupus in 2021 and their father to jaundice a few years ago.

Belonging to a low-income community in Rabodi, Thane, Ayush has rarely had positive role models. He was initially abusive, rude and would litter the streets in his area. However, after attending OSCAR sessions, his coaches explained to him the importance of cleanliness, hygiene, and discipline. These lessons struck a chord with Ayush and he slowly improved and developed his character.

He regularly attended school till the lockdown caused disruption with his academics. He, unfortunately, missed a year of online learning due to a lack of internet and phone facilities. However, the OSCAR Digital Learning Centre in Thane has been very useful for him as he is able to attend his school lessons. Along with his online classes, Ayush also participates in our courses for beginners where they are taught about the basics of computers and practice a variety of software including paint and tux typing. With the support of his grandparents, OSCAR is offering guidance to Ayush to keep him focused and in school. To his credit, he is showing a willingness to learn and regularly attends classes.

Hundreds of children like Ayush were left behind during the COVID wave. Experts suggest only 8% of homes with young members have computers with net links in India. Among the poorest 20% of households, only 2.7% have access to a computer and 8.9% to internet facilities. Digital Learning Centres like OSCAR's were the only support that these children had during these challenging times. More than 359 children and young people are attending our computer courses this quarter and we look forward to many more benefitting through these centres in the coming months! 

Links:

• Website