J1155N Streets to Schools to Skills Program

Project Goal 1: Aasraa’s Mobile Learning Centres (MLCs) provide educational support to over 200 street children and provide transportation facility to over 1,000 slum children, who are already mainstreamed into regular schools and our NIOS – Open Basic Education program. Each Mobile Learning Centre is an ordinary school bus retrofitted with technology that a trained teacher uses to showcase modern, colorful, and high-quality teaching programs and e-learning materials. This instantly captures the imagination of the children and makes learning fun. Our visual and interactive computer-aided learning program has always proven to be a powerful tool to keep children engaged in education.

The usage of every MLC is twofold: firstly, for teaching out-of-school children with the aim of getting them off the street or construction site where they would otherwise spend their whole day, and building an interest in and helping them bridge the enormous learning gap to finally mainstream them to regular schools. Secondly, for the transportation of students who are already mainstreamed in school from their homes to schools and back.

Project Goal 2: Aasraa’s Skillability Centre will focus on the underserved youth in Dehradun, who have dropped out of school, or are forced to beg, or have completed school at a certain level but not found employment because of a lack of skills. Although most youth in Aasraa’s programs are staying in education for longer, the economic needs of their families have always taken priority. Therefore, the centre’s courses will be aimed at skilled jobs that require specific training and can ensure livelihoods. It will include practical and theoretical courses linked to regional jobs, industries, and opportunities as well as on entrepreneurship models.

Aasraa’s other programs will be a significant source of youth enrolment for the centre. One of these programs is linked to our existing accreditation with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as a study and exam center for their Open Basic Education (OBE) program. Apart from the program’s main curriculum, we also ensure computer education and computer-aided learning, as well as vocations such as sewing and tailoring, carpentry and computer data entry. The focus is on holistic development which will ensure that the youth grow into confident and responsible individuals who are able to achieve the incomes and livelihoods that they aspire for.

Aasraa believes that by providing under-served youth with the opportunity to enroll, and ensuring access to training that is relevant and sector-specific, high-quality in its teaching and standards, and holistic with its emphasis on soft skills, we can successfully help the youth reach their full potential by being skilled and employable, and even start small businesses and be entrepreneurial.

Our objectives for Aasraa’s Skillability Centre are:

-         To enroll and train 2280 youth.

-         To ensure graduating trainees get jobs in regional industries and markets.

-         To help trainees start or scale businesses, become entrepreneurs, access capital (microfinance etc.)

-         To create a bureau of certified / centralized services as Dehradun develops as a larger city and market.

-         To be a Center of Excellence for youth skills training.

Project Goal 3: Aasraa’s Special Needs Centre addresses the development needs of children with disabilities from marginalized communities by providing specialized education, care, and therapeutic interventions in a safe and inclusive environment.

The project begins with the identification of children with different learning abilities or special needs through collaboration with special educators in Aasraa’s partner schools and the slum communities it serves. Identified children are formally assessed and inducted into the Special Needs Centre. A team of trained professionals—including special educators, therapists, and counsellors—work together to develop and implement individualised education plans (IEPs) for each child, based on consultation with medical experts and tailored to their unique needs.

The Centre will focus on the following key development objectives:

●      Provision of Special Education to improve academic outcomes through personalised learning approaches.

●      Enhancement of Daily Living Skills to promote independence in day-to-day activities.

●      Development of Social and Emotional Skills to build confidence, communication, and interpersonal abilities.

●      Parental and Family Engagement to strengthen support systems at home and encourage consistent developmental progress.

The project serves children with a wide range of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disabilities, Down syndrome, hearing and visual impairments, ADHD, muscular dystrophy, and multiple disabilities. Activities, interventions, and resources are designed based on each child’s preferences, priorities, and developmental goals to ensure holistic growth and a better quality of life.