Mrida Education and Welfare Society- 2024 May Newsletter
Recalling the Academic year 2023-24
Life at Mrida has been busy and challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. As the Co-founder, I feel a responsibility to ensure that our updates are meaningful and reflect the progress we are making with the children and the tribal community we serve. When we first embarked on this journey, our mission was clear: to eradicate poverty and malnutrition in tribal regions. Over time, our goals have grown in scope, and we have encountered new challenges that are pushing us to innovate and adapt. This journey has been one of constant learning, and it is your support that makes it possible. As we prepare for the 2024-25 academic year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year and share some of the key insights and challenges we face.
Admissions Insights for 2023-24
Mrida’s work continued to expand and deepen this year as we began 2023-24 with a total of 323 students with 147 being hostel students and 176 being dayscholars. Of these 323 students, 148 were girls while 175 were boys. A large majority of children we work with are STs (62%) and OBCs (25%) with those belonging to the general category comprising 13% of the students. In 2023-24, our school welcomed 45 new children, the largest cohort of children admitted to the school since 2016.
From the Field:
Highlights of Mrida's Sports
In a year marked by remarkable achievements and inspiring progress, our U17 girls football teams and their dedicated coaches have excelled in various prestigious tournaments and initiatives, showcasing their talent and resilience on both state and national stages.
Our U17 girls team has played (and won) several major tournaments this year, establishing themselves as one of the finest sides in girls’ football in India. Recently, they were runners-up in the Khelo India U-17 Girls League in Delhi and also in the Delhi Soccer Association’s Senior Women’s Championship, where they played as Delhi United, qualifying to compete in Football Delhi’s Women’s Premier League in 2024-25.
They have also won the Khelo MP Games, Bhopal and qualified to play in the Subroto Cup for the second consecutive year. 17 of our girls have won a total of Rs. 4,52,000 (Rs. 23,000 each player to Rs. 33,000 each player) in prizes and scholarships for playing in state and national level football competitions in 2023-24. The average annual household income of the girls is Rs. 30,000 with 3 of the girls with single mothers.
All of these girls are yet to complete Class 10. A notable feature of our work in women’s football is the bench strength that we have been able to create. Thanks to a special focus on getting more girls to play, we have almost 60 girls, from 5 years to 17 years who train with us.
A special thanks is due to BoudhikIP, Easemydish and Luxabode Hotels Private Limited for supporting the U17 girls team in terms of food and accommodation while in Delhi. Their support has enabled these tribal girls to compete, shine and return home, dreaming of achieving higher goals in their lives.
Mrida’s work in grassroots sports has gained increasing recognition. Recently, Simply Sports Foundation selected us to be a part of their first cohort of promising sports academies, providing us financial and other support. We are among the 12 academies selected nationwide for this program.
If you wish to see more women playing sports, follow our work as we aim to build and empower hundreds of girls to play and to excel at playing.
Success at Raja Hriday Shah
Mrida’s “Building Communities Around Football” program with Reliance Foundation for 2022-23 successfully engaged 1060 tribal children from 43 villages across 23 panchayats in Madhya Pradesh. This initiative fostered community health and cohesion through active participation in a football league. Notably, Majhgaon village demonstrated leadership by organizing the league and achieving the highest female participation.
The program significantly raised awareness about tobacco’s ill effects, educating over 700 children and reducing tobacco use. Comprehensive training was provided to youth and government staff from 43 villages, with 60 children and 8 coaches participating in residential workshops. The Raja Hriday Baby League saw 200 matches and 1044 goals. Girls’ participation soared to 273, reflecting a 500% increase from the previous year’s 46 participants. Among the 35 coaches, 5 were women, highlighting gender inclusivity. Stakeholder engagement included active participation from government and corporate representatives, ensuring program reach and impact. Infrastructure development saw 10 mini grounds established, signifying investment in grassroots sports.
Awards and scholarships were granted to top teams, players, and coaches, with 50 best players receiving scholarships. Overall, the program promoted community cohesion, health, and skill development, achieving significant gender inclusivity and reduced tobacco consumption. It set a benchmark for community-driven sports initiatives, significantly impacting tribal children by fostering unity and developing local talent.
Gaining Academic Success: 2023-24 Results
Similar to 2022-23 our board results in 2023-24 have also been good. In 2023-24, Harshita Wate, who is in our hostel program, scored 86%, making her the second-highest scorer in the entire block. Both last year and this year, we had an overall pass rate of 93% in Class 10. In 2023-24, one of our students Faria Anjum topped the school and the block scoring 90%. In the Class 8 board exams, we had six students who scored more than 80%, all of them being girls.
Volunteering at Mrida: Expanding our Conscious Community
At Mrida, we’re thrilled to welcome new volunteers. Ojas, a 9th-grade student from Bangalore, and from Italy, Mattia Vinci & Alessandro documented his volunteering experience. Their contributions highlight the vibrant support for our mission.
Technology & Programming
Our students are involved in learning programming, which typically happens in the evenings. Of this, 41% of the students are in the beginner category, learning Scratch programming, a block-based programming language. 23% are in the mid-level category, learning HTML and Python and 36% are in the advanced category, learning advanced Scratch and basic Python. All of these are first-generation learners who had no access to computers before they came to us. Children also have opportunities to participate in hackathons, with our school children ranking in the top 6 teams in the last two editions of Code to Enhance Learning’s all-India hackathon. Going forward, we are also exploring career opportunities in sunrise sectors such as coding and AI as well as drone technology.
Skill Development
At Mrida, skill development is an ongoing process that starts at middle school. The following initiatives have been started related to existing areas of work for Mrida.
- Coach licensing: A team of 5 coaches went for ‘D’ licensing program at Minerva Academy in Chandigarh. The Coach licensing along with additional responsibilities in coaching on the field enhances the employability of these coaches, opening opportunities in schools and football academies at a pan-India level.
- Preparation for Agniveer Entry: A workshop was held that included a preliminary assessment of students from Classes 9,10, 11 and 12th for entry into Agniveer. Based on this, students have been grouped as per their eligibility and are being prepared to write the exam. On the physical front, they are well-equipped because of their training in sports. For a select few students, we are also exploring the sports entry route into the services.
- Internships within Mrida: Students from Classes 11th and 12th are given internships in Mrida’s work areas. Sample work areas include data and record maintenance, coaching younger children in football, assisting wardens and teachers, etc. They are expected to complete this alongside their schooling.
Healthy Campus, Happy Campus: But!
Mrida has faced significant health and safety challenges arising from factors within the village and the children’s homes. These include itching, mumps and fungal infection, worsened due to the fact that our premises are used as a school during the day and hostel in the evening, also highlighting the need for dedicated hostel facilities.
Despite these challenges, we have been successful in ensuring that all children in our residential program are officially anaemia-free, a significant milestone in our mission to combat malnutrition and anaemia in the region. This achievement results from our multi-pronged approach focusing on nutrition, physical fitness and monitoring of HB levels, to address critical health challenges in areas with high rates of sickle cell anaemia and among impoverished tribal communities.
Looking Forward to a new home
As many of you are aware, Mrida’s work since inception has taken place in rented premises. In 2019-20, we acquired our own plot of land of 4 acres in Imligohan village, 8 kms from Mandla district HQ. The land will house Mrida’s permanent campus that will accommodate 300 tribal children from some of the poorest families in the region. Built over 5 phases, the total project cost is Rs. 5.4 crore and will include 2 hostel blocks, each serving 150 children, a school building from Class 1 to Class 12, a football ground, staff quarters, a kitchen and mess, and an administrative block.
The new campus will be fully aligned with the New Education Policy, seeking to establish a model from pre-primary to livelihood for children from tribal communities and will serve 3 major objectives:
- Establish a working prototype of a livelihood-linked education model
- Advocate for scaling this approach within residential institutions run by the Government (Eklavya Model Residential Schools, ashram shalas, etc.)
- Rejuvenate the economy of the region
We request you to make this long-standing dream a reality by donating generously to this cause. To know more about the campus, including the current status, visit here. Please note that naming rights for various areas of the campus are possible. Do get in touch with us at pr************@mr***.org to know more.
Mrida's FCRA Approval: A New Chapter for Funding
With FCRA approval, Mrida can now accept foreign contributions, providing access to a broader range of funding opportunities. This approval also allows Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to take advantage of their country’s tax benefits when donating to Indian causes.
We will come back to you next month with more updates till then,
Take care. Give care.
Warm regards,
Priya Nadkarni & Difvijay Singh Founders – Mrida Education & Welfare Society
