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Keep moving in the direction of your dreams.

Four Teams garner top 6 positions in CEL Hackathon

Remember last month I told you that sometimes, even if the progress is slow, sometimes the only thing one can do in life is to keep the momentum going. Keep moving in the direction of your dreams. Eventually, success strikes. And oh how!  

  • We are so proud to share with you that 4 of our teams made it to the Top 6 of the Hackathon organized by Code to Enhance Learning bagging the positions from the 3rd-6th place.
  • Children had to select from 4 of the UN SDGs and develop a game or application to bring awareness or solve the problem. This event was held in February and involved 250 children from 10 cities across India.
  • The teams had to make virtual presentations to an industry expert, outlining their approach and the coding elements they have used. Know about the children’s project here  https://lnkd.in/dd9kmSHz
  • These children have been part of the Narmada Valley Aavishkaar Labs (NVAL) since 2018-19 and have come a long way from learning manual robotics to Scratch programming to Python and web development currently.
  • From temporarily installing the school’s computer systems in their houses (since children were home due to COVID-19) in bad/no network areas to battling sudden power outages, these children have not stopped learning.
  • This achievement comes on the back of their wins at IIT Indore and IIITDM Jabalpur in 2018-19 where these children built robots to beat teams from engineering colleges.

    • 2.5 Lakh Suryanamskarathon

  • We had a week-long online suryanamaskar campaign with The Mindful Initiative, a Banglore-based yoga-shala. It was a humbling experience. We connected with many like-minded people during our online yoga sessions. Nitesh Batra was our yoga guru who guided us through these 5 days’ programs helping the children to attain a sense of calm, and align their breathing with Pranayam.
  • At the end of the week, Mrida’s children spoke to the attendees of the event over a zoom meeting. Nitesh asked them about their daily routine if they loved football or enjoyed coding more. The children tried their best to overcome stage fright and answer a live audience.

    • 391 children, 8 scouting camps, 31 potential players identified for NVFA from distanced remote villages

    During our annual admission drive for Narmada Valley Football Academy, we met and saw over 391 children through 8 scouting camps conducted in Anuppur, Dindori, and Mandla districts. Of these, 31 boys have been identified based on footballing aptitude. A similar exercise is underway for girls with 10 spots available for them. Once this process is done, there is another process where the background verification team goes to the homes of identified children to check for economic and social status. After verification, the offer for admission is extended. The distances covered are insane as some of these villages are really remote.

    Class 8-9 Students turned Farmers

  • We have a 2-acre agricultural land patch beside the school where for some time now our 8-9 graders were experimenting with farming. Now they are managing it from land mapping to procuring seeds, maintaining the crops and soon they will have their first harvest.
  • The tribal communities are well known for their green thumbs and with a disciplined and well-informed approach farming becomes a sustainable source of income. They have planted spinach, coriander, watermelons, long beans, and okra.

    • 8% Improvement in haemoglobin levels.

  • Malnutrition was and still is the biggest concern for the children in these belts. Post the pandemic- 2020-21 the health graphs of these children were fluctuating because we had to send them back home.  Back home due to loss of pay, their families could not afford food resulting in a massive drop in the average haemoglobin levels. The covid restrictions had made it difficult for us as well to provide well-round nutrition to these children situated in remote locations. (At least, 80 km far from the main hub)
  • As the covid waves subsided, children returned back to the RNS campus and we could take care of them, nourish them. The last medical report data showed a steady 8% improvement in the average HB levels. Few kids who faced extreme fatigue when they returned as also doing good.

    • Pressure of the new academic years’ syllabus

  • Due to covid restriction last year many students were promoted to the next class as per the government guidelines. The children were at first happy as they didn’t have any exams but later they were unable to cope with the pressure of the new academic years’ syllabus.  These are first-generation learners the idea of regular practice at home after school or in absence of formal education is still an alien concept and children need a routine. It is necessary for their cognitive development.
  • As per the final exam results of this year, through remedial classes, we were successful in getting the grades up by nearly 8-9% on an average for classes 8-9. For primary kids & classes 4-7, the growth rate is still low at 1-2% on average because these children joined the school on a regular basis late from February 2022 after the covid restrictions were completely lifted. As the fear of covid recedes, attendance and academic performance will improve.

    • Volunteer Engagement

    Vandana Moharil from Nagpur visited us this month. She is a Sanskrit teacher who retired as a School Principal in Nagpur, she will spend some time every month, working with the teacher and children on Sanskrit prayers and pronunciation. This is especially important because this will have a direct impact on how the children speak Hindi and English as well.It has been a busy and fulfilling month for me. Mrida’s dream is to make these tribal children and many like them employable by the age of 21 by focusing on excellence in sports and technology alongside basic schooling is slowly becoming a reality.
    Since our inception in 2016, we have been in rented space. Now, these first-generation children are ready to take the flight to the next level and they deserve it. They have worked hard for it.
    We will start preparing our first batch for the 10th std boards. The boy’s football team is ready to start tours, the girl’s football team is formed but needs a special coach. There are many things in the pipeline but I need your support. Without it, I won’t be able to bridge the gap between dreams and reality.
    Support us by clicking here. It will mean a lot. Until then, marching onwards and forward.
    Regards,
    Priya | Founder of Mrida.

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