Program Updates
Aadhar Kendra Sponsorship Program
This Quarter takes the children to the end of their academic year followed by their summer break and then the beginning of the new academic year. A workshop for parents saw active participation from 110 parents and carers across the 3 centers. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the role of caregivers in supporting their child’s academic, emotional, and behavioral development. It addressed common adolescent challenges and introduced simple yet practical tools that parents could use at home.
Aadhar Kendra also hosted a Career Awareness Session in May 2025 for 47 children who are 14 and above. Facilitated by career expert Suvarna Kharade, the session provided students with exposure to various fields from traditional options to vocational training, including social work. Through storytelling, real-life examples, and a Q&A (question and answer), participants gained clarity and were able to align their educational choices with personal interests and abilities.
The summer break was used to conduct aptitude assessments of 42 children from Grades 8 to 10. This structured assessment helped identify each child’s unique interests, learning style, and subject strengths. Facilitated by trained staff and career counsellors, the test helped students think about long-term educational paths based on self-awareness rather than peer pressure. The results are being used to guide personalised study plans and future career counselling sessions. Yoga classes and movie screening were some of the summer activities.
City of Child
City of Child Alumni has been meeting at CoC annually since 2015. 24 ex-students came to the centre in April to celebrate with the current students. The Alumni share a little about what they are doing just now and how they got there, facilitating an open conversation about challenges and how they overcame them. The alumni organises a special lunch for everyone which is usually followed by a game of cricket for old times sake.
When the children went home for the summer, CoC conducted computer and spoken English classes for children from Kasurdi village. We had a total of 18 children accessing these classes. Students who attended the computer literacy classes demonstrated confidence in operating a computer and preparing basic documents. Some children helped family members access online services (e.g., online forms, banking).
June had the children attend workshops and camps. including a leadership camp for the students who were the chosen group leaders for the new academic year (2025- 2026). The sessions were designed to help the children understand leadership in their context: through games, they learned about helping others, leading a group, problem-solving and public speaking.
Children shared their thoughts on “What makes me a good leader?” The LeadershipTraining Workshop created a joyful and inspiring environment for children to explore leadership in their own way. The games, discussions, and reflection encouraged children to believe in their ability to lead, support, and inspire others.
Two residential camps were conducted by an organisation based in Lonavala near Pune, the first was the Intellectual Development Camp for children between 7 to 14 years. The objective of this camp was to enhance critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, and emotional intelligence among the children through structured activities.
The second one, a Camp for Youth on the Path of Change, for children above the age of 15,was conducted; to foster leadership, communication, and decision-making skills in youth, to increase awareness about social issues and responsibilities, to promote teamwork, critical thinking, and value-based living. It also created a platform for self-expression and self-discovery.
Children and staff shared overwhelmingly positive feedback. The combination of learning and fun activities succeeded in nurturing intellectual and emotional growth in children. The camp was designed to help the parents and carers understand and listen to the children better too.
Agriculture
Under the agriculture initiative we planted vegetables in the poly house. (Eggplant, Tomato, Spinach, Fenugreek, Coriander) The polyhouse allowed us to plant in the summer when we normally cannot sow anything because of the heat. We were also able to install sprinklers in the polyhouse to make watering the plants easier. The early onset of monsoons in the region affected plans for pre-sowing activities and it gave our sole farmer time to learn about making organic jaggery. We hope to plant sugarcane this year to help with the financial sustainability of the project and jaggery could be an offshoot of what we grow. The focus is on making sure that the farm can be as financially sustainable as possible and possibly cover CoC expenses too. We have sown 2 acres of millet, the produce will be used for the children at CoC and the excess will be sold to raise funds for the project. The children learn about agriculture and growing food and participate in some activities too.
