Smile Foundation has joined hands with Olympic silver medallist wrestler Ravi Dahiya for the promotion of its educational initiative Shiksha Na Ruke, which seeks to provide underprivileged children access to uninterrupted education through blended learning. The ace wrestler will work with Smile Foundation in implementing the blended learning program for children who lack access to the internet, laptops, or smart phones. As part of this campaign Dahiya will visit Smile Foundation’s education centers and meet children. He will share his experience with children and encourage them to take up sports. He will enlighten the children on how they can make a career in sports.
Smile Foundation’s Shiksha Na Ruke campaign has nearly 50,000 students enrolled across the organization’s 201 Mission Education centers in 22 states of the country. The initiative targets reaching out to another 50,000 children living in difficult circumstances across the country by enabling access to education through the blended learning approach.
On a visit to Smile Foundation’s center in South Delhi earlier today, Smile Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer Sanjeev Dham accompanied Mr. Dahiya to announce the tie-up.
Sanjeev Dham, Chief Operations Officer of Smile Foundation, said “We truly believe in democratizing education and driving access to all children, and the Shiksha Na Ruke initiative is geared to do just that for underprivileged children across the country. We are delighted to be partnered in this mission by Ravi Dahiya, with whom we share a deep commitment to education for all.”
Talking about his association with Shiksha Na Ruke, Mr. Dahiya said, “I am happy to team up with Smile Foundation for such a cause. I hope this campaign will help in increasing awareness about the problems faced by underprivileged children who lack facilities for online education. I also hope to motivate these children to face up to the challenges caused by the pandemic.”
During his visit to Smile Foundation’s centre, Mr. Dahiya interacted with the students and shared personal experiences from his journey to the Olympic medal. He explained how he battled resource constraint and other difficulties in his quest for excellence. Mr. Dahiya explained that unflinching support from his parents was the vital ingredient for his success.
“The pandemic has made life even more challenging for underprivileged children as access must be driven through gadgets like mobile phones, tablets and laptops which they cannot afford. Smile Foundation came up with a campaign called ‘Siksha Na Ruke’ so that all children can continue to dream,” Mr. Dahiya said.
“I request my fans to contribute to the campaign and support underprivileged children by funding their education and contribute in providing them devices for uninterrupted digital education,” he added.
“I also would like to encourage children to start playing a sport, which can help them make a name and strong future for themselves. I would urge people to come forward and help in every possible way so that each child can attend classes and study without difficulty.”
Under Shiksha Na Ruke, Smile Foundation provides tools for online education like smartphones and tablets to underprivileged children. It also creates educational content for delivery through radio, television, and door-to-door visits by its volunteers.
The organization trains teachers for the dynamic digital learning environment and even counsels parents to ensure children’s active participation. Additionally, Smile Foundation runs helplines to deliver one-on-one mentoring sessions to children to keep them engaged.
