Krishna’s Story

Shortly after one o’clock, they walk out of school and to the white building in the middle of the village. There, under the blooming mango trees, Krishna has spread out a green cover and set up a blackboard on which different parts of the body are depicted. The children sit down on the improvised mat, each holding an exercise book. Krishna points to a picture and to her nose – the children stand up, walk around, follow her movements and repeat the word – in Hindi and in English.

Krishna has been part of the Move & Improve project for eight years. SA4D and its long-term partner Centre for Rural Education and Development Action (CREDA) initiated it in 2015 in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to support children in their development and prepare them for school.

A lack of infrastructure, countless exams and rigid teaching methods characterize the state schools in the project region. To avoid dropping out, children need to be resilient and also need to be better supported in their learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation, particularly affecting the poorest parts of the country, such as rural Uttar Pradesh. The future of many children became ever more uncertain as schools remained closed and entire communities lost their financial and material resources due to the imposed restrictions.

Krishna did not remain idle during the pandemic. Although SA4D and CREDA had to interrupt the early childhood education programme, they continued to provide students from the project region with access to education. Therefore, Krishna offered tutoring in her village to support primary school students in catching up with classes during lockdown and even after schools reopened. Just as the early childhood development programme, the tutoring classes are based on SA4D’s sport and play approach. For Krishna, the games are an essential teaching tool , because when playing, the children are motivated and have fun while learning. Moreover, Krishna fosters positive relationships with and among her students through the games. She says:

“I want to be the person children can confide in – that they come to me with questions and problems. At school, no one helps them and they are sometimes even mistreated. Here I can be a friend to them. […] They like to come to me because we have fun together and they trust me.”

It is important for Krishna to enable her female students in particular to pursue their studies. She herself has experienced the importance of education for a self-determined life. When Krishna started working for the Move & Improve project, she had just moved to the village. She had gotten married and had to leave her family and social circle to live with her husband’s family, according to local customs. This was a difficult period of her life. Her husband was alcoholic and violent, yet she was financially dependent on him and his family – she had no security and no control over her situation. However, new opportunities emerged as she secured a steady income and a fulfilling job that she enjoyed. She took up further studies, moved into a home of her own, and cut all contact with her husband. She made a name for herself in the village. Her eyes light up when she talks about her work:

“Before I started working for Move & Improve, I was just somebody’s wife. Now I’m the one who helps the kids, who brings them [back] to school.”

What is her hope for the children? Krishna does not hesitate when she says:

“I wish for all children to become independent and for them to make their own decisions for their future.”