Introduction: The family of a Coolie fisherman is always economically and educationally backward in India.
The education and the future of the children are not cared for, due to the
ignorance of the parents. Many children stop their studies at an early age and take up fishing
due to the poor financial condition of the family. A few children manage to go
to colleges/universities, but with no specific goal. They end up
with
poorly paid private jobs in India and abroad. There are very few professionals
like Administrators, Police officers, Medical Doctors, Engineers, Scientists,
Pilots, Captains, Professors, Nature Activists, Sports (wo)men/ etc from these fishing villages. This is because there is no proper
guidance.
Purpose of this project: To identify brilliant and talented,
financially poor fishermen children who aspire for higher education and to train and guide them to achieve
greater goals.
This
project visualizes the reformation of these families through
the education of fisherman kids to become better professionals
like Administrators, Police officers, Medical Doctors, Engineers, Scientists,
Pilots, Captains, Professors, Nature Activists, Sports (wo)men/ etc.
Procedure: Children who study in
Malayalam medium Government schools are selected at the beginning of their
upper primary schooling (at the age of
10 years) through written & oral tests and according to their family
conditions.
Experts are brought
in to give them special tuitions, spoken English coaching, computer literacy, Personality/Leadership/Spiritual Development Programmes, Yoga Class, Soft Skill programmes(music, dance, drawing & painting..).
In the mornings, evenings
and on holidays the kids attend Coastal Brains study centre. They attend regular schools as well. All their educational and Nutritional expenses are met by Coastal Brains Project.
The next steps are High
school in English medium(optional)-Career guidance- Goal setting -Higher education-training
for competitive exams-Goal achievement.
The fishing village, Chowara-Adimalathura has been selected to start with the project and it is expected to expand to other fishing villages in future.
Headed by:
Mr. Joy Solomon, a Biotechnology Post Graduate and High School teacher,
returned from abroad, has initiated this project. He has a first class B.Sc.
and a First Class M.Sc. degrees. He has
completed a Bachelor of Education qualification in Nov 2012. Joy is son of
a fisherman from this village and has experienced the very realities
of this community.
Expectation: By helping these
gifted children achieve their potential, it is to be hoped that some will
return to their village to help the next generation of children, as Joy himself
has done in pioneering this project. From small acorns, great oak trees grow.
But it can’t happen without your support. Your
sponsorships and support will be invaluable in helping these gifted children
achieve more.
‘’Serve the children of the Lord if you have the privilege’’- Swami Vivekananda.
The ways
you can support
1) Spend some time as Volunteer
teacher when you/your friends
visit Kerala.
2) Donate to common charity fund for teacher salary/ study
materials/infrastructure.
3) Sponsoring
a child’s education and becoming its Godparent.