Communities Rising India Inc

COMMUNITIES RISING (CR) PROVIDES QUALITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL STUDENTS, WITH A FOCUS ON CHILDREN FROM MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. OUR LITERACY PROJECT IS A PROGRAM THAT TEACHES ENGLISH BY FOCUSING ON PHONICS AND READING. OUR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM PROVIDES STUDENTS IN PRIMARILY RURAL VILLAGES WITH A STEAM+ CURRICULUM. OUR ROBOTICS PROGRAM PROVIDES HANDS ON LEGO ROBOTICS EDUCATION WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS. OUR SUMMER CAMP PROVIDES OUR STUDENTS WITH EXPOSURE TO ATHLETICS, THE ARTS, AND STEM ACTIVITIES IN AN INFORMAL RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT.

ENGLISH LITERACY PROGRAM: THE LITERACY PROJECT (TLP) IS A LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM THAT TRAINS TEACHERS IN THE BEST PRACTICES FOR TEACHING ENGLISH. THE PROGRAM FOCUSES ON PHONICS FOR BEGINNING READERS, AND INCLUDES VOCABULARY, FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION. 23 SCHOOLS AND OVER 2200 STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM FOR THE 2020-2021 ACADEMIC YEAR UNTIL THE PROGRAM WAS FORCED TO CLOSE IN MARCH 2020 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. OUR SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR OF 2021. OUR STUDENTS DID NOT HAVE DISTANCE LEARNING.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM: CR PROVIDES AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES AT FIVE CENTERS FOR APPROXIMATELY 400 STUDENTS. WE ALIGN INSTRUCTIONAL LEVELS TO STUDENTS' LEARNING LEVELS, FOCUSING ON BASIC LITERACY AND NUMERACY SKILLS AND EMPHASIZE CRITICAL THINKING INSTEAD OF MEMORIZATION. THE PROGRAM WAS FORCED TO CLOSE IN MARCH 2020 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND DID NOT OPERATE IN 2021.

TECHNOLOGY CAMPS & SUMMER CAMPS: CR IS THE LARGEST PROVIDER OF PRIMARY SCHOOL COMPUTER EDUCATION IN THE VILLUPURAM DISTRICT AND IS THE ONLY PROGRAM TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH DAILY HANDS-ON COMPUTER ACCESS. OUR CURRICULUM INCLUDES KEYBOARDING, MICROSOFT WORD, POWERPOINT AND EXCEL, MOVIE MAKER, PHOTOSHOP AND LEGO ROBOTICS. TWO OF OUR AFTER SCHOOL CENTERS HAVE PERMANENT COMPUTER CENTERS AND WE BRING LAPTOPS BY SCOOTER THROUGH OUR SCOOT TECH PROGRAM TO THE OTHER THREE CENTERS. IN 2018, WE OPENED A TECH CENTER IN THE TOWN OF VILLUPURAM. CHILDREN IN GRADES 3-10 PARTICIPATE IN WEEKLY CLASSES LEARNING TO BUILD AND PROGRAM ROBOTS. THIS IS THE ONLY ROBOTICS CENTER IN A DISTRICT OF OVER 4 MILLION PEOPLE. OUR STAFF ALSO TRAVELS TO SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE ON-SITE ROBOTICS CLASSES. THE CENTER WAS FORCED TO CLOSE IN MARCH 2020 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND WAS CLOSED FOR ALL OF 2021. EACH SUMMER, CR CONDUCTS A ONE-WEEK RESIDENTIAL SUMMER CAMP FOR ITS STUDENTS. OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, OVER 2200 CAMPERS AND INDIAN AND AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE CAMPS. EACH MAY, CAMPERS SPEND 5 DAYS LEARNING SWIMMING, ARTS AND CRAFTS, RUNNING, DANCE, ROBOTICS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY. OUR 2020 AND 2021 SUMMER CAMPS WERE CANCELED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.

COVID-19 RELIEF: DURING THE INITIAL PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN IN 2020, CR PROVIDED FOOD SUPPLIES TO OVER 11,000 FAMILIES. SIMULTANEOUSLY, WE STARTED REACHING OUT TO THE HOMELESS IN VILLUPURAM TOWN TRAVELING BY MOTORBIKE AND RICKSHAW TO DELIVER FOOD EACH DAY. VILLUPURAM IS THE LARGEST TOWN IN THE DISTRICT WITH A POPULATION OF OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE. THERE ARE NO SOUP KITCHENS OR FOOD BANKS. WE PROVIDED 21,000 HOT MEALS DURING THE PANDEMIC. OUR SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED FOR TWO YEARS BEGINNING ON MARCH 24, 2020 DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. THE RESOURCES FOR REMOTE LEARNING ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOLS OR OUR STUDENTS' HOMES. OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM DURING THESE TWO YEARS WAS LIMITED TO MONTHLY VISITS TO OUR SCHOOLS TO DISTRIBUTE BOOKS, SUPPLIES, AND SNACKS, AND TO READ STORIES AND WORK ON WRITING AND ART PROJECTS WITH THE CHILDREN. STORYTIME WAS CR'S REMOTE LEARNING PROGRAM. CR TEACHERS UTILIZED WHATSAPP TO READ TO OUR STUDENTS IN TAMIL AND ENGLISH READING A TOTAL OF 300 STORIES DURING THE PANDEMIC. BEGINNING IN MARCH 2021, CR PARTNERED WITH THE LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO VACCINATE THE POPULATION OF THE VILLUPURAM DISTRICT. ALL CR STAFF, INCLUDING TLP TEACHERS, AFTER SCHOOL TEACHERS AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS WERE A PART OF THE VACCINATION EFFORT. WE FOCUSED ON THE RURAL VILLAGES WHERE VACCINE HESITANCY WAS VERY HIGH. WE WORKED WITH VILLAGE LEADERS TO PROVIDE PRE-VACCINATION CAMP EDUCATION SESSIONS, OFTEN GOING DOOR TO DOOR TO EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING VACCINATED. CR VACCINATION CAMPS FOCUSED ON MAKING VACCINATIONS A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. PEOPLE RECEIVED BASIC MEDICAL CHECK UPS, WERE MONITORED FOR ALLERGIC REACTIONS, AND WERE GIVEN 5KG BAGS OF RICE. EACH VACCINE RECIPIENT WAS CONTACTED THE NIGHT AFTER BEING VACCINATED TO CHECK FOR ANY MEDICAL PROBLEMS. NURSES WERE PROVIDED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, AND THE FEW PEOPLE WITH MORE SERIOUS REACTIONS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND EXAMINED BY A PHYSICIAN. NO ONE WAS HOSPITALIZED. CR PARTNERED WITH CHENNAI POP STAR VJ VIJAY TO PRODUCE A MUSIC VIDEO PROMOTING THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATION. SEVERAL CR STAFF ALSO APPEARED IN THE VIDEO. THE PRODUCTION WAS DIRECTED PARTICULARLY AT YOUNG ADULTS WHO WERE NOT GETTING VACCINATED. THE VIDEO WAS PLAYED DURING VACCINATION CAMPS ON A MOVIE TRUCK THAT TRAVELED FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE. A SERIOUS EFFORT WAS MADE TO VACCINATE THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS. TRANSPORTATION TO THE VACCINATION CAMPS WAS PROVIDED. IF NEEDED, A MEDICAL TEAM MADE HOME VISITS IN EACH VILLAGE. FOOD SUPPLIES WERE ALSO PROVIDED. APPROXIMATELY 3000 VILLAGERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WERE VACCINATED.