Ayancheri 1 LP School

Background and Locality

AAyancheri 1 Lower Primary School is located in a financially and economically deprived area of Tharopoyil, Vadakara. Vadakara is situated in the north of Kerala, 48km from Kozikode city. The Murad (Kuttiady) river flows alongside the town eventually reaching the Arabic Sea at the historical Kottakal Fort. Vadakara was once also known as Kadathanadu and is the birth place of the ancient martial art form Kalaripayattu which is still widely practiced in Kerala. Today Vadakara is a costal town, with fishing as one of its major trades. The local workforce consists primarily of farmers, labourers and daily wage workers, all producing a relatively low income.

The School

The school was founded in 1917, making it the oldest lower primary school in the area. It is a small privately run school comprised of five teachers and less than 100 students aged five to ten. It is an efficient and well run school which has been responsible for uplifting the area over the years, lessons include English and Arabic. Due to the financial deprivation in the area families are not always able to provide their children and the school with the necessary support to meet their educational needs. In recent years the school has had a toilet and urinal built for the children to improve sanitation, however the basic infrastructure of the school is in a poor state. Due to a lack of funds and land space the school’s management is unable to continue building and improving basic facilities for the children without assistance.

Yearoutindia came to know about this school after a volunteer intern, Esther from UK, took the initiative to visit the local area with Sreedharan, a resident in Cochin whose family and children live in the area. Esther discovered the poor condition of the school and following successful discussions with the school’s management Yearoutindia decided to help.

Areas For Development – Where we can help?

Kitchen

There is currently no kitchen area for the school. The children’s meals are prepared on a small stove which is located in the corner of the nursery. A new, separate kitchen area is required with a safe food storage area.

Classrooms

The school has six classrooms in two teaching blocks. One block is considerably dilapidated and requires construction of side walls and windows to protect children from the elements. All the classrooms are in a poor state and require painting with new shelves/storage areas.

Nursery

The nursery is located at the rear of the school building on a raised stage like structure, approximately 2metres high. There are no walls or safety barriers at the edge of the nursery and the existing kitchen area is located in the corner of the nursery. The nursery requires new walls and safety measures as well as internal decoration and facilities.

External Features

The school requires wall or fencing around the perimeter to ensure the safety and protection of the children whilst at school. The roof also requires some general maintenance and repair. Games area/painted murals using key skills Maths and English to decorate and create a positive learning environment for staff and pupils are also a possibility.

Flooring

There is only a dust floor in the teaching blocks and this is detrimental to the health of the children and staff. The teaching blocks require a safe, concrete, waterproof floor.

Water supply

The school currently sources safe drinking water from a well. However new pipe lines and a purification system are required to pump this water efficiently to the school and the kitchen area to ensure that the supply is consistent and remains safe.

Teaching and Teaching Facilities

In order to provide the best education for the children and maintain its’ strong reputation Ayancheri 1 LP School requires teachers of English, Maths, Arts and Crafts. The school also requires basic facilities for teaching and the promotion of education e.g. benches, educational toys, wall charts, educational apparatus and teaching materials

Program Activites

Volunteers will have the opportunity to combine a teaching and building placement at this new project to change the lives of the children and community of Tharopoyil. The volunteers will be able to assist at the school by teaching the children various subjects including English, Maths, Arts & Crafts, etc or any other subject depending on the school’s needs and volunteer’s interests. You can help with the training and daycare facilities or help host staff conduct recreational activities, teach classes and serve meals.Your contribution to the renovation and maintenance project at the school will involve working with a team of volunteers and local workers to provide a safe and positive environment for the children of the local community.

Water supply

“This is a challenging project that require volunteers to be resourceful, committed, self motivated and will definitely involve long hours of work with plenty of excitement and fun. You will be involved in planning, organising and building activities with the help of a team of volunteers, local laborers and members of the community. Please note that the project area is remote and basic facilities will be provided by Yearoutindia. Amenities like Internet, ATM’s, Fax etc are only available at the nearby town centre”.

Program Costs

Please contact our volunteer coordinator in your region for more details and placement availability as volunteers can start throughout the year. Duration of placements vary from a minimum of 4 weeks to 12 weeks. Majority of the fees go directly towards the projects we support. The remaining covers program related costs: all food, accommodation, project-related transport, and staff and project maintenance. This project is suitable for groups of volunteers (maximum of 4) who can take on the larger renovation projects together. Volunteers are encouraged to fundraise for this project if they can.