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Empower the Children supports a number of programs that deliver quality educational opportunities and nutrition to children in dire economic circumstances as well as children with serious mental and physical handicaps.
[Top]
Rosalie teaches this specialized curriculum in English, and a local teacher translates everything into Bengali, the native language. Volunteers from all over the world assist with the language program, which is one component of the school’s academic curriculum. [Top] At DISHA SCHOOL and CALCUTTA RESCUE School, Rosalie trains local teachers how to utilize the interactive, specialized curriculum. The teachers observe, learn and gradually acquire the necessary skills to use a more dynamic and meaningful teaching style. They quickly appreciate how much their students benefit from this way of learning and thinking. After one year of practicing their newly acquired skills, these teachers teach independently. EMPOWER THE CHILDREN hopes that this curriculum’s method of instruction will gradually take hold and spread throughout Kolkata’s educational system. [Top] The Preschool Program at the DISHA School
[Top] Educational Program for Disabled Teenagers: Prabartak Home
Art, drama and music are used at the orphanage to develop creativity, especially in those children who cannot speak. Drama stimulates self-expression, and public performances give the children the opportunity to gain recognition and invaluable self- confidence. In January 2005, the children performed a drama, “A Spiritual Journey with Ma Sarada” aboard a boat. The drama was aired twice on local TV, a tribute to the children’s hard work and discipline. In 2006 and 2007 the children from Prabartak Home joined the students from Preyrona School for ETC's Inclusion Project which brings disabled children and non-disabled children together. They performed "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" and the "Magic Mirror". The enthusiasm generated by the success of these productions has served as an impetus for making the "Celebration of Diversity" drama an annual event. (See Recent Events). [Top]
The students of Preyrona School participate in ETC's Inclusion Projects which are designed to bring disabled and non-disabled children together. In 2006 the Preyrona students joined the mentally and physically challenged young adults of Prabartak Home for a musical theater production of "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves". In 2007 they performed "The Magic Mirror", a dramatization of a Tagore poem. These productions have proven so successful that ETC's "Celebration of Diversity" drama is now an annual event. (See Recent Events). The Preyrona students also joined the students at the Calcutta Blind School for a Children’s Day celebration and participated in a drawing competition at Rehabilitation Center For Children, a hospital for non-ambulatory children. In these ways, Preyrona students have learned to embrace children with disabilities. [Top] Rehabilitation Center for Children (RCFC)
ETC partnered with a Dutch non-profit organization, Help India Helpen and purchased a new ambulance for the hospital. [Top]
LUNCH PROGRAM AND OTHER PROGRAMS IN INDIA
The children who attend BBD School live in plastic-covered hovels beside a polluted river in the Ultadanga Kolkata slum. From time to time the Indian government bulldozes the entire slum, forcing the families to flee. But since these vacant lots are never developed, these families eventually return and rebuild the slum. The parents, living under such harsh conditions, often prefer that their children go out onto the streets to earn a few rupees rather than attend school. The BBD School, with its thatched and leaking roof and mud walls, doesn’t offer much incentive in terms of physical comforts. But for these hungry children, the free daily lunch program provided by EMPOWER THE CHILDREN, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Kolkata, serves as a compelling reason to attend school. In fact, these hearty and filling meals have greatly improved the children’s concentration as well as their overall health and well-being. Buniadi Bidyapith Girls School (BB Girls School):
Nehru
Colony and Atmaraksha Colony Child Education Centers: Nandan Kanan Sristwi Mhila Unnayan Samiti [Top]
OTHER PROGRAMS AROUND THE WORLD Empower the Children also supports the following programs to promote the education, development and well-being of children around the world: HAPPINESS IS CAMPING, NEW JERSEY, USA CENTRO SANTA CATALINA, MEXICO MISSIONARY SISTERS OF MARY IMMACULATE- POOR CHILDREN EDUCATION PROJECT, KENYA MONMOUTH COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER, NEW JERSEY, USA [Top] |
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Copyright © 2004
Empower the Children (ETC)
The
constant noise due to crowded conditions of any
Slum-dwelling
children often do not have access to education, because tuition is required in all "formal" schools in India -- including
government schools, religious schools and private schools. "Non-formal" schools
are tuition-free, but the disadvantage of "non-formal" schools
is that their graduates do not receive a diploma. This, unfortunately, means that they will be less
favored candidates for good jobs.
Rosalie Giffoniello, co-founder of Empower the Children, based her educational program on an innovative language curriculum, developed in the U.S.A. by language development specialists. The curriculum focuses on learning readiness and socialization skills. Children receive a solid foundation in concepts and critical thinking which stimulates their imagination. The curriculum is designed so that the children are actively engaged in their lessons. Teaching aids, such as puppets, marionettes, costumes, and musical instruments are employed in the teaching/learning process. Introducing children to the letter "g," for example, the teacher brings a guitar to the classroom. The children listen to how each string makes a different sound. After that each child is given a child-sized guitar and is encouraged to hold and strum it. The children then construct their own "cardboard guitars" using rubber bands for strings. This activity-based learning style contrasts to the more traditional Indian style of teaching, which largely focuses on rote memorization. The children would see a picture of a guitar, learn how to spell the word, but never experience the musical instrument.
Rosalie
has introduced a stimulating program at the DISHA 
SCHOOL that awakens in preschoolers the joys of learning. These very
young children live in a 
Once a depressing and gloomy orphanage, Prabartak has been transformed into an lively and cheerful learning environment. In 2002, EMPOWER THE CHILDREN refurbished the five classrooms and equipped them with cupboards, bulletin boards, maps and a variety of educational materials. In 2003, thanks to a fresh coat of paint, the dormitories now offer a more home-like atmosphere. 
When
Rosalie first introduced the orphanage’s new educational
program, the 30 mentally and physically challenged teenagers and young
adults (ages 15 to 25 years, many with seizure disorders) needed
a great deal of assistance to accomplish even the simplest tasks.
After two years, utilizing the specialized language curriculum developed
by speech therapists in the U.S.A., these students are now able to
work independently. (See 
Imagine crowded conditions with as many as eight to a room, stagnant water attracting malaria-breeding mosquitoes and only one public toilet for a large number of people. These are the conditions that exist in Ultadanga and Dakhindari, the two areas that ETC targeted for the opening of Preyrona 1 and Preyrona 2. Children from the ages of five to fourteen learn to read and write in English, Hindi and Bengali. Math, social studies and science complete a comprehensive curriculum. Older students also receive pre-vocational training in bookbinding, painting on glass, batik, silkscreening and stitching. Both schools offer lunches six days a week, often the children's only nutritious meal of the day. 
Polio
has not been eradicated in India, and in impoverished areas birth
deformities are often untreated. The Rehabilitation Center for Children
has provided free medical care for physically disabled children since
1973. Empower The Children is helping by upgrading the children’s
school curriculum to include an interactive language program that
is both fun and educational. ETC has partnered with Ahimsa and Indian
American Education Foundation to create a music therapy program at
the hospital. Music helps the children reduce tension, gain confidence
and better cope with their pain. Music therapy provides important
emotional support and enhances the children’s overall well being. 
Benoy Badal Dinesh (BBD) School:
In
1954, Mrs. Ashoka Gupta opened the Buniadi Bidyapith (BB) School
for a handful of impoverished girls. Since then its enrollment has
grown to 1200, and Mrs. Gupta at age 94 is still the school’s
administrator who comes to work every single day! Mrs. Gupta contacted
EMPOWER THE CHILDREN in 2003 requesting sponsorship to cover the
cost of a daily lunch program. This proposal was enthusiastically
embraced. Since then it has become EMPOWER THE CHILDREN’S most
ambitious project, providing for the 1200 girls a free lunch, six
days a week during the school year. These hot and nutritious meals
give the girls the stamina to focus on their learning.