Social Education and Development Society: Children's day

Welcome!

SEDS, the Social Education and Development Society, was founded in 1980 by Rajen Joshua and Manil Jayasena as a grassroots development NGO, motivated by the desire to help the poorest of the poor in the drought-prone area of Anantapur District in Andhra Pradesh. In the early days, the main focus of the work was on community development by way of non-formal education and small loans to skilled target communities like cobblers, basket weavers, blanket weavers and others.

As Anantapur is the second most drought prone area in India and much of its natural resources are depleted, it soon became clear that environmental problems would have to be tackled first, if peoples’ livelihoods were to be made sustainable. Starting in 10 villages near the small town of Penukonda a scheme of pioneering work was developed which aimed to empower local communities and improve their environment. Initially small nurseries were started for homestead plantations and planting of avenue trees along village roads. Re-a-forestation and more sustainable agricultural practices were introduced. From 1990, SEDS started using a more participatory approach, through the formation of Community Based Organizations. Involving the communities more in the effort made them actual stakeholders in the development process of the region. Throughout the years the scope and area of the work increased and the fruits of the sustained efforts became visible in the greener environment and the enthusiasm of the communities.

Today, SEDS is working through an integrated rural development approach with an emphasis on women’s empowerment, watersheds, re-a-forestation and natural resource management. This is within five Mandals in the southern part of Anantapur District, in south western Andhra Pradesh namely, Penukonda, Roddam, Gorantla, Somandepalli and Chilamathur. In these 5 mandals SEDS currently supports 125 villages, being some 12000 women and their families, 980 Self Help Groups (SHGs), 120 Village Organisations (VOs) & 5 Mandal Samakyas (MMSs) .

Through its sustained efforts SEDS has made a significant impact on the lives of the people in the area and the local environment. The SEDS slogan “Towards a greener tomorrow” has become a reality.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Children's day

On 14th of November we celebrated Children's Day. On this day India remembers the birthday of Nehru, its first prime minister after Independence. Nehru said: “Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation.” This is what we try to do with the school in SEDS everyday. We started the day as usual at 8.30h with the pledge of allegiance. Then there were speeches of the headmaster and one of the teachers. Also two children came forward to say something in honour of Jawaharlal Nehru.

It was a beautiful day, we had a blue sky, the sun shining bright. In the morning the teachers and volunteers had organised different games for the children. They were split up in age groups and competed in all sort off disciplines. There were running games, ball games and many other sports. Some kids were more competitive than others, but everybody was having fun. The best time we had with the water games. We had balloons filled with water which we used to play volleyball and rugby. Off course the balloons burst and it didn't take long for everybody to get very wet. Finally the teachers and volunteers played a volleyball game, cheered on by the children. After such an intensive morning everybody was very hungry and we had a lunch break.

In the afternoon it was time for a little drama. In the week before Children's day, all the classes had prepared something. Now they were excited to show what they had learned. The smallest children performed a song called “Clap your hands”, clapping their hands and stomping their feet. They were adorable.
The children from the first and second class had prepared a very beautiful play called “What do you want to be”. The message they send was that you can become whatever you want but you should have the right motivation. You should not become a doctor to earn lots of money, but because you want to heal the sick. You should not become a teacher to have power over children, but to learn them valuable things. There was a lesson for all of us.
The play of the children from class 3 and 4 was situated in the courtroom. Justice prevailed, they solved the case of a stolen chicken and the lying thief was caught.

The final performances of the day were by one of the older students and the PT teacher. They each did a dance before the whole school. We all watched them together. So, another great day at SEDS came to an end.

Meanwhile there was a Painting and Essay Contest in Penukonda. SEDS was represented by the classes 7th, 9th and 10th. The participants were: Raj Kumar, Deepa, Madhan, Ramanjinamma and Teja. At the end, they all got a certificate of succeeding and participation and had delivered good work!