Learning Centre is a kind of learning hub outside the formal education system, which provides various learning opportunities for deprived and vulnerable children, and conducts various programs enabling the families and community to ensure child rights and protection and improve their quality of life. These Learning Centres are unique as they are owned by the community, and therefore are more able to address local needs through mobilizing local resources by local people. This is to say that all the major enabling and empowering activities will be visualized, planned and executed in this centre by the children, families and community members. This centre is visualized in a way that will contribute to the growth, progress and development of the children, families and community the program encompasses.
Learning Centres in Hyderabad for the children who do not need or may not need institutional care services but need support being with the families for their holistic development. We are in a mission mode to establish many more such centres in the impoverished communities in the urban areas. Working for the children living in street situations through institutional forms of care services for more than a decade also has been advocating for need-based care for the children.
ASRITHA set up the Jai Bhim Learning Centre in the Mudfort area in Secunderabad in 2014 with the support of Action Aid and focusing on the objectives and ensuring the holistic development of every child in an enabling and safe family and community environment ensuring their rights, emotional wellbeing and overall improvement in their lives. This area was established in the past 30 years and they have migrated from Kurnool, Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda some families also migrated from Tamil Nadu who belong to SC, ST, BC and Muslim Minority.
During the period there was no electricity and proper bathroom facilities in the Mud Ford and ASRITHA intervened and expressed the problems on different platforms. Our beloved benefactor Sri. Uttaraiah came forward and provided electricity and water to the Mudfort and he also gathered the resources with the help of benefactors and provided toilet rooms to the community. We are providing support to 58 children on a regular basis and ensuring their improvement in academics.
ASRITHA is approaching different collaborative and cooperative strategies and actions with the government and private agencies and individuals for holistic development in the slums.