Evolution of  Deepshikha 

Deepshikha was founded and was being run exclusively by R.C.Vidyarthi, a mining geologist by profession since 2000 with its centre of operation located at H-745A, Palam Vihar.. with the help of a few regular volunteers and others joining from time to time to share the work load of the centre, 

Initial Efforts 

Initially it commenced its activities with the rehabilitation of the disabled children. A n 8 yrs old girl with both of her legs seriously affected  with polio was got operated at St. Stephens Hospital after which she was able to walk with the help of crutch. Deepshikha has still active in this area. 

Later the activities of Deepshikha were extended to the educational field under its program “School goes to children”.  A school was started for the children of construction workers but was discontinued due to shifting of the local jhuggi dwellers to some other place. 

Current Activities 

Currently the organization is running for over a year an informal school for the children of garbage people living in a Jhuugi complex in Saraswati Kunj, DLF Phase-V, Gurgaon, where over seventy of the registered nearly one hundred children are regularly attending classes. We are imparting basic education in Hindi, English, Maths, Environment, Sanitation, and Hygeine. This school was Initially started in a make-shift cardboard shed and was destroyed in a fire accident that engulfed nearly 80 jhuggies. Sri R. C. Vidyarthi then took the school in the fold of Deepshikha Volunteer Centre and thus named it as Deepshikha School.

Deepshikha with effect from 26.2.2010, has been organized into a Society of Volunteers.  

Some facts and figures

The school is located right amidst the Jhuggies , the availability of land being a serious constraints. This stretch of 20 x 18 sq ,ft area also has been acquired at a monthly rent of Rs.3000/. The cost incurred on school structure is approximately Rs1,20,000/- , almost 50% of which was met with through the donations received from a number of considerate donors and the rest by the volunteers of Deepshikha.

Nearly 150 children have registered  but due to number of families leaving for their villages from time to time, over 50 children regularly attending the school.

The school is made of galvanized corrugated iron sheets and is provided with electricity. Two electric fan, donated by one of the volunteers, have been fitted to keep the temperature inside within tolerable limits during summers, The school has a steel almirah to keep the stationery items, books etc,

The school has two computer systems also donated by the volunteers, three tables, and two chairs and mats for seating the children,

The school operates from 10 A,M, to 1 P,M, on six days a week, thursday being the holiday,

The children according to their age and capability have been segregated into class III, II  and  beginners, The progress so far has been amazingly satisfactory despite several constraints,

The children are being given lessons in Hindi, English, Mathematics Sanitation and Hygiene

Sri Mohit Sharma, a young commerce graduate, has been teaching regularly with minor support by other volunteers from time to time, Efforts are being made to have more volunteers and increase in number of school hours.

Since the availability of recyclable garbage components, efforts are being made to train the selected children to make value added items,which if nicely made,can be sold in the market to generate a source of income for the family of these children.

Introduction of indoor and outdoor games, procurement of a Lap Iop and a projector to start audio-visual techniques for education and entertainment of children to replace monotonous traditional way of teaching one of the future activity on the planning desk.

A library is shortly to be established in the school to develop reading habit in the children

It is a matter of pride that 20 children of Deepshikha School have been admitted to a nearby School,  SANKALP run by Sankalp Welfare Society. The children have been provided school uniforms and have thus joined the main stream, 

In the mean time, in the month of April, 2010, additional children have been registered to more than make up the total number of children which was depleted due to trandfer of 20 children. Efforts are on to enroll as many children as possible.

Please contact us for volunteering at Deepshikha.