Happy New Year

Dear Supporters and my dear volunteers/interns,

Year 2011 coming to end and year 2012 about to start. A new year, new month, new week, new day and yes of-course with a new hope, faith, love and all the beautiful colors that will fill the heart of those who would look out for you. 

We are very thankful to you all, who made the journey for Colorss beautiful. Your continued support is required to make us strong. We do hope that this new year 2012 reaches out to a lot more people. 

Everyone from Colorss wishes you and your loved ones a very happy, peaceful, colorful and prosperous new year.

For Love,

Anand

www.colorss.org

www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation

Colors of Life

By the government estimate, out of 200 million children in the age group of 6 to 14 in India, around 59 million do not attend school. Of the rest, who are currently in school, four out of every 10 children beginning to attend school will drop out before completing their primary school education. In addition, various studies of children are learning achievement, indicates that the situation is actually grim.

Colorss foundation aims to provide education to the underprivileged children through the project "COLORS OF LIFE". The novelty of the project lies in the fact that it uses ART and WRITING AND TECHNOLOGY for the students to create content for E-ZINE. It strives to achieve the goal of imparting education to the poor and underprivileged children, reduce the number of school dropouts, and help the children to realize their potential and achieve great heights. It is only through the efforts of the educated youth that the India of tomorrow will achieve greater height. Hence the work at hand should be to promote children's education and help towards this noble cause. The team at Colorss has taken the initiative to make that difference in the society and thus prepare the pathway for a shining India.

Shreya and Ankita of Team Baroda with students at Baroda

A one hour session is conducted twice a week where the staff guides teenagers to write and draw, being inspired by a topic chosen by a psychologist. This project also trains children to use computers effectively. After-all technology occupies such a space in our lives that life would come to a standstill sans the technological devices. Basic education is not enough if we are aiming towards building the work force of tomorrow. Education about computers and personality development is equally important. Through participation in this project, students improve their communication and interpersonal skills by working collaboratively. This helps them build interest towards continuing their education and adds variety to their academics. This definitely is a program with a difference because it aims at not just basic education that can help children earn their bread and butter, but also personality development which will prepare them to compete in the world of cut-throat competition.

This project is currently carried out at- 

• Mahadji Shinde High School with 38 students from 5th to 10th grade. (Pune Municipality School)
• Dr. Ambedkar Memorial High School with 20 students from 8th and 9th grade. (Pune Municipality School)
• Navprerna- day care-club of Navrachna School, Baroda with 25 students from 6th and 7th grade.

Children are the future of a nation. For an emerging and developing country like India, development of underprivileged children holds the key to the progress of the nation itself. Colorss through this project aims to educate the underprivileged children and thus eradicate poverty and contribute towards the work force of the country. It needs your support to enhance the project and change more lives.

contact- www.colorss.org | www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation

Tarishi Mishra

CHILD LABOUR-THE REAL PICTURE

International Labour Organisation (ILO) describes child labour as a type of work performed by children that deprives them of their childhood and their dignity, which hampers their access to education and acquisition of skills and which is performed under conditions harmful to their health and their development. Children are the greatest gift to humanity and the same gift is being misused for personal gains as child labour. They constitute 36% of India's population but a large majority of children in the age group of 5-14 years still continue to remain in distress and turmoil. One in every five children below the age of 14 is a labourer. The flower (Child) withers before it blossoms. 

The future of a community is in the well being of its children. So it becomes imperative for the health of a nation to protect its children from premature labor which is hazardous to their mental, physical, educational and spiritual development needs. It is urgently required to save children from the murderous clutches of social injustice and educational deprivation, and ensure that they are given opportunities for healthy, normal and happy growth.

In a country like India where over 40 percent of the population is living in conditions of extreme poverty, child labour is a complex issue. Following are some of the causes of child labour.

1) Extreme poverty which is the chief cause of child labour. The children either supplement their parent’s income or are the only wage earners in the family.

2) Child labour is deliberately created by vested interest to get cheap labour.

3) Low level of parental education is also an important factor in determining the incidence of child labour.

4) A majority of parents prefer to send their children to work rather than to school at the school-going age, primarily on account of their need for a supplementary income. 

According to UNICEF it is estimated that 250million children aged 10-14 are employed in child labour worldwide. Children work at the cost of their right to education which leaves them permanently trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty, without the education and literacy required for better-paying jobs. This is particularly serious in India as it tops the list with the highest number of child labourers in the world. The 2001 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 5-14, to be at 12.6 million in India. Although the Constitution of India guarantees free and compulsory education to children between the age of 6 to 14 and prohibits employment of children younger than 14 in any hazardous environment, child labour is prevalent in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy. 

While experts blame the system, poverty, illiteracy, adult unemployment yet the fact is that the entire nation is responsible for every crime against a child. Instead of nipping the problem at the bud it is allowed to grow each passing year. Young ones below the age of 14 have become an important part of various industries; at the cost of their innocence, childhood, health and for that matter life. Colorss Foundation is an initiative taken to educate the underprivileged and make them into value-driven individuals. It is an attempt to secure the innocent childhood of millions of children across the country from the clutches of poverty and illiteracy. This will help families of these children to break free from the cycle of poverty and contribute towards the growth of developing India. Since 2008 onwards it has been working with the sole aim of eradicating poverty and illiteracy from the face of the society. 

Through various projects (like-Colors of Life, Project Enhance and Project Urja) and the leadership of likeminded people, solely motivated towards the purpose of child welfare. Colorss foundation is working to brighten the lives of children. It is easy to sit back and blame the system for all that is wrong in the society, but it takes real strength and courage to come up and cleanse the society of its ills. Colorss has taken the initiative and is working towards a cause that needs the participation of not just a group of people but almost anyone and everyone who feels towards the children losing their childhood. There is a plethora of laws but nothing can eradicate child labour unless there is awareness among parents and children, which will go a long way in saving the future of millions of working children in India. It is time when we, the educated and enlightened citizens of India need to come together, unified, to change the lives of millions around us. 

Little hands holding tools instead of toys, carrying bricks instead of schoolbags and yet not getting two square meals a day. This is the real picture, the picture of our society, suffering from the heinous social evil of child-labour. Colorss Foundation is trying to make a difference. All it needs is the support of one and all.

For details log on to: www.colorss.org  and www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation

Tarishi Mishra

Volunteering with Colorss was like nothing I've ever done before

Toral Pattni currently working for the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the D.R.Congo as a Communications Officer, was our first international volunteer from United Kingdom. She came in the month of  Dec 2010 for one month.

Toral's experience is mentioned below..

It seems that Colorss is thriving, which is great.

Volunteering with Colorss was like nothing I've ever done before and has become one of my most treasured life experiences. When I arrived I was initially nervous but from the first time I met the children I realised that there was no need to be, working with them was fun and taught me a lot too. As a volunteer I got to work on many levels, on fundraising, communications work and also teaching English to the children using interactive and communicative techniques. The teachers were warm, welcoming and helpful and I have come away with memories and knowledge that are invaluable.

In terms of experience and skills, I feel my confidence in myself really grew to teach and work with others from different backgrounds from myself. I learnt more how to think on my feet and how to do big things with small resources. You have to really think creatively to maximise the potential of the children and it was interesting to see how different teaching techniques, such as pairwork and drilling, brought out their own confidence and made them want to speak even more. Anand Koti was an inspiring partner to work with, full of energy and ideas, and made sure that I gained as much as I could from the volunteering experience. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see how a grassroots organisation works on ground level taking small steps that add up to positive changes in the children's lives.

Thanks,

Toral

The essence of Colorss

Growing up, I was taught at my school that "Every child is potentially the light of the world and at the same time the cause of it's darkness." The mission there was to make every child a gift of God to mankind and a pride of human race. These words were often repeated by our founder manager who used to to bore us to sleep in his seemingly endless lectures. If you ask my friends, it was one of our most dreaded experiences which we had to go through at least twice a year. Yet now I realize that somewhere it got to us. Deep in our hearts it got ingrained- the ambition of becoming the pride of human race. This is what Colorss Foundation is doing today.
This is what Mr Surya Pal Gangwar, an IAS officer and a poet, has to say-

 Look around you. Is there a "chotu" running around carrying a glass of tea or washing dishes or mending a punctured tire? Stop for a moment to think about him. Doesn't he deserve a childhood? Doesn't he deserve an education? He is the future. At every nook and corner in our country there are such children who deserve to be cared for and who need our help. Giving him a few rupees or buying him a chocolate is not a solution to this problem. What we need is to come together in an organised effort and find solutions to these problems by discussions and then to implement those through mutual co-operation. This is where Colorss needs you.

 We are aiming at building a network of volunteers across the country who will be spreading our message, participating in discussions, conducting workshops and contributing in any way they can conveniently can. No, you don't have to go out of your way for doing something good. Just do something that's convenient for you and will be helpful for us as well. Join us. It's an appeal to those who think it's something that needs to be done.
http://colorss.org/
http://www.facebook.com/colorssfoundation