Towards 2020

Life with a Smart-Phone

I have been in India now for three and a half months. I have a bank account and a debit card, and am in the process of linking this to an electronic wallet in my phone, which is the way most people settle bills - anything from a restaurant take-away delivery to paying a utility bill. 

Pay with your phone and it debits your "Electronic Wallet"

In a shop, you just point your phone at the QR code by the check-out.

I am used to getting an OTP (one-time password) on my phone as a security check for almost anything.
If I phone someone and get no answer, I have caught the Indian habit of giving a "dropped call" rather than bothering to leaving a message. You just hang-up and know the other person will see the missed call and ring back. It is all part of learning the universal language of technology

Taking Things More Easily

The last few weeks have been a time of upheaval and hiatus, with the Chief Executive struck down with illness and needing several sessions of deep massage to relieve pains in his arms and shoulders. There was no clear diagnosis of the cause, but there were strong suspicions that it was a result of living a very stressed life with not enough relaxation, combined with poor posture at both the keyboard and the steering wheel.

Both he and I suffer from difficulties in stopping work and taking time off, which is an inevitable consequence of not having any kind of structured timetable. I am finally starting to create some sort of routine, and find that the simple process of setting tasks and completing them helps me relax at other times, without an overwhelming sense of guilt at my perceived laziness.

A Broader Curriculum

Both James and I are passionate to find ways to deliver a wider general education than the state demands. This is a bold decision in the face of the South Asian obsession with tests, exams, grades and certificates. Such is the dominant culture in India, where a first (Bachelor's) degree is the essential initial step in almost any career, even at the most menial level. 

Of course, parents in Britain see the same trend as General Knowledge, Music, Art and Craft skills are sidelined out of the curriculum to ensure that teenagers know the essential key facts about a subject and can incorporate half a dozen core statements into their examination answers. Exams become a test of whether students know how to answer an examination question, rather than a test of their knowledge and intelligence.

The Spread of A.I.

When it comes to Intelligence, education everywhere seems to underestimate the reality of Artificial Intelligence, which is rapidly replacing much of the work of Accountants, Solicitors and many general administrative functions in offices. 

Sales staff are eliminated as shoppers check out their own purchases.

As for retail distribution, the personal element of the human interface has been virtually eliminated, as people shop on-line or else check out their purchases at automated tills.
The photo is a TESCO's branch in the UK, but retail automation is a global phenomenon.
Here is a link to an article about India's first fully automated supermarket. 

What should we be teaching?

My Job Specification (- and I had the luxury of writing it myself - ) is to plan the way forward for our operation. At the heart of our Vision is the provision of education to children who live in the most deprived situations in urban society in Bangalore. What James and I both believe is that we should not be focused simply on the 3Rs (Reading wRiting and aRithmetic,) but - in the face of the advances in Artificial Intelligence - we should look at ways to stimulate creativity, both in the way children approach tasks and challenges, as well as in their approach to the written, visual and audible Arts.
Which leads me on to a project I am currently working on, - getting the children in our After-School Clubs to talk about "Virtues" starting with a dozen weekly sessions 
Under the heading of Let's Talk About . . . I have put together topics like The Gift of Helpfulness, The Power of Enthusiasm, Being Truthful, Gentleness and Showing Leadership,and I am excited to see what a group of 9 - 12 year-olds come up with. 

The beauty of a project like this is that is blue-sky thinking with no Rights or Wrongs. What I want to achieve is help these amazing kids to learn HOW to think and not simply WHAT to think.

So that's my first big project for 2019 - all the while seeking sources for the funds we need for the ever-increasing numbers of kids who deserve a financial investment in their education, from corporations and benefactors in India or from around the world.

Which reminds me . . .  

Could you spare a few pounds this Christmas?

                 Just click HERE and put it on your plastic.

Festival Newsletter from Building Blocks

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The 10th of November 2018 was a very special day for all our children. Building Blocks India had a celebration for Children’s Day with all the children from the 7 centres. This event was made extra special as it marked the 14th anniversary of Building Blocks India. Children's Day Celebrations The program started off with a traditional dance by our talented teacher Diana from Gardenia centre, followed by the lighting of the lamp by our dear children representing each of our 7 centres with Andrew Ambat. The children wore beautiful, contemporary and ethnic costumes and treating us to some amazing dance performances to songs of the different languages in our country. Thanks to our teaching staff who did an amazing  job with the choreography. The joy, fun and enthusiasm altogether was quite the spectacle! Over the years since 2004, approximately 1700 children from underprivileged background have been able to receive free education through Building Blocks India. This includes two free nutritional meals per day, free medical care, excursions and special events. In addition, Building Blocks was able to raise sponsorship for our graduates, thereby enabling them to join regular schools and continue their education from 1st to 10th grade. These past years have been a remarkable journey of fulfilment, in seeing the lives of so many children change  for the better.

Visitors And Sponsors The children's day program was attended by many visitors and sponsors from  different parts of the world.  We had a team of 10 members from Japan headed by Megumi Shimonaka. They are sponsoring 72 of our graduate students under Project+10. Mr. Bob Harvey, has been fundraising and creating awareness through his charity "Escape from Poverty" in the UK for sponsorship of the Project+10 scholars. Ms.Sharon Le Ruez came specially all the way from Dubai to attend this program. Each of our sponsors received a memento in appreciation for their years of support towards the children's education. They were very impressed with the children's ease at meeting people and talking with them. Seeing the children perform, meeting them and spending time with them, gave the visitors and sponsors the assurance that their sponsorship and support for these children is well worth it. Thanks to Team Marriot who sponsored a delicious meal. Thanks to Resurrection church for hosting the program for the second consecutive year. A very special thanks to Bhakti and Rajiv Talreja of Dream Craft Events and Entertainment Pvt Ltd for managing this event and providing the stage , sound, lights, photography, the backdrop and thus transforming the venue into a magical paradise for the  children. They have repeatedly done this for the last 4 years, making it a grand success each time. A heartfelt thanks to you for making all this possible by supporting our endeavours. You have made a lasting impact on each of these children’s lives and we couldn’t be more grateful for your help and support.   Wishing You All A Wonderful Christmas Season! Thank You So Much!  Produced by Building Blocks India  and shared by Escape from Poverty Share Tweet Forward

Children's Day 2018

In India, Children’s Day takes place in mid-November every year, and last Saturday was the occasion of the Building Blocks Children’s Day Festival. 

Final-year children from BB and those who are now at "Big School"

It’s a lively and entertaining occasion, with the children’s performances divided into two sessions.

Lots of smiles and all full of fun

They seem to be natural performers

First there is a programme from the children in their final year at BB.

They are full of confidence and there is no sign of shyness or nerves.

They are all 5 or 6 years old and most will be leaving Building Blocks next April
to continue their education in good primary and secondary schoolsto age 16.

In the second session of the concert, it was the turn of the older children who have “graduated” from Building Blocks and are now moving on towards their teenage years. Most of their performances were backed with Bollywood hit tunes and delivered with great energy and obvious pleasure.

These kids need scholarships to age 16

Standards have been rising steadily at all of our seven learning centres.

Most of the 130 children in this age-set will be eligible for places in good “English-medium” schools when the next academic year starts at the beginning of June. 

Over the coming months, it is up to Escape from Poverty in the UK, and other fund-raisers in India and around the world, to continue to raise the finance to support the ongoing education of these promising children.

No longer singing Bah, bah, black sheep

One day they are shy and hesitant infants, and a couple of weeks later they are self-confident, boisterous boys and girls. 
They are up on the stage, dancing and enjoying themselves, and entertaining their peers and the audience. Suddenly, Chaitra - the schoolgirl I sponsor personally - is much less of a child on this occasion, when she is performing in this year's Children's Day Concert.
Of course, every teacher is familiar with such changes, and knows all about it almost from Day One of their career. But I’ve never worked with children over any length of time, so it’s a new experience for me, (even after my own tribe of children and grandchildren,) - and, of course, it seems to happen almost overnight. 

My girl Chaitra

When I watched Chaitra dance, and when she chatted to me in her rapidly-improving English, I knew that the pound-a-day I invest in her education since I signed up to sponsor her, is one of the best investments I have ever made.

And I reflect on how different things might have been if James Ambat had not seized his dream and founded Building Blocks.

We are going to need a massive increase in funding as our schools continue to produce bright and intelligent children who deserve to continue their education in a good school where they can build on what BB has taught them.

If you could spare a few pounds a month it will help secure their future – and YOU will be a part of the change: part of making the world a better place.  

A few clicks and a piece of plastic is all you need.

Give a kid from the slums of Bangalore 

the ultimate Christmas gift of a good education.

https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/escapefrompoverty   https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/escapefrompoverty

   

November Newsletter from the team in Bangalore

Here is the November Newsletter from the Head Office of Building Blocks in Bangalore. We've had a specialist teacher-training programme, important updates with parents on their child's progress and a great excursion to the park for the children.

Next week I'll be blogging about the Indian National Children's Day celebrations and a special celebratory concert from the children.

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Greetings and welcome to the November issue of the Building Blocks newsletter. We are so happy to see the development and growth of the children from the activities and learning experiences they receive and we are eager to share them with you. Read on so you can experience the excitement and joy along with us.  Teachers' Training Program Teachers' Training Program This month the teachers donned the role of students when they took part in an inspiring and interactive training program called “Creating Futures”.  Creating Futures is a registered non-profit organization that aims to train and create employment opportunities for educated rural and urban youth. They run a variety of programs. For Building Blocks they are conducting a teaching development program. They conducted various activities on team-building and leadership development for the teachers and managers of Building Blocks India. All together there were 14 staff members who participated in this program . and all benefited greatly from the collective exchange of ideas and the training content.

Trip To The Park An Excursion To The Botanical Gardens As a part of outbound learning, the children had the wonderful opportunity to go to Lal Bagh, a beautiful park. It was a time to let loose and enjoy nature! With lush greenery, lots of play time along with an informative nature walk, this excursion was a great success. Kudos to the volunteers, teachers and staff who helped make it an all-round enjoyable time. Parent - Teacher Meeting Parent Teacher Meeting This month after the Term-1 Evaluation had ended, we conducted parent-teacher meetings throughout all our centres. A simple one-on-one meeting to bring the parents up to speed on the progress and standing of their child. They were presented with the child’s test papers and grade sheet, followed by a discussion on the child’s presence and behaviour at school. We are happy to report that overall, the parents are happy with their children’s results. We will do our best to ensure  that this positive trend continues. Wishing You All A Wonderful Month Ahead! Thank You So Much!  Our mailing address is: 34, Hanumanthappa Road, Soonangi layout, Nagama Nilaya, R.S.Palya Kamanahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences       Share Tweet Forward