Singodi, a remote village in Madhya Pradesh sings its story of success with Intel learn program, which was organized in collaboration with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) Chindwara in the summer of 2007. A close look at the profile of Singodi village prior to Intel Learn Program brings forth a dismal picture of the village environment in terms of hygiene and sanitation. Right after the monsoons the outbreak of water borne diseases and malaria was not uncommon, posing a serious threat to the living conditions of the inhabitants. Five girls- Shefali Jain, Ankita Jain, Prathiba Jain, Suman and Kusum, from Astha High School were very upset with the prevailing conditions but their efforts to spread awareness went futile. They were laughed at by the local boys and the community elders scoffed at the idea – because girls in Singodi were not supposed to raise social issues, they were required to meekly follow the policies decided by the community elders.

Intel Learn is a community-based program providing ICT learning through project-oriented, hands-on approach.

The Intel Learn program was conducted as an out of school, community based program in JNV Chindwara in the summer of 2007. A total of 79 children from nearby villages and schools were trained for fifteen days. The children were exposed to project-based learning, where they learnt about collaboration and critical thinking. At the end of the training program the learners are required to work on community projects using technology to help improve their community. The projects are then showcased to the families and community leaders. With Intel Learn Program serving as a platform to nurture their dreams, the girls worked laboriously on the project aiming to spread awareness using various sources such as internet, village survey, books, from peer learners, the facilitators etc.

"ILP helped us to acquire new skills like planning, collaboration, problem solving and thinking skills, and made us aware of the various sources of information besides our school books" - Kusum

Making an impact-full presentation of their project on Hygiene and sanitation, on the D-Day in front of the Panchayat president, parents and community members the girls created a magic spell in the minds of the otherwise ignorant villagers. They talked about the existing conditions and the deadly consequences that can take place if the surroundings were not cleaned up.

"Almost everyone in the audience was visibly moved by the presentation. It was an eye-opener for the villagers of Singodi. They failed to comprehend how they could have been so ignorant on such an important issue." says the computer teacher of JNV Chindwara, Amit Mishra.

Immediate effects
Right after the presentation, the Panchayat President Shri. Rajesh Chandravanshi instituted the ‘Gram Sudhar Samiti’ or the Village development committee. More importantly, the girls were invited to be active members of the committee – a first in village Singodi, where committee members were mostly men.

The girls relentlessly worked to improve the hygiene and sanitation in their village. They motivated the other committee members and the entire community to clean up their surroundings. They would frequently bank upon their learnings from Intel Learn Program and effectively used their technology skills, presentation and communication skills which helped them convince the local policy makers to accept their demands for a cleaner village.

The entire community is indeed very proud of the band of little soldiers who proved to be eye openers for the entire village by bringing significant issues to the conscious awareness of the ignorant adults.

Miles to go...

Based on the tremendous success of the program and led by the enthusiasm of the five girls, the Gram Sudhar Samiti now aims to take the community initiative forward, by increasing their scope of work. They have aimed to fulfill the following within the year 2008:

• Institute a vocational training program for girls in the village
• Provide access to at least one public telephone booth
• Clean and constant supply of water for every family
• Awareness campaign on health and hygiene and a Plantation drive
• One day seminars by inviting eminent speakers and experts to enlighten villagers on issues pertaining to education, environment and health
• Setting up Sulabh shochalya or the public toilet facility to put a stop to public defecation

The Intel Learn program has thus served as a catalytic program commencing a new era of technological as well as sociological development in the heart of rural India; empowering the youth to identify social issues and actively participate in finding long-term solutions.