India
Objective France India (OFI)
Solibad's India program consists of two different programs. The first, 'Sweet Silence', lasted 3 years, from 2016 to 2018. Since then, Solibad has continued its aid to this country through a partnership with Objectif France Inde (OFI) and by helping to build a library.
Sweet Silence
Location: This project is located in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India, near Tenkasi.
Program start date: 2016
Date of partnership with SOLIBAD: 2016
Number of children/families reached since the program began in 2013: 150 deaf children from the Shanti School
Amount invested by Solibad in this program since 2016: €5,000
The program in detail
Solibad, in partnership with the association "Bulles d'espoir", has supported 150 deaf children by providing computer equipment and a teacher.
Most of the children at the Shanti School are 60-100% deaf. The school's financial situation does not allow them to be fitted with hearing aids. The main challenges for the Shanti School are as follows :
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Providing an educational program in line with the national curriculum
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Achieving autonomy in communication and education
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To develop a professional project
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To acquire communication skills: sign language, English, Tamil, and IT tools.
The money provided by Solibad has enabled the purchase of IT equipment (computers and laptops) in two stages, so that the children, despite their disabilities, have access to the IT skills that are essential for their professional future.
A teacher was provided to support the teaching team in this new discipline.
A breath of modern air in an underprivileged rural area.
Badminton equipment was also donated for sporting activities.
The project came to an end in 2018 as the school was able to benefit from other local funding.
OFI - FUnding for a Library in 2019/2020
In 2019, Solibad, once again in partnership with Bulles d'Espoirs, turned to an association working to provide schooling and education, particularly for children.
We therefore donated €6,000 to build a library for a school for almost 3,600 children in the province of Tamil Nadu. These children, from the untouchable caste, have very little access to culture and reading, and this library will be a real breath of fresh air and a great source of learning and culture for all these children.
Following the pandemic, work on the project was significantly delayed, but by the end of 2020, the structure was almost complete and the library should finally see the light of day in early 2021.
Education for All
Since 2021, our partnership with OFI has extended to another local charity, Asha Bhavan Centre, which works with marginalized and vulnerable communities in South India. Solibad has funded a program at the Parbakshi School, which had 160 children attending daily before the outbreak - only half of whom were able to continue during the pandemic.
The program aims to ensure that these disadvantaged children can benefit from an education.
We have also helped to build sports facilities so that the children can participate in sports and develop skills, interaction, and self-confidence.
Badminton is a key element of this new program, which includes mixed sessions for boys and girls.
Through this program, we also fund the running costs of the school, administration, and teachers' salaries to ensure that the children receive a proper education.
This is also a way of combating child labor, which is widespread in these communities.
New schools supported by Solibad!
Some time ago, our partner Objectif France Inde (OFI) assessed the impact of Covid on the Parbakshi school and the fact that the children had not attended school for 2 consecutive years. The results are rather sad, as almost half of the children have not returned to school...
There are several reasons for this dissatisfaction, including the migration of many families to Jharkhand and Bihar because there is no work around the Parbakshi school and the fact that the government is proposing a new plan to bring children back to their previously disused schools (they offer children a morning snack, lunch, a family food ration for the month, a uniform with shoes, a school bag and school supplies). In addition, these schools are refusing to issue a transfer certificate that would allow the children to return to Parbakshi. Without this 'transfer certificate', the exams are not recognized. OFI continues to monitor and support the development of this school, but many factors are beyond their control and the control of Asha Bhavan Centre.
However, a new objective has been set: to start the same sports program but with a new school, that of Shanti, near Trichy in Tamil Nadu, where the number of beneficiaries (students) will be much higher this time (of the 2000 children who attended the school, 1600 returned after Covid). OFI has been involved in this school for many years, particularly supporting all the extra-curricular activities. As the teaching is in English, there is less competition with government schools.
After consultation, the board members decided that the annual Solibad funding paid to OFI would be used for this new school. This will also enable them to purchase sports equipment (badminton and other equipment) and pay for a sports teacher... OFI has also hired a young community service worker to do sports with the children in the program, and the location of the new school, close to a main road, will also make it easier to get to!
