Idea for Change - 2011

Students of VIII Standard

Students participated in team Mentor

M. SRUJANA Mrs. DOLA SAHA

B. SWETHA

C. SHREYA

Y. GEETHANJALI

S. SAI MRUDULA

MONTESSORI HIGH SCHOOL

A - Camp : KURNOOL, ANDHRA PRADESH

MONTESSORI SCHOOL, A-Camp, Kurnool.1

Idea for Change - 2011

Feel:

The location of our school is little far away from the main road. The big snack shops and bakeries are inaccessible. The high school runs from morning 8a.m to evening 6p.m. Most of the children from various places come with their own snacks & lunch boxes. But from the past few months irregularities are found among the students regarding their attendance even during the tests and exams.

After enquiring our teacher-in-charge about this we formed a team in the month of August and visited every section. We observed that about 5% - 8% children from every section remain absent every day. To find out the reason for their regular absence we enquired those students after their comeback to school. We identified that 50% of the absentees suffered from intestinal problems, severe abdominal pains, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Enquiring Students

MONTESSORI SCHOOL, A-Camp, Kurnool.2

Idea for Change - 2011

Our team members came to know that most of the absentees encountered these ailments because they consumed some food items/snacks which were sold in food stalls near the school campus.

Students around Food Stalls

The miserable condition of the students really moved and prompted us to make use of the “magic wand” which can keep them always fit.

Imagine:

We visited the mobile food stalls near the school premises as a team of 5 members to enquire about the food quality & other details. We identified that the stalls were placed near unhygienic areas viz. open drainages and garbage heaps. As we know that these are the breeding grounds for flies and mosquitoes. Flies were found on and around the food items like panipuri, cutlet, Gobi Manchuria etc. The food was left uncovered and moreover the vessels used by the food sellers were not cleaned and unhygienic as well. Students usually visit these stalls in the evening to consume snacks.

Mobile Food Stalls near unhygienic areas

MONTESSORI SCHOOL, A-Camp, Kurnool.3

Idea for Change - 2011

Analyzing the reason for their ill health we decided to take a few measures which would obviously help to bring a way out to this problem. We, as a team discussed and came up with a few ideas which can be implemented to bring a change.

Idea -1:- To enlighten students about the importance of consuming hygienic food.

Idea-2:- To approach the parents and request them to send homemade food as far as possible.

Idea-3:- To motivate the stall owners in maintaining hygienic condition.

Idea-4:- We decided to open a canteen within the premises for the sake of the students.

Do:- We, with the help of a teacher-in-charge arranged an awareness program for the students. We motivated and encouraged them with the help of power point presentation about the ill effects of consuming unhygienic foods.

Repeatedly we visited the classes from 4th to 8th standard and motivated the students to take fresh home made foods, plenty of fruits, fruit juices, and also insisted them to avoid unhygienic food totally. We also reiterated on maintaining personal cleanliness & hygiene.

MOTIVATING STUDENTS WITH PPT PRESENTATION

Even the parents were called and requested to send hygienic foods for their wards. Only a very few of them explained their own personal problems viz., lack of time, tight working schedules, etc.

But most of the mothers realized the significance of our appeals and agreed to prepare and send hygienic home made food and fruits as well.

MONTESSORI SCHOOL, A-Camp, Kurnool.4

Idea for Change - 2011

MOTIVATING PARENTS

As per the 3rd idea to bring a change in the food quality we educated the food sellers about the unhygienic conditions prevailing around their stalls and about the problems faced by the students, when they consume such food. The vendors refused to comply with our continual requests and showed their indifference in shifting their stalls. They in turn argued that the staff sold by them was up to the standards.

EDUCATING THE STALL OWNERS

To execute our fourth idea we approached our school coordinator with our teacher-in-charge to discuss the matter. Our beloved madam felt very happy with our proposal of opening a canteen within the premises. Within a couple of days she arranged three class IV staff from dining section of our residential block.

MONTESSORI SCHOOL, A-Camp, Kurnool.5

Idea for Change - 2011

She instructed them to open a school canteen so that the students who do not bring snacks from their houses needn’t go outside to buy. They can buy different types of hygienic food items from school canteen as “Samathulya Aahar”.

Mixed fruit salads, fresh fruits juices, homemade foods like boiled sprouted beans & grams, vegetable salads, cookies, savories, sandwiches, even health drinks like ragi malt etc., are a few of the items which are being sold in our school canteen.

OUR SCHOOL CANTEEN

Later on we observed that students have almost stopped complaining about their sickness. The number of irregularities / absentees has also decreased. At last we the team members & everyone in our school are very glad to see that how Samatulya Aahar has succeeded in bringing up an ineffable change especially in students of 4th and 5th standards & in helping them to find an alley to remain fit and healthy.

-O-O-O-

MONTESSORI SCHOOL, A-Camp, Kurnool.6