TEN OUT OF TEN FOR KOLKATA MUMS!

Thare Machi Education is making very simple life-changing and life-saving messages  accessible in audio visual format in the languages of the developing world. Last year I visited Kolkata in India and spent some time with a community project working with some of the world’s most marginalised people. These mums from the slums live in very impoverished conditions – under fly-overs and on the street with no real shelter or security. They are bringing up their families under these conditions and battle with a lack of education in finding ways to live better.

One morning a group of about 20  had come for a weekly clinic run by a volunteer doctor and whilst they were waiting we showed our DVD  lesson on HIV and AIDS in Bengali. The lessons is interactive and has a quiz to test the learning. The group scored only 4 out of 10 questions correctly at the beginning – showing that amongst other things they believed you could get HIV from an infected person simply by touching them. As three of the group were known to be HIV positive there was real fear in the room. As they worked their way through the lesson answering questions as a group by selecting  answers to questions and pressing the relevant button they were able to learn some of the most basic facts about how you do and don’t get AIDS When the group did the quiz after watching the lesson the score increased to 10 out of 10, a small but incredibly significant step on the way to living longer and healthier lives as well as countering fear and prejudice. Later on some of the children from the slum areas who are being sponsored through school by a local organisation came in to watch the lesson on basic hygiene.

The group experienced highs and lows as they debated the correct answers to the questions and got them either right or wrong. Getting a question wrong means hearing that bit of teaching again and getting another chance to answer the question so the atmosphere was electric each time a button had to be pressed!

Stephen Clarke - Director Thare Machi Education