In 1998, CARE (India) approached Bodh Shiksha Samiti to work in partnership with them on a girls' educational project in rural areas of Rajasthan, where women's literacy was critically low. A pilot project with 15 schools (Samudayik Bodhshalas- Community Bodh Schools) in remote and inaccessible rural areas, where no school existed before, was launched in Thanagazi block of Alwar district. This, Bodh's first rural intervention, was based on the experiences of the Urban Program. The focus was on demand generation as well as providing necessary infrastructure in the rural areas.

By the end of the project, a total of 29 Community schools were run reaching out to 1,667 children mostly from backward castes and vulnerable communities (54.89%). Average attendance in the project schools was 76.24%.

 

	Total Admission from Jan 2000- May 2004	Studying in Bodhshalas in May 2004	Children who dropped out so far	% age dropout	% age of retention
Male	1175	848	93	7.91	92.09
Female	1191	819	203	17.04	82.96
Total	2366	1667	296	12.51	87.49

 

Following are the key strategies of the Project:

 

   Community mobilization for awareness creation, partnership, demand generation and ownership. The effort is made to make the community accountable with a view to eventually ensuring community ownership. This had resulted in reduction of dropout and provision of quality education opportunities to the most deprived sections of society who lacked access to education.

  Evolving contextually appropriate initiatives for alternative systems of education for addressing the issues of access. Integrated Community Schools were established in areas where community lacks access to educational provisions, and an effort made to ensure 100% enrollment. A related intervention has been the establishment of Centres for Adolescent Girls and Preschools for younger children. Both were expected to be instrumental in bringing children into the educational mainstream.

  Pursue a policy of a proactive and evidence-based advocacy and collaboration for generating a positive change in attitudes, leading to convergence in efforts of all partners, sectors and government agencies

   Networking and partnership with local NGOs and other agencies.

The resulting policy resulted in a significant rise in enrollment in the villages where the project was implemented. The gender difference in the enrollment rates have decreased from 40.29% in the year 2000 to 5.46 percent in the year 2004.