TARA Outreach Centre - 3rd anniversary

It’s been 2 and half years that I’ve been managing TARA Outreach Centre, and it has been filled with lots of new experiences, learnings, and challenges. With a smooth functioning for only a year, we were hit with the pandemic in 2020.

We had to adjust to the need of the hour and with the center shut down temporarily, the team of TARA Outreach Centre had to reach out to the community and the children to ensure their safety. For 9 months, the team had to function remotely. In this period, food distribution was carried out, teachers provided the children with educational worksheets to make sure that children were occupied. When the centre reopened in October 2020, the biggest challenge was to resettle the children to a routine and the classes.

As things were gradually settling, the second wave hit us again, and in mid-April 2021. Some of our team members were positive which made the situation even harder, and we again had to start with working remotely and restart the food distribution. The pandemic situation has been tough for the children and the community as well, as the children have not been able to attend school for more than 2 and half years and hardly have access to online classes. Some of the families lost their jobs or their income reduced, making it difficult for them to keep up with the tough times.

TARA Outreach Centre, reopened in July 2021 and since then, we have enrolled 68 children in the centre and are focusing on strengthening their basics and getting into a habit of routine to help them transition into the schools smoothly as they are gradually opening.

In the future, we plan to launch the Teenage Girls Education Program to empower them and make them self-sufficient. Along with that we are also preparing for the Health Program for the children and their families and gradually to the community.

The children coming to the Centre are a motivational factor for me and my team as they are slowly understanding our purpose and objective. Since the time we opened, I can see these children making progress, getting exposed to different views and also being able to put forth their opinions. This positive change in the children and in some of the families, makes us push ourselves forward despite the challenges that come in front of us.

Akanksha Michyari, Program Manager, TARA Outreach Centre<