At a time when online classes have become the new normal, finding a proper learning space for around 30 children under one roof is a challenge.
The Free Birds Home for Girls in Kozhikode, just like any other children’s home, was facing this difficulty all through the last academic year when it had to find space for children in different classes to attend their classes online. But not any more.
A newly constructed ‘Vayanappura’ in the compound has been thrown open to the children here ahead of the new academic year. The Vayanappura was constructed under the aegis of a non-governmental organisation ‘Arm of Joy’ over the last 10 months at a cost of ₹12 lakh provided by an expatriate couple Rajesh and Mumtaz as a gift from their twins Abner and Adrith.
The new construction, which resembled a traditional Kerala house, consists of an open courtyard with seating arrangements around it, a long verandah also with seating arrangements, besides a smart room.
The smart room that can accommodate around 40 children, is equipped with a smart TV, a desktop computer, and projectors powered by internet and cable TV connections. The desks and benches have been built in concrete and there are spaces for the children to keep their bags and books. The well-lit room could be used as a mini library as well, once the proposed bookshelves and books find place here.
“This is the biggest project we have undertaken so far. We know the difficulties faced by parents in homes with only two children, when both have online classes to attend. We can imagine the chaos a similar situation would cause in a children’s home. “‘Vayanappura’ is a solution to this problem”, Anoop Gangadharan, managing trustee of ‘Arm of Joy’ said.
The official inauguration of ‘Vayanappura’ will be held after the lockdown.
