Small steps for a brighter tomorrow – Aflatouns’ initiative to create‘Oxygen Bank’

We all know Aflatouns practice savings and they mostly save money; but these children are a lot smarter and responsible than we think. Children in Zilla Parishad School, Manikkhabh (Igatpuri), had several discussions and debates over global warming, pollution, deforestation, etc. They knew well that a lot (of damage) has been done and the world has already started witnessing the consequences. Therefore, these little enthusiasts decided to do their bit to nurture and protect Mother Nature from the predictable dangers. After discussing the issue with their school teacher Dipak Bhadane, little Aflatouns in Manikkhabh came up with an innovative approach and that was to create an oxygen bank!
“Yes, just like we save money in our Aflatoun bank so that we do not suffer from a dearth of cash when in need; similarly we want to create an oxygen pool to protect ourselves and our world from any environmental crisis.” said the children.
Teacher divided children into seven groups and each group was given a sapling. The group was named after the particular plant species it received.
Each group planted their saplings and watered it. Children have decided that each group will take care of its plant, water and nurture it regularly. Whenever children in the current group pass out of the school, they will responsibly handover the plant to their juniors so that no plant/tree is left unattended.
To save water, children decided to use the remaining water left in their water bottles at the end of day before they leave school. Now onwards, they will use it to water the plants before leaving for home.
A SMALL STEP BUT WHAT A GREAT CAUSE!

Children in Umarshevadi are waiting for you!

Eyes sparkling with the dreams of tomorrow, bright smiles spread on innocent faces and a series of chuckles you hear when you catch these little ones trying to get a glimpse of you. Children of Umarshevadi village (Akola district of Maharshtra), are like all other kids you could think of. They laugh, they play and they also study but not in the government school many other village children go to.

Situated in remote locality, residents of Umarshevadi have many challenges to face. The village is situated 8 kilometers from Hiwarkhed (Town place) of Telhara Block and approximately 28 kilometers from Akot. This is a tribal dominated area with Kondu, Gonda and Rathya tribes as the main inhabitants. They rely on farming which is the main occupation in this area and are entirely dependent on weather conditions.
Children in Umarshevadi face serious problem of schooling as there is no formal school setup in the village. Lack of public or private transport facility does not allow them to go to other villages to attend school. The nearest village is Zari Bazar which has Zila Parishad primary school and that too is about 3-4 kilometers from Umarshevadi. Umarshevadi is situated in the lap of Satpuda which is a famous forest region and refuge for several wild animals like bears, tigers and hyenas. In past, there have been cases of animals attacking children and now parents are reluctant to send their kids to the school in the neighbouring village.

MelJol, in collaboration with Save the Children India, began working with the children of Umarshevadi to overcome the barriers of learning environment. Since there is no formal school in the village, MelJol team started a special 'Rimzim' school, where children are taught by an education volunteer for 2 hours every day. This is a small room where children gather and study together in the evening hours from 5 pm to 7 pm. In the absence of both natural light and electricity in the evening, learning becomes more of a challenge than a fun activity.
Meet children from Rimzim school

Therefore, MelJol, has resolved to improve the condition of the classroom and convert it into a more colourful and vibrant place for the kids.

Present condition of the classroom

The idea has been inspired the resource rooms created by MelJol and Save the Children in the municipal schools of Mumbai.

Resource centre in Gilder Lane Municipal School, Mumbai

As a first step, we have started an initiative to provide power saving lamps for Rimzim school so that children can make full use of the classes without facing any obstruction. These lamps are low cost, work on battery and consume less power that increases its usage time.


MelJol needs your support to achieve the aim. Your help can bring a change in the lives of these children. Education is one of the greatest investments for a child and a small act of kindness will help us fulfill this dream for the children of Umarshevadi.
If you wish to send us a donation, write to us at Dylan@meljol.net and we shall get back to you.

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•An e-mail confirming receipt of your payment
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•A receipt for the amount you donated which can be used for availing tax benefits

The school with an ATM machine

We have our own bank!!! This is what children of Zilla Parishad Primary School, Vinayaknagar have to say. Situated in the remote location of block Trimbakeshwar (district Nashik), the Z.P. school Vinayaknagar does not have an easy connectivity with towns and cities. Most of the school children have not even seen a real bank. However, they own passbooks and ATM cards! Children fill formats to deposit and withdraw money from their accounts. What more, they can get demand drafts made and even apply for loans. All this in the Aflatoun Bank!

On the basis of Aflatoun programme’s approach, school teacher, Mr. Sharad Totre decided to create a virtual banking experience for children. Taking Aflatoun’s initiative forward, he got customized cheque books, requisition slips/forms and ATM cards made. The ATM machine model has also been designed with the objective to make children understand its working mechanism.

All the transactions and records are maintained by the members of Aflatoun Club who were elected by the school children. Elections were conducted quite methodically in which candidates filled application forms, chose symbols and rest of the school children voted for their favourite representative. The elected members were given different portfolios like education, recreations, health & cleanliness, sports, etc. This initiative was presented in the annual exhibition organized by the Department of Science and Technology and won the best project at district level.

At present, the total saving in Vinayaknagar Aflatoun bank is Rs. 8,708. Children are using money for personal needs and well as for collective purpose. They withdrew Rs 10,000 for planning school picnic to Aurangabad and nearby places. Mr. Totre feels that Aflatoun programme has not only motivated children towards savings, but has also groomed them as responsible beings, which is highly appreciated by their parents. Earlier, children’s parents and guardians did not approve of children depositing money in schools and were skeptical of its misuse by the school teachers.

However, this perception changed when Shrinath Vitthal Mahale, a student of class one, required medical help for his fractured arm and applied for a loan of Rs 500. He used this money for the medical expenses which was a great help to his father. With enthusiastic teachers like Mr. Totre, Aflatoun is set to achieve greater heights.