STORIES OF CHANGE
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INTRODUCTION FOREWORD A LITTLE GUIDE BEFORE YOU START PILELO! HO!
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CASE STORIES BENGALURU, KARNATAKA JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN GUWAHATI, ASSAM LUDHIANA, PUNJAB HYDERABAD, TELANGANA KARNAL, HARYANA
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STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
STORIES OF CHANGE NESTLÉ INDIA AND MAGIC BUS
reach 144,000 children in 18 of India’s states with a programme designed to help them develop holistically, and lead healthier, more active lives. This book attempts to lend a voice to some of their stories.
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Sanjay Khajuria Senior Vice President (Corporate Affairs) Nestlé India
The Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme is implemented by Magic Bus across 18 states, in a manner that immediately engages children and young people across the country. With a focus on creating health and nutrition awareness, the program has seen visible impact over the last three years. The stories in this book are told by those who have felt this change. Nestlé and Magic Bus came together to work towards shaping healthier, happier futures for children and youth across the country, by arming them with the knowledge they need to safeguard their own lives.
S T O R I E S O F C H A N G E | N E S T L EÉ I N D I A & M A G I C B U S
“It is inspiring to see the change we envisioned taking shape the way it is. We stand committed to the cause of staying in children’s lives until the awareness and knowledge we try to instill begins impacting people’s lives in a meaningful and permanent way. ” 7
Matthew Spacie Founder Magic Bus India Foundation The Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme (NHKP) complements and strengthens our work with 144,000 of India’s most vulnerable children and young people, and allows us to use sports and an activity-based curriculum (ABC) designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to break the cycle of poverty. The stories in this book are a result of three years of a shared vision that well-nourished and physically fit children are more capable learners, and grow into adults who are more able of giving their own children a better start to life.
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“The stories in this book stand as testimony to the fact that systematic, sustained efforts can – in the most natural way - completely transform children’s lives, and their transition to livelihood.” 9
A little guide before you start
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The Training and Monitoring Officer (TMO) monitors and assesses the quality of S4D (Sports for Development) sessions delivered to children in schools and communities. TMOs train volunteers (Community Youth Leaders) and Youth Mentors to deliver a high-quality, safe session to children. The Youth Mentor (YM) is responsible for ensuring quality implementation of the Magic Bus S4D programme with underprivileged children in communities and schools. In schools, they deliver the sessions directly, while in the community, the session is delivered by a volunteer or Community Youth Leader, who is identified from the target community. Every Youth mentor supervises and supports 25 Community Youth Leaders, and directly or indirectly programmes to between 300 to 500 children. Community Youth Leaders (CYLs) are volunteers for Magic Bus. They are young adults (at or above the age of 18) who are identified among youth leaders of communities we work with. Since they work with children from the same community, they are often the most natural and effective role models. Each CYL leads of group of 25 children. Sessions refer to 1-hour weekly sport-for-development sessions designed in line with the Magic Bas activity-based curriculum, delivered to children in a school or community playground.
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Magic Bus sessions are designed to make children want to listen: one chant, one song, one dance, one game at a time. Even better is one code only you and your mentor know – and that is how “Pilelo” (pi-leylo) and “Ho” emerged. Every Magic Bus session begins with a loud and compelling “Pilelo” from the session leader, which is immediately matched by a louder and equally compelling “Ho” from the children. The children are instantly rapt, and ready to engage. EACH STORY IN THIS BOOK BEGAN WITH “PILELO! HO!”
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CASE STORIES
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The NestlĂŠ Healthy Kids Programme in Bengaluru works with 10,000 children across 61 schools.
KARNATAKA 15
ATTIBELE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL
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Chandrababu
PRINCIPAL-IN-CHARGE
“This Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme is excellent for two reasons: First, it takes children through every step of how to maintain a healthy, hygienic lifestyle, from a daily morning routine to the seven steps of hand-washing, and beyond. Second, it is delivered in a manner where children remember everything they are taught because they are actively engaged by the mentor, and are more willing to absorb this information than they typically are in a classroom.”
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Ashwini 14, Class 9
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Sometimes you have to un-learn to learn.
Looking back, I realize how much I have changed over the last three years,” says Ashwini, still flushed from her 1-hour S4D session. “I used to be shy and scared of debates or group activities, and I never really played sports or outdoor games. ALL of this has changed,” she grins. She glances at her mentor as she repeats something she once told her: Sometimes you have to un-learn to learn.
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Balaji
14, Class 9
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“School doesn’t bore me anymore,” was Balaji’s quick reply to why he liked his weekly S4D sessions. Starting off at the back bench of his classes, uninterested in what was being taught, Balaji would find excuses to miss school. When the sessions started, school suddenly became something I looked forward to. That was a new feeling – for me and my parents,” he smiles. “The Nestlé programme has changed the way I spend my day, what I eat, and well, what I want to be,” he says. Fascinated by how much better he felt with a small shift in his diet and a little exercise, he was inspired to know more about health, fitness and how the body works. “I am amazed at how little my friends and family know about health – and that’s why I want to be a doctor. I want to help people access simple solutions to leading a more fit life.”
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Nethravathi 15, Class 9
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These NHKP sessions are completely different from anything I have ever been a part of. “I never really knew I sounded rude or lacked discipline,” says Nethra, pausing as she smiles at her mentor, “but when my mentor Mamta started showing us the difference between good and bad habits, and discipline, I learnt the difference between right and wrong.” She also learnt a lot about food. In fact, she had always assumed eggs were not particularly healthy, and was surprised when she learnt how much protein eggs contained and how critical their consumption is for the development of a child’s body and mind. “My parents didn’t know either, but we make sure we eat protein-rich food at least once a day now.” When asked what she wants to be when she finishes school, she glances over at the big Infosys campus next door to her school. “I want to be a software engineer - that’s why I make sure I eat my eggs!”
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Pradeep 14, Class 9
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“It’s good to know there’s always someone to answer your questions,” says Pradeep, referring to the support of his mentor Mamta, In fact, I think that’s all we ever needed.” His family used to get sick quite often but have now understood the basic causes and symptoms of recurring health issues. “Mamta akka (sister) does not stop until we name our vitamins and minerals, and their food sources. We lead much healthier lifestyles now, and my mind feels more active.” Pradeep wants to be a lawyer, to fight for people who cannot access their rights. A few minutes spent with him is enough for this to seem a fitting career. When his mentor asks whether he thinks boys and girls are equal, he suddenly becomes very serious, and pauses a minute before saying,
“Girls are equal in every way.” 25
“I did not only learn how to work with children – I learnt how to help my marriage.” “The training is particularly special,” begins a bright-eyed, cheerful Mamta – “In two months, I felt almost transformed – even my spoken English had an ease that I had never thought possible. It gave me new confidence.” For the first few days of training, Mamta would slip out of home with her Nestlé-Magic Bus t-shirt and pants in her bag. Her husband had a short temper and did not support her new career – which resulted in frequent fights. “It was learning about positive reinforcement that completely changed the way I treated him. By making sure I rewarded him for anything positive he did or said, I was laying less and less emphasis on the negative, and this, in time, changed the way he treated me.” Mamta now walks through her home and community wearing her gear with pride. “The best thing about doing things you don’t think you can do, is that it makes you do more things you don’t think you can do,” she smiles.
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MAMTA Youth Mentor, Bengaluru, 29
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GANGAMMA THIMMAIAH SHIVANAGAR SECONDARY SCHOOL STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
Ramesh
HEADMASTER
“The children love the NHKP sport sessions but what is most surprising is how enthusiastically teachers participate. They are using more innovative techniques in the classroom, and they have become friends with their students. The teachers go out of their way to make sure children eat their vegetables at lunch, stay clean and neat, and do not litter the school campus – earlier, the teacher-student relationship would not extend beyond the classroom.”
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Lakshmi 12, Class 6
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“For me, a carrot was just a carrot. Now I know carrots contain Vitamin A, which helps our immunity and our eyes,” says a confident Lakshmi, still out of breath from a very active session. A kho kho and kabaddi enthusiast, she has won two consecutive kho kho tournaments at cluster level, an achievement she calls “only the beginning.” “The Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme teaches us certain life rules we all need to know – even my parents are so much more careful about what they cook and how they manage the waste at home. I hear them telling the neighbours too.”
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CASE STORIES
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The programme in Jaipur reaches 7000 children across 38 communities
RAJASTHAN 33
Rekha Meena
mother of 3 children enrolled in Magic Bus
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“They look after me, not the other way around” Participating in Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme sessions reminds me of my “childhood days” says Rekha, with a big smile. “In today’s world, where technology has replaced outdoor activities, this programme is the only thing contributing to the overall development of all my children”. Speaking proudly about the respect her two sons have for the younger sister, she said her sons had taught her more about gender equality than other women”. While the sons ensure not a single meal is without dal (pulses) and green vegetables, the daughter, Kumkum, insists on boiling their drinking water. “They look after me, not the other way around”, smiles the proud mother.
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“Each one has changed” Rizwan, a graduate of Government Senior Secondary School, Rana Basti, Jaipur, wanted to be a Community Youth Leader (CYL) ever since his first session as a child. An extremely popular and effective CYL since 2015, he has become known to his community as a support system. Inspired by this, his two older brothers have joined the program as CYLs too. When asked about the changes he has seen in children he has worked with, he says “each one has changed.” What he had seen change most was their “selfawareness, their genuine willingness to play in gender-inclusive groups, and their inclination towards better hygiene and nutrition.” Rana Basti community lacks fresh water supply and children are typically discouraged to bathe regularly. As a result of S4D sessions on health and hygiene, children and parents have a much-increased awareness on the spread of disease and the need to maintain certain standards of hygiene. The community comes together to better manage available water and children are seen washing their hands and bathing regularly.
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RIZWAN ALI CYL, 21
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“I am the first girl in my family’s history to play any kind of sport,” says Ragini, a state-level volleyball player for Rajasthan. She has played 5 consecutive state tournaments since 2012, and her biggest supporter is her mother, who got married at the age of 15, and wants her children to have a different future. Ragini’s community is dangerous, particularly for young women. “There is a serious drug problem here, and crime rates are high, which is why girls and women are not often seen stepping out of their homes at night.” Despite this, and now because of this inequality in opportunities for girls and boys, my family has consistently supported my association with this programme for three years, saying they thought the activities were ‘meaningful’ and would help me. “Of course, my biggest inspiration is the children I work with”, says the CYL, “I see myself in them, and there is no better reward than witnessing the change you try to bring in a child; especially when it’s a change in mindset, which we can only hope for.” Ragini, a full-time volunteer for the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme, spends the rest of her time providing free remedial lessons to 15 children from her community, six of whom are enrolled in her regular S4D sessions.
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RAGINI CYL, 17, Bhatta Basti 39
Simran 12, Class 3
Bhatta Basti, Jaipur
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Bullied and harassed by boys, Simran dropped out of Grade III Seeing her now, it is hard to believe Simran missed out on two years of school, from the age of 10 to 12. Bullied and harassed by boys, Simran dropped out of Grade III because she did not receive the kind of support she needed from her teachers, eventually causing her parents to pull her out. “It was when [mentor] Ragini came into my life that things changed. She re-enrolled me in school, and made my parents understand the importance of me continuing to learn.” Simran is now class monitor, and very happy with her score of 9 on 10 in a recent English test. “I like leading the ice breakers in NHKP sessions now,” she beams.
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Sunil 15, Class 8
Paldi Meena, Jaipur STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
From a family of seven supported solely by the father’s income, Sunil has never been able to take school for granted. However, his parents have worked hard and set aside every rupee to ensure all their children stay in school. “This is why the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme fit into my family so well,” he exclaims. “My favourite day of the week is Sunday, when [Youth Mentor] Maninder bhaiya plays football with us.” He went on to talk about how strange it was for him to see girls play football – “Now I don’t notice them, but I notice what my sisters were missing out on.” When asked what the sessions and his mentor have brought into his life, he thinks for a second, and says, “Positivity.”
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CASE STORIES
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In its second year, the programme currently reaches 5000 children in Guwahati.
ASSAM 45
“Fear faded with my first session.” Today’s Reshmi is excitedly gearing up for her dream career as a nurse – a year ago, she did not envision any career. “At first, it took [Youth Mentor] Sarifa a lot of counselling and convincing to get me over the fear of what people would say if I put on a T-shirt and jeans and delivered sport sessions to children,” says Reshmi, a Community Youth Leader who belongs to a conservative community, “but the fear faded with my first session, and there has been no looking back since”. Her mother has been her biggest support system, defending her against the many relatives who warned her that “good girls do not do these things.” As she started learning about health under the NHKP, she was inspired to know more, and quickly realised how many people around her lacked the same awareness. For example, she now understood why so many girls in her village got weaker as they hit puberty – all they needed was a little extra nutrition. Reshmi made it her mission to learn as much as she could about health and nutrition, and began spreading awareness among her friends, family and her home community. Currently in her final year of an undergraduate degree, she aims to pursue her nursing career while spreading health awareness, and is considered a leader by the same community she feared a year ago.
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RESHMI CYL, 18, Hatigaon- Dakhingaon, Guwahati 47
Jyoti 12, Class 7
Bongaon, Guwahati
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When a child is faced with a problem, they go with a simple solution. In this case, one child changed a habit followed by generations of her family in one day! Taught in detail about the risks associated of going barefoot to a toilet, twelve-year old Jyoti was determined to change this habit at home, for good. Returning home from her session, she explained to her parents what she had learnt and insisted they buy and designate a pair of slippers exclusively for toilet use, to limit the transfer of germs. The parents immediately agreed and ever since that day, rain or shine, there is a clean pair of slippers placed neatly next to the toilet entrance.
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CASE STORIES
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The programme works with nearly 1800 children at school and community level, across 14 communities in Ludhiana.
PUNJAB 51
SENIOR SECONDARY GOVERNMENT SCHOOL DORAHA STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
Baljeet Singh
PRINCIPAL
“The best thing about the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme is how easily it changes the way children think – which is the most difficult thing to do. As adolescents, they are most vulnerable to being pulled into different directions. At this critical stage, these simple sport-for-development sessions and life lessons productively engage their minds and bodies. Not only has this helped minimize drug abuse among older children but has also almost eliminated caste-based discrimination, which was previously a problem here.”
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Sunny Kumar 15, Class 8 Doraha
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“Friday is my favourite day because that’s when our sessions are” Two and a half years into his association with NHKP, Sunny’s energy and confidence is immediately evident. He is sure he wants to be an engineer – an unsurprising inclination, considering his love for numbers and consistently outstanding grades, including an 88 out of 90 in Mathematics in the recent Summative Assessment I (SA I) in September; and 86 out of 90 in Science. Despite coming first in class last year, he wants to do even better this year. “Friday is my favourite day because that’s when our sessions are,” he grins. He thoroughly enjoys gathering together 5 or 6 children and leading a session himself, with fun icebreaker songs like Chiri Miri and Lambi Dadi Waale Chacha; and his absolute favourite game ‘Seven Up’, which tests one’s mental math and listening skills. “Despite an excellent academic performance, it is heartening to see Sunny so involved in sessions. He is also making sure girls and boys do not feel awkward playing together,” says a proud mentor, Gurveer.
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“It is really incredible to watch”
It is when I saw how well the children are engaged, and in such a well-organized manner, that I allowed for the mentor to deliver sessions during the designated Physical Education period. The sportfor-development sessions are perfectly designed to make the best use of space, sport material and the child’s time. The child-friendly approach and patient delivery of lessons on human rights has resulted in boys and girls playing far more comfortably than they used to. It is really incredible to watch, as there is nothing forced about this progress.
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MANPREET SINGH Physical Education teacher Government Senior Secondary School, Doraha 57
Priya Rani 13, Class 9
Sapera Basti, Ludhiana
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“I love football and have always wanted to find more children to play and learn with.”
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Even three years later, Priya cannot contain her excitement when she talks about first joining the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme. I was told children would be encouraged to play a set of games and activities designed for them, that boys and girls would play together, and we would learn skills and knowledge on health and nutrition that would help us grow – “It sounded almost too good to be true,” she smiled, “because I love football and have always wanted to find more children to play and learn with.” A 9th grader, Priya is on the school football team and she cherishes no possession more than she does her blue football studs. Having won tournaments at the inter-school and district-levels, she was recently selected for a zonal-level tournament. “I want to play nationals and represent India,” she says, anticipating the next question. When asked how her enrollment in this programme helped, she said it gave her the information she needed to “grow as a sportsperson”, especially knowledge on “eating green, leafy vegetables, dairy, eggs and protein-rich food to build muscle and strength. The activities have helped me build stamina and enhance my eye-foot coordination.” Priya’s family is not just supportive, but are part of the programme themselves: her two older brothers are a Youth Mentor and Community Youth Leader, her younger brother participates in sessions, while their mother regularly attends parent sport sessions.
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CASE STORIES
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The NHKP in Hyderabad works with 6,000 children across 32 schools.
TELANGANA 63
TRISHUL PARK GOVERNMENT HIGH SCHOOL BOLARUM
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Sofia
12, Class 7
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“I want to help people know and find out more about simple health solutions” “I am surprised I learnt so much about the connection between food and health – my mother says I never wanted to learn about what was ‘good’ for me,” smiles Sofia, who has spent three years in the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme, “so now I tell her to use songs and games.” Her Youth Mentor Snehalata, who eats with the children at lunch break, has noticed a significant change in what Sofia eats. She used to avoid the vegetables on her plate entirely, which she now eats first. Her mother has noticed the same change at home: Sofia now begins each day with eggs and milk, to meet daily protein needs. “I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead,” says Sofia, beaming with hope as she talks about becoming a doctor. “I want to help people know and find out more about simple health solutions, so that doctors can help more people in less time.”
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Akshaya 13, Class 7
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“I don’t see the difference between boys and girls – in fact, I don’t think any of us do.”
A whiz at mathematics and science, Akshaya is convinced she wants to be a software engineer. Her teachers had always been happy with her grades, but there had been a much bigger change in Akshaya over the last three years. One such change was her sudden inclination towards sports, particularly kho kho. “I never played outdoor games, and never ever with boys!” says Akshaya, quickly adding that now, after three years of playing in gender-inclusive groups, “I don’t see the difference between boys and girls – in fact, I don’t think any of us do.”
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SNEHALATHA Youth Mentor, 24 STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
“Nothing works like ‘Pilelo! Ho!” “The training and constant guidance of my trainers and mentors in this programme is what has given me the confidence to stand here and express myself as effortlessly as I do now,” says Snehalatha. Her quick reply when asked what she had found toughest was: Working with boys, and making them want to listen. “I decided to approach them with the same confidence male trainers do, and use the same strategies, techniques, and body language”, she says, “and of course, nothing works like ‘Pilelo! Ho!’ because it becomes like a secret identity, and makes an instant mentor-mentee connection.” Snehalatha is a month into training to become a police officer.
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Poojasri’s mother
Durgabhai
Nallagutta, Hyderabad
“Her whole demeanor has changed” STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
“Her whole demeanor has changed – and she is happier, because people respond to her with the same respect she shows them. She used to be very quiet, and even I could not get her to talk about how school was going, or what she was learning. I was looking for a role model to come in to her life, and that’s when the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme began in her school – we always say our angel came in the form of Meenakshi [her Youth Mentor]. She has not only changed the way she talks and dresses, but has patiently made me change the way I collect, store and manage our water and food at home.”
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GOVERNMENT GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL LAL BAZAR
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REHANA Youth Mentor, 20 STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
“I like challenges, which is why I always start with the children most resistant to change,” says Rehana. With that, she begun narrating Vani’s story. Vani was among the first girls she wanted to enroll in the programme. Notorious for bullying children at school, Vani would refuse anyone who tried to involve her, including her mentor. That’s when Rehana decided to give her a little extra attention. She asked her to simply watch a session, promising her she would not be asked to join. Vani ended up observing a few sessions, but was still hanging back. Rehana started singling her out at recess and after school to give her friendly bits of advice on how she could be a lot happier at school if she started seeing the ‘good’ in people. “One day, Vani came into school a changed girl. I could see it the minute I saw her”, says Rehana, “and sure enough, she marched up to me with a smile saying she wants to be part of my sessions.” By the end of the week, her teachers told me she was openly attributing her change in attitude to me. “I was extremely touched – it is moments like these that make all the hard work worth it.”
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Ramadevi 13, Class 8
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“The NHKP sessions are different, because they make you use your head.” “I like the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme because it teaches us about the human body, and biology is my favourite subject,” says an enthusiastic Ramadevi, despite being at the end of a full school day. With two brothers as siblings, she explains she has always been into running, especially short-distance sprinting, “but the NHKP sessions are different, because they make you use your head, and that’s fun.” Interested in biology and genetics, Ramadevi is determined to go on to medical school, so she can one day set up a government hospital of her own.
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CASE STORIES
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The programme in Karnal reaches 3000 children across 21 schools.
HARYANA 81
GOVERNMENT SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL DARAR STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
Ghanshyam Dass PRINCIPAL
“The Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme nurtures the uniqueness and difference in each child, which is what sets it apart from Physical Education and classroom teaching. After this programme came in, I started seeing real changes among students and faculty: apart from the S4D sessions, extra-curricular activities such as plays, movie screenings, and tournaments have increased. There are more and more boys and girls participating in the state handball tournament. New things bring more curiosity, and that is what is changing this school’s environment.”
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Simran 13, Class 7
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“One Man, Lucky Man, Lucky Number One” Simran received a special mention from the principal, for displaying much-increased confidence and participation – she now almost always leads the ice breakers at the beginning of each session. A lover of numbers, her favourite song is unsurprisingly “One Man, Lucky Man, Lucky Number One”, a song on counting. The sky really is no limit for this girl, as she is sure she wants to be an astronaut. When asked what she would have to study to get there, she says – without the slightest pause – “Engineering, to begin with.”
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Chirag 10, Class 7
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“Little things used to make me angry, and I’d always feel bad about what I said later,” says Chirag, who has always had a problem managing his temper. As part of the programme in Karnal, children are taught lessons on social and emotional learning (SEL), through which they learn to apply certain knowledge and skills to managing emotions. “The SEL lessons basically taught me how to be kind, and respect people,” he says. Chirag’s mother, beaming with pride and unable to resist interrupting, says, “Now he tells me he is lucky to have three older sisters – that’s how much he’s changed.”
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SEEMA Youth Mentor, 29 STORIES OF CHANGE | NESTLÉ INDIA & MAGIC BUS
“ It is amazing how easily I could have missed all of this.” Seema begins narrating her experience as a Youth Mentor with a statement that is true of every story in this book: It is amazing how easily I could have missed all of this. Going against her family’s advice, Seema began training as a police officer and got married by choice, at 21, to the sarpanch (leader) of her village. When the Nestlé Healthy Kids Programme team first entered her village, Seema was identified to help them recruit. Of the 25 people shortlisted, Seema was the only one selected for three subsequent rounds of interviews, ending up among the final four (of eighty candidates) selected as mentors. As a mentor, she influences decisions made for young people in her community, at the panchayat (village council) and household level. “Things have changed, and in a very real, personal way. For example, my husband always liked the fact that I was different, but now he values and respects it - that’s the difference.”
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STORIES OF CHANGE Compiled and edited by Shreya Mukherjee
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