Colours, open plans,joyful designs: A Sydney-based not-for-pro

BY RHEAL NATH

nganwadis,orrural childcare centres, haveexistedin lndia since the '70s,but theyhaven't alwaysbeen associatedwith beautyorco1nfort. Despite their noble purpose, theycanbe badlylit, hot, and many times neglected.

Forovera decade,agroup ofAustralian architectshavebeenworkingonchanging that notion, oneschoolata tii11e.

"We decided to start with small interventionsin Ahmedabad anganwadis, _g like improvingventilation," explained Jane & Rothschild, co-founderand project director en 0 ofTheAnganwadi Project. "Eventually, 0 we decided togobigger. We recruited o.._ _ volunteers fron1Australiaand New Sarah

Zealand towork onaproject on-ground in India. For6 months,fromthe planning phase to thefinal result, theyreallywork with the com111unity tounderstand their needsanddelivertheirvision."

Janedescribesan anganwadi,ofwhich there aresome 1.3 million nationwide,as morethanjust apre-school.

"It'sgenerallyconsidered anearly learningcentre anda source ofmealsfor childrenbetweentwo and fiveyearsold, butit goes beyond that. It becomesahub for thewomenandchildrenofthevillage," she told IndianLink.

The AnganwadiProject grewoutof Jane'schance encounterwith ayoung India-based designer throughArchitects Without Frontiers. Since2007, the notfor-profit hasbecomemuchlargerthan theycouldhavein1agined,witharound 40 architectscontributingtill date.

"Thereceptionhasbeenreallygreat," Jane shared."Everyoneis thrilled that theseanganwadiscanbemorethanjust an ordinaryconcretebuilding.The colours, openspacesand thoughtfulplans around communityneedshavereallysparkedjoy."

Indeed,a lookat theirprojectsin Ahmedabad, Gujarat andAnantapur, Andhra Pradeshreveal bright, colourful, welcomingspaces that are bound to getcreativejuicesflowing. Fromwellventilated bamboointeriors and generous greenery tolatticed metalwork andmosaic floors, the newbuildingsbringa n1odern aestheticto rural constructions.

"Each anganwadicostsanywhere between $10,000 to $20,000 to build. Our ethos is to recycle, reuse,andrepurpose local materials. Creating mosaics offree broken tiles, takingin oldgates and windows,incorporatinglocalart and mudwork,we're making the mostofwhat isavailable around us," Janeelaborated.

Workingincollaboration with lndiabased NGOs Manav Sadhna and the Rural Development Trust (ROT),TheAnganwadi Project aims to prove that co1nmunitybased designsaresuccessfuldesigns.

"There's lots to be gaLned bycloser ties between India andAustralia. It'san amazingcountryofcontrast with big citiesalongside traditional, rural areas," said Sarah Schaffel,boardn1emberand architect withTheAnganwadiProject.

In2019,shehelped design their first anganwadi inAndhraPradeshin Bondalawada, Anantpur.

"Theanganwadiwasgiventhe name Harivilluwhichmeans 'rainbow' inTelegu. It waschosen by the community," she told IndianLinkwith asmile.

Developing Harivillu startedwith two weeksofpre-design,spendingtLme with the teachers,children, andco111munityto understandtheirlifestyle and needs.The architects then came backwithcolourful, graphicplans thatwould beeasyforall stakeholders tounderstand. By the end ofthefirstmonth, theywereon-site every day("withagoodpairofbootsand plenty ofwater", Sarah chuckled) tosupervise construction.

Years later, she'sstill in touch with the Bondalawadacommunity.

"l thinkwebuiltsomeveryclose relationshipswith the teachers andmothers. Forthem, itseeined an empowering experience togiveinputsonthedesign of theanganwadithatwould directlyaffect them. I stillspeakwith Lakshmi (oneofthe teachers) every 10daysorso," Sarahsaid fondly. "Whenwecompleted theproject, so1neofthechildrenwerestillinpreschool. Nowwesee them allgrownup... it's certainlyarewardingexperience."

Sherecallshowthechildrencan1efro1n poor,lowercastebackgrounds, makingthe anganwadianecessarysafespaceforthemto studyandsocialisewithouttauntsorridicule.

"AsAustralians,you might notagree with these structures,butyou want tobe respectful," sheoffered.

The way ahead Lastyear, thepandemicforced construction tocease and mostofthe volunteers had to 1naketheirway back to Australia. Still, therewas asilverlining: theymanaged toco1nplete theconstruction ofone anganwadi, Harivillu 2, in Ammavaripeta, Andhra Pradesh.

"COYI0-19definitelyimpactedour work,butwe learnt tocontinueourefforts remotely," Jane explained. "Ourpartner organisationsalsoworked duringthis titne onhelping migrantworkerswhohad lost theirjobs during lockdown."

Like manyofthe volunteers, she looks forward to visitingthe sites and communitiesonce againwhenthe situation improves.

"I've always hada deep love and appreciation for the country. Ifirst travelled to India when I was25, it'salways felt Like mysecond home. I'm keen to visit again when Ican," she said.

ReadmoreaboutTheAnganwadi Projectandhowtogetinvolvedat www.anganwadiproject.com