Welcome to Juana Foundation

Project Nawal

Context

According to a study published in International Journal of Education and Applied Research’, the status of Life Skills Education in India in aspects like Policies (System-level documents that provide guidelines for life skills education), Curriculum (Curricular modules designed and developed for teacher/ teacher educator/student use), Learning/Quality Goals (Mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of life skills delivery), Contextual Evidence Body (Evidence base on impact of life skills education interventions in the Indian context), Funding (Funding allocated for life skills purposes as part of education policy), Pre-service + In-service Teacher Training (Provision of preparatory and ongoing professional development to teachers to ensure that teachers develop skills and expertise in inculcating such skills) ranges from ‘Absent’ (no or limited progress) to ‘Emerging’ (on way to meeting minimum standard) on a scale – ‘Absent’ (no or limited progress) à ‘Emerging’ (on way to meeting minimum standard) à ‘Established’ (acceptable minimum standard) à ‘Advanced’.

In India 20 per cent of children under five years of age suffer from wasting due to acute under-nutrition.

More than one third of the world’s children who are wasted live in India.

Forty three per cent of Indian children under five years are underweight and 48 per cent (i.e. 61 million children) are stunted due to chronic under-nutrition,

India accounts for more than 3 out of every 10 stunted children in the world.

Short birth intervals are associated with higher levels of under-nutrition. The percentage of children who are severely underweight is almost five times higher among children whose mothers have no education than among children whose mothers have 12 or more years of schooling. Under-nutrition is more common for children of mothers who are undernourished themselves (i.e. body mass index below 18.5) than for children whose mothers are not undernourished.

The Project

Some people believe Nawal stands for ‘novelty’, others believe it means ‘blessing’, to us, it means both and more. Project Nawal aims at bringing novelty in ideas and initiatives to pass on and spread the ‘Juana’ (meaning, blessing) – of love, care, strength and growth. Focused on education for empowerment (in the form of Life Skill education and mainstreaming children to formal education) and health against hazards (in the form of nutrition and general healthcare), the project aims at taking initiatives to transform the lives of children between 3 and 14 years of age, residing in the urban slums of Delhi NCR and neighbouring states.

Vision

A society where children can lead a self-sustaining life – rich in skill (especially, life skills) and health (especially, nutrition) – with purpose, deriving from confidence.

Mission

To be a facilitator in the development of all children, irrespective of biological and social differences, especially in the areas of education and health.

Micro Goal

To benefit at least 500 children and 250 families in the first year of its operation.

Macro Goal

To spread work in more than 10 locations in the first three years of its operation.

Nawal Griha

Juana Foundation aims to establish safe spaces aimed at providing safety, nourishment and enrichment for children between 3 and 14 years of age. This safe space named, ‘Nawal Griha’ is the epicentre of our work – where our team shall establish direct contact with the lives of these children – helping them grow and develop through our various approaches.

Our Approaches

Life Skill Education

The project aims at imparting life skill education to the target group through Juana Foundation’s  Kaushal – an amalgamation of adopted and created subject matter to influence lives with life skills. See a glimpse of Kaushal (click to open).

Mainstreaming Children to Formal Education

While we aim to developing life skills in children, we are completely aware of the need of formal education for acceptance of skill in the society. With that clarity in mind, we also aim to mainstream children to formal education while providing them support in other aspects of life. Partnering with schools and educational influencers, we plan to bring education to these childrencreating an atmosphere that is conducive to the ambitions of these children.

Nutrition

Health is wealth – also everything else around and beyond it. At Juana Foundation, we perceive health as an aspect of life, in presence of which everything is possible and in absence of which nothing might work. One of the most important aspects of health is nutrition and we aim to deliver that to our target children through Nawal’s Nawal Griha. Building a system of balanced diet and regular health check-ups, Juana Foundation, with Nawal aims to support children’s health so they can thrive in all other realms of life.