This Anganwadi boasts of a website!

An anganwadi centre situated in Ganemar, a tiny hamlet near Badakabailu under Kariangala Gram panchayat jurisdiction in Bantwal taluk, has come out with a website to furnish information about the centre and its activities to the rest of the world.

The website—https://nammuraanganavadikendra.com—was developed by one Shabith from Bengaluru, a close friend of Ibrahim Nawaz, president, Balavikasa Samithi of Ganemar Anganwadi Kendra, free of charge.

On the need to develop a website, Nawaz told DH, “Chinnara Loka,” a book on the activities of the Ganemar Anganwadi Kendra, was published a year ago.

“There was a huge demand but we could not afford to reprint the the book as it was expensive. Hence, we decided to come out with a website to furnish all the information on the activities, along with the photographs, of anganwadi centre. The website will be
-updated as and when it required.”

With the help of the donors from the village, the anganwadi centre has been converted into a model centre with many child-friendly facilities, Nawaz said.

The anganwadi centre has given priority to cleanliness. The walls of the centre are decorated with cartoon characters and the compound has paintings of a model village and a zoo.

The walls of the anganwadi classrooms are adorned with charts on national leaders and chief ministers of Karnataka. The tiny tots easily recognise all the leaders. There are also charts on fruits, animals, Kannada and English alphabets, numbers and so on, he added.

“When I took charge as the president of Balavikasa Samithi Anganwadi Kendra, there were seven to eigh children in the centre. Now, the number has increased to 23,” Nawaz said.

Pre-school education

“To attract children to the centre, we decided to impart pre-school education aiming at ensuring holistic development of the children. With the help of donors, desk and chairs were brought to the centre. Uniforms, shoes and socks are given to each child. An autorickshaw picks children from the door step of their houses and brings them to the centre. Looking at the child-friendly atmosphere in centre, children from Ammunje, a neighbouring village, were also enrolled here,” he said.

The anganwadi centre was built five years ago on three cents of land, donated by villager Sharada Shetty.

The children at the centre have swing, slide, basketball and other play materials for recreation.

To create awareness among the villagers on waste management, a pipe compost is also been installed on the premises.

To provide a platform for the tiny tots to showcase their talents, the anganwadi centre has been hosting ‘Chinnara Prathibhotsava’ for children from 24 anganwadi centres, situated in neighbouring villages, Anganwadi worker Renuka said.

The anganwadi also has ‘Akshara Shale’ to teach alphabets to illiterates in the village. Further, the anganwadi ensures that the welfare programmes reach pregnant women and children, she added.

The anganwadi centre and anganwadi worker Renuka were adjudged the ‘Best Anganwadi centre’ and ‘Best Anganwadi Worker’ in Dakshina Kannada district in 2017-18.