For eight-year-old Sanjana, getting ready for Pratham's Children’s Club is one of the best parts of her day. There are no classroom walls here and every day brings something new to explore. She looks forward to meeting her friends, playing together, and taking her turn during storytelling sessions. Today, she is a confident learner who enjoys bringing other children into the fun.

It was not always this way. A year ago, Sanjana was a quiet child. In Grade 2, she was still finding her footing with reading words and with numbers beyond single digits and the worry of giving a wrong answer began to weigh on her. She started missing classes and gradually stopped participating in her classroom.

At home, her mother, Monalisa, could see her hesitation. She wanted to help but was unsure how to begin teaching even basic reading. Sanjana’s father, a water pipe technician, is the family’s only earning member, and his income has to stretch across five people — Sanjana, her parents, her elder sister, Anjana (12), and her younger sister, Saina (5). Both parents studied up to Grade 12 and are determined that their three daughters receive a good education. But with limited resources, there was little room for support beyond the regular curriculum, and few places to turn.

When the Pratham team reached their village through its flagship direct initiative Hamara Gaon, for a family with few places to turn, it was a welcome opening. Hamara Gaon is a learning laboratory where Pratham team members work directly with children, schools, families and communities to build sustainable learning environments in communities.

After a baseline assessment of children’s learning levels, Sanjana joined a learning camp for Grade 2 children. Through games, songs, storytelling, and hands-on activities, she began to practise reading and numbers in a way that felt like play. The first time she read a word aloud on her own, in front of her peers, was a moment she held on to. It was her first step towards confidence.

Learning did not stop at the camp. Regular home visits by the Pratham team showed Monalisa how much a parent’s support can contribute to a child’s learning. In 2025, she learnt about Pratham’s Mothers’ Group and decided to join, hoping to find activities that would strengthen her children’s learning at home.

Pratham mobilises and supports thousands of Mothers’ Groups at the community level to involve mothers in their children’s early learning. Mothers meet every week to explore simple activities they can practise at home with their children to build foundational skills.

As she saw Sanjana’s confidence grow, Monalisa began engaging her youngest daughter in simple, everyday activities using familiar household objects. She also started attending school meetings and workshops, where she learnt simple, playful ways to support her children’s learning. Storytelling, songs, number games, and puzzles became things Monalisa and Sanjana enjoyed together at home.

Over the next six months, Sanjana began attending school regularly. She was reading short sentences on her own and recognising and using numbers beyond single digits.

Today, Sanjana is in Grade 3 and an active member of Pratham’s Children’s Club. Children’s Clubs facilitate peer-to-peer learning. Children from Grades 3–8 come together in familiar spaces to strengthen their foundational abilities. They share stories, draw, play games, and learn together, and sessions are often led by a child from the group.

The change is just as visible at home. For Monalisa, one of the happiest moments is seeing her daughter eager to leave for school each morning. “With Pratham, my daughter not only learnt activities faster, she gained the confidence and curiosity back,” she shares.

Sanjana’s journey reflects what can happen when learning is engaging and families feel supported to be part of it. Her confidence now shows in how she invites other children in the village to play and learn together.