AWWA | Army Wives Welfare Association

Achievements

Mrs Ina Joshi
Regional President AWWA
Northern Command

The COVID-19 Pandemic has adversely affected lives across the globe, However, Northern Comd AWWA, under the vibrant leadership of the Regional President remained firm and resolute in its commitment to the welfare of the families and children and made effective use of the social media platforms to reach out and provide regular guidance and support to mitigate the problems. Major activities being carried out even in the pandemic period and achievements are enumerated in succeeding paragraphs.

VTC.
- NTT Course. The course of NTT (Nursery Teachers' Training) was continued on whatsapp and the examination for the previous batch was conducted online enabling them to qualify as suitable contenders for Nursery/ Primary Teaching. In addition, on demand of our families, a new course of NTT was started. Ladies are now doing certification from the premises of their homes and are reaping the benefits of the knowledge and skill-set of professionals sitting far away.
- Spoken English. Spoken English course, interrupted due to the pandemic, was also restarted online. Video sessions are being conducted to include group discussions, story telling and classes to improve pronunciation/ diction and additional sessions are conducted online to help students interact with the instructor to clear doubts.
- Stitching and Bag Making. The classes are being conducted through use of various social media platforms. The members joined hands to prepare gifts, toys and bags for the talented children who had come forward in this difficult time to make greeting cards for our brave soldiers.
- Utility Hampers for the New Born. This project has been initiated by the Regional President, Mrs Ina Joshi, with a vision of empowering our families. The ladies are encouraged to use their skills, to prepare cardigans and bedsheet sets for new born babies.
Creative Clubs. AWWA, Northern Command utilised the period of lockdown to develop and encourage creativity among the children who have been forced to stay indoors by the virus. Children are guided through online interactions for honing skills in different spheres of art & craft.
- Book Reading Club. Children are being encouraged to develop the habit of book reading. Children upload one book review in a week which are read and analysed by the AWWA members and the children are given guidance for improvement of writing skills.
- Abacus. A three months course on Abacus was started on 17 Apr 20 to improve mathematics skills in children. All participants have been given study material including abacus kits.
- Bravery Cards. The children of Northern Command theatre displayed highest spirits of patriotism and made 2500 motivational cards by hand which were dispatched to soldiers deployed at the forward areas of 14 Corps Zone.
Asha School. The pandemic period has been more difficult for the children with special education needs and their parents. To help in mitigating the problems of such parents and children AWWA, Northern Command has initiated activities to include :-
- Physiotherapy and Speech Therapy. Regular online classes are being organised under guidance of expert therapists explaining the conduct of speech therapy and various types of limbs & stretching exercises to parents of special children.
- Health Checkups. Detailed medical examination of all the children by concerned specialists has also been organised. Five students per day were called for a comprehensive medical check up, keeping in mind the norms of COVID-19 pandemic. A detailed health booklet has been prepared for each child to maint the health record.
- Achievements.
  - Due to the sustained effort of the management and teaching five children have been identified for upgradation to APS/DAPPS, thus, achieving the overall aim of Inclusive Education for all.
  - Consolidated compendium covering all issues related to care of children with special education needs has been prepared and given to all parents.
  - The school has been renovated and additional facilities have been provided for the children.
Welfare of Veer Naris. Every soldier is important to the olive green family and we have the greatest respect for our martyrs. In order to assist their NOKs and families endeavours have been made to settle the Veer Nari with utmost dignity in the society. Various endeavours are being undertaken in this regard to reach out to the Veer Naris of our fmn :-
- Medical Camp for Veer Naris. A Medical Examination Camp was conducted in Command Hospital, Northern Command from 24 Aug 2020 to 01 Sep 2020. Routine & Specialist treatment were provided to 50 Veer Naris who attended the medical camp.
- Tele medication & Online Consultation. To provide access to medical facilities & consultation especially during lockdown period, an arrangement of tele medication / online consultation has been established.
- Maintaining Regular Contact. During the COVID times the Veer Naris are being contacted fortnightly to know about their well being & were helped out amid lockdown by providing them regular house hold supplies.
Drona Boys Hostel. The Drona Boys Hostel, Udhampur provides hostel facilities to the wards of Veer Naris, ESM, serving JCOs/OR deployed in CI/CT environment where schooling facilities are not available. The hostel also caters to the needs of wards of Gujjar/ Bakkarwal communities & children hailing from militancy affected areas of J & K. The hostel functions under the aegis of AWWA, Northern Command. The hostel is presently closed due to the Pandemic and students are presently attending online classes from the confines of their homes. The u/m activities are organised in general for the hostel inmates :-
- Tuitions classes
- Coaching classes for competitive exams
- Career Counselling
- Facilities for online classes
APS, Udhampur. Students of APS, Udhampur have established themselves as epitome of success, excelling in academies and extra curricular activities both. Regular online classes are being organised by the school. Following students have excelled in extra curricular activities :-
- Miss Ananya Sharma student of APS, Udhampur won “Voice of Punjab Little Champs 2019” and is now participating in Zee TV “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs”.
- Master Hardeep Singh student of APS, Udhampur participated in “30th World Speedball Championship” held at Kuwait.
AWWA Award of Excellence. Following persons of Northern Command were honoured with AWWA Award of Excellence by Mrs Veena Naravane, AWWA President :-
- Mrs Geetika Khanna W/o Col Amit Khanna
- Miss Shrimayee Panda D/o Nb Sub Srikanth Panda
- Miss Deepika Sethi D/o Sub Bullu Sethi