Rani, 22, is from a small village in Bihar’s Gaya district. She completed her B.A. in 2021 and currently teaches at a private school. At home, Rani lives with her parents, her father is a small-scale farmer, and her mother is part of the JEEViKA program—a rural livelihoods initiative by the Bihar government.

Pratham, in partnership with JEEViKA, empowers Community Mobilisers to raise mothers’ awareness about children’s education. This is done through Self-Help Groups (SHGs), in collaboration with the Department of Rural Development. The initiative runs across eight districts in Bihar. Many JEEViKA members, like Rani’s mother, have recently started supporting children’s learning in their villages. This is part of a government-led summer initiative.

Rani always dreamed of pursuing a course that prepares her for a career in teaching, but financial constraints made it difficult.

Despite these challenges, Rani loved spending time with children. When her school closed for summer vacation, she heard about CAMaL Ka Camp—an initiative by Pratham, in partnership with the Bihar Education Department, and several others including JEEViKA, Bihar Skill Development Mission and local youth volunteers. The camp brings activity-based learning to children in communities to strengthen their math skills. As it was taking place in her neighbourhood, she decided to join as a volunteer.

For Rani, it was a completely new experience. For the first time, she came across the idea of assessing children’s learning levels. She was amazed to see how knowing a child's learning level helped tailor the teaching method.

The camp also introduced Rani to activity-based learning—an approach that was entirely new to her. She began using interactive games like ‘Clap and Snap’, ‘Number Jump’, and more to engage the children. These playful activities and rhymes made learning math exciting and approachable for the children. She noticed that even children who had been shy or hesitant at first started participating eagerly. Watching this transformation in the children encouraged her every day.

“Before this camp, I had never taught children through activities and games. Now, I feel more confident as a teacher. This camp is not just teaching the children, I am learning a lot too,” she shares.

Rani also liked how CAMaL Ka Camp focused on building children’s thinking, understanding, creativity, and confidence. “I saw learning come alive at CAMaL Ka Camp,” she says with a smile.

Rani’s experience is a testament to how, with the right support and simple, effective approaches, meaningful change is possible. Through CAMaL Ka Camp, young volunteers like Rani find the tools and inspiration to become confident, dedicated educators in their communities.