The atmosphere on 6 March at Harnaut’s R.P.S College was a lively one. The quiz competition was on. Enthusiastic children were raising their hands, eager to answer and shouting that they raised their hands first.

A Children’s Fair was being held for the children in our intervention areas in Bihar’s Nalanda District. The fair was a part of the Oxfam India-HDFC initiative, titled ‘Project Utthan’ that aims to achieve holistic rural development. It contributes towards the socio-economic empowerment of people from marginalised communities by aiding with sustainable livelihood options and improving access to essential services (especially women) across 15 villages in three blocks in Nalanda.

Participants included school going children, members from the School Management Committee, representatives of the Village Development Committee from 15 villages in Hilsa, Nagar Nausa and Harnaut. The fair had something for every student present. They could choose from quiz competitions, drawing contests, games and WASH awareness initiatives.

For the quiz competitions, students were put in groups representing their villages, they were asked questions based on their class curriculum, and the group would have a quick discussion before answering. The team from Nadha village came first and the teams from Kewai village and Mohiuddinpur village won the second and third prize, respectively.

For the drawing competition the students could draw whatever they wished. Karu Kumar and Ritu Raj, both from the Indaut village, won the first and second prize, respectively. Priyanka from Barah village won third place and Kajal Kumari from Nadha village received the consolation prize.

For the WASH awareness initiative, there was a competition where the children were asked questions about health and hygiene. The student groups representing Sirsi, Babhan Diha and Kolawan villages won first, second and third place, respectively.

There were many more competitions held during the day and each child was given a medal of participation. The Children’s Fair proved to be a fruitful platform for the children to participate in healthy competition. The activities challenged the children and motivated them to do their best while simultaneously ensuring that they had fun.

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