A Place to Belong, A Chance to Begin: How Chimple Is Lighting the Way for Mumbai's Children in Care

There is a moment, every teacher, every person who has ever worked with children knows it, when a child's face changes, when confusion becomes understanding, when hesitation becomes confidence. When a small voice says, "I can do this."

That moment is happening every day in the observation home of Mumbai. And it is changing lives.

In January 2025, something quietly remarkable began, made possible through a heartfelt partnership between Chimple Learning, PwC, and Ashiyana Foundation, a Mumbai-based organisation that has been creating safe spaces, meaningful relationships, and second chances for children in the juvenile justice system since 2012.

Together, they introduced the Smart Pathshala program at two of Mumbai's Child Care Institutions, both managed by The Children's Aid Society and supported by the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra: Umerkhadi Children's Home, one of Asia's largest observation homes providing shelter, care, and protection to boys and girls in conflict with the law and in need of care and protection, and David Sassoon Industrial School, a 220-year-old institution founded to provide vocational and foundational education to children in need of care and protection.

There are moments when learning becomes more than a lesson; it becomes a doorway to belonging. Smart Pathshala was introduced with that very spirit: to create a space where children could feel supported, seen, and encouraged as they rebuilt their learning journeys. Many of these children, who have had conflict with the law, come with disrupted or limited access to formal schooling and significant foundational learning gaps.

But from day one of this programme, the message has been clear and unwavering: You are safe here. You are capable. Your future is yours to shape.

Every Child Deserves a Joyful Start

Chimple's free, gamified learning app, designed for children aged 3 to 8, but equally powerful for those picking up foundational skills later in life, brings Foundational Literacy and Numeracy to life through thousands of interactive games, animated stories, and adaptive activities in Marathi, English, and Math.

The Smart Pathshala initiative brought that promise to life through 25 tablets preloaded with the Chimple app, daily learning sessions that became a cherished part of the children's routine, and one dedicated facilitator guiding them along the way. For children who have experienced disruption, this kind of steady, joyful structure can make all the difference.

There are no deadlines. No pressure. No fear of falling behind. Chimple's AI-powered learning pathways gently meet each child exactly where they are, celebrating every small win with badges, cheerful sounds, and the warm encouragement of Chimple, the app's beloved monkey avatar, who laughs when you get it right and softly encourages you when you need to try again.

Six Lessons That Go Beyond the Textbook

What makes this programme especially beautiful is that it was designed not just to teach children what to know, but to help them discover who they are and who they can become.

Chimple Learning developed six dedicated Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) modules crafted with care and sensitivity for the children at the observation home. Each module is a gentle, guided conversation about life:

• Understanding feelings — giving children the language to name and navigate their emotions

• Anti-bullying — nurturing kindness, empathy, and the courage to stand up for one another

• Communication skills — helping young voices speak up, ask questions, and be heard

• Digital literacy — opening the door to a connected, opportunity-filled world

• Financial literacy — planting seeds of independence and thoughtful decision-making

• Critical thinking and problem solving — building the resilient, curious minds that will carry these children forward

Together, these lessons send a profound message to every child in the programme: your feelings matter, your voice matters, and your ideas matter. Socio-emotional skills are widely recognised as an integral part of rehabilitation, helping children in care rebuild trust, develop healthy relationships, and find a sense of self beyond their circumstances. Smart Pathshala created a dedicated space to develop these skills in an engaging, non-clinical way, through real-life examples, guided conversations, and activities that felt less like lessons and more like life itself. These sessions gave children the confidence to express themselves, be heard, and carry those skills far beyond the institution.

Hope, Built Hand in Hand

This partnership between Chimple Learning, PwC, and Ashiyana Foundation is a testament to what becomes possible when organisations come together around a shared belief that no child's story is fixed. Their circumstances do not define their potential. With the right support, the right tools, and the right people in their corner, every child can learn, grow, and thrive.

As these 440+ children build their reading, writing, numeracy, and life skills day by day, they are also doing something even more profound. They are rewriting their own narratives, discovering that their future is not a fixed path but an open one, full of possibilities. For many, this programme is planting the first seeds of a dream: a trade to pursue, a goal to work toward, a sense of self-worth that no circumstance can take away. They are not just preparing to re-enter the world, they are beginning to imagine what their place in it could look like.

Their journey is just beginning. And it is already beautiful.

Chimple Learning is a free, award-winning foundational learning app by Sutara Learning Foundation, reaching children aged 3–8 across India. Join us in making joyful learning accessible to every child. Download the app free at chimple.org.