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We work for the Children in different geographies, under different circumstances. They are the testimonials to our success story. Following are just few of the many stories that were captured as Save the Children continues with its work addressing various issues related to Child Right in India.
*FEATURED CASE STUDY:
“In our mobile health unit project, we are not only aiming to provide the curative services but also trying to raise the community awareness to increase utilisation of services.” - Sushma, Project Co-ordinator
Rakhi is a 21 year old mother of twins who brought her children in for growth monitoring. During the visit it was found that her 5 month old twins were severely malnourished with stunted growth. At this point, the mother’s diet and life style were assessed. She admitted to not being able to feed both the twins enough as she could not afford to feed herself well. She herself was malnourished. The children were not able to receive immunizations at the government dispensary because of the severe malnourishment. Additionally, the parents were also not able to afford the appropriate healthcare for the children. After hearing this, the health workers on the case decided to counsel her about a proper diet that she may be able to afford and still be able to feed herself as well as her children. She was also counseled about food and water hygiene to prevent further infections. She was taught about the importance of breast-feeding, but in the absence of this, she was taught what she may substitute breast-milk with. Rakhi has started following our counseling and her twins are gradually improving in health. They are gradually catching up with their peers in their growth and are up-to-date with their immunizations. They regularly visit the growth monitoring programs at the aanganwadi’s and trust the mobile van for their healthcare needs.
The Power of Opportunities; the Power of Dreams
Thirst knows no boundaries, yet caste divisions are still the reality in the land of the Mahatma. In a government primary school in a tiny hamlet of Surendranagar district, a thirsty child drank water from the tap and got a beating. Being born to the “untouchable” caste of Valmiki was enough for him to be banished from touching the school water facility. Humiliated, the frightened child decided to stay away from school. The matter took an ugly turn and divided the village into two warring classes. Education and schooling took a back seat. Children were back on the streets—and worse still working on the farms—mute witnesses to battles their elders fought.
Ishwar Bhai, a Development activist with MARAG, a partner NGO of Save the Children, knew that it would be too easy to get entangled in this warped situation. He kept reminding himself that it’s children who are his priority for it is the children who are paying the heaviest price of all.
He started addressing the issue by holding meetings with the elders of the two communities separately and helping them disassociate the issue of education of children from caste and power dynamics. He made villagers realize that the school does not belong to any one community—it exists for the benefit of all children, so why snatch that one opportunity away? Perhaps they, Ishwar Bhai explained, held the key to breaking the old divisions amongst villagers that existed from generation to generation,but only if they stayed in school and learned from one another.
And just like that, unwittingly, the villagers got involved in child protection activities and discussions based on the meetings led by Ishwar Bhai.
His repeated discussions bore fruit, and the community members decided to send their children back to school.
Even as the battle between the elders, to prove ones supremacy and power over the other continues, Ishwar Bhai smiles to himself. For, not too far away, inside the four walls of the primary school, the children of the village are strengthening their grip on the real power – the power of knowledge. The power of opportunity. The power of dreams.
625 Development Activists (volunteers) like Ishwar Bhai are helping to mobilise communities around issues of child rights, protection and education across 1,869 villages/communities of rural Maharashtra and Gujarat. Approximately 50% of these Development Activists were child labourers themselves.
OTHER CASE STUDIES:
Child Protection
Child Survival
Education
Disaser Risk Reduction & Emergencies
Kalaivani, her story about survival and days of child labour after the Tsunami in Tamil Nadu
Highlights of ECHO support for Save the Children
Javid's story
One Orphanage, Many Gains
Tariq's story
Tripartite Approach Story
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