CHILD RIGHTS

Assistance:

The project started in 1996 with the financial assistance of CORDAID, Netherlands.

To create awareness about evil effects of child labour and its eradication and to form child labour free villages.

Focus on:

Working children, school going children and their parents.

Target Area :

Thovalai block of Kanyakumari District.

The strategic approach consisted of

Village Committee :

All the activities at the village level were co-ordinated by a village level committee consisting of the representatives of SHG, Children Club, Youth Club, Village leaders and one of the project staff.

Central Co-ordination Committee:

The Central Co-ordination Committee strengthened the activities of all people's organisations through the process of networking and monitored the activities of Village Committee. The Central Co-ordination Committee also organised various public meetings, awareness meetings, trainings and a mega School Enrolment Campaign in all the target villages during summer vacation to prevent dropouts.

Assistance:

The campaign programme for the cent percent enrollment of school children was assisted by NetAid, New York.

Objective:

To enroll all children between the age of 6 and 10 in schools and the re-enrolled the dropouts below the age of 15.

Focus on :

Dropout children and School going children

Target area :

Tuticorin District.

Activities:

To increase the efficiency and capacity of the different stakeholders, capacity building trainings were organised to staff and volunteers. To facilitate the involvement of the CBOs in the entire process, strategy building trainings were organised to the CBO leaders and members.

To increase the level of motivation of the parents and teachers and ensure enrollment and retainment in the schools, Motivational Trainings were organised to the parents and teachers. Involvement of parents in school enrolment is an essential requirement of the programme. To create awareness among parents on the importance of child education, the partner NGOs conducted parents meeting. Sometimes parents themselves become the cause for their children's dropouts. They have to be educated on their participation in school education.

Another important area of focus of this project was strengthening the existing Parent teachers Associations and forming new parent teacher associations where they did not exist. An effective PTA can definitely contribute a lot for the development of the school and to improve the quality of education and to make the school child friendly.

All these activities aimed at Enrolment of children those who not enrolled and Re-enrollment of the dropout children. As a result of the activities, 5552 children were re-enrolled and 25,554 children were enrolled in schools. More than enrollment, the children developed a very positive approach towards education, teachers and schools.

The major achievement of the programme was that it created proper awareness among the people on the importance education, involvement of parents, need for child friendly school, parent teacher association and the role of CBOs in ensuring cent per cent school going children village. It motivated the parents of dropouts to re-enroll their children.

This programme helped to strengthen the relationship among the NGOs and government authorities. It encouraged the active participation of all people in the programme. It gave an opportunity for the SHGs for active participation in the enrolment of school children. It motivated government authorities to open special schools for dropout children. It helped people understand that 'education to all children' is a social responsibility.

The CRECHE programme was a community based care programme for children below 5 years of age. Two crèches were managed by CSR - one at Mylaudy and another at Chembagaraman Puthoor of Kanyakumari district. The creche programme was supported by the Central Welfare Board.

Through this programme yearly 60 children of rural farmers and other marginalized people, were taken care of by:

One teacher and one aaya were in charge of each crèche. Local people provided the buildings for the creche.

In addition to the care and teaching of the children, other activities carried out include:

The programme would be sustained through the active participation and co-operation of the people of the community.

• HIV/AIDS
• Child Rights
• Micro Credit
• Social Welfare
• Women Empowerment
• Health Services
• Relief & Rehabilitation