Development Focus

The project was implemented in 20 tribal villages where unsafe migration and trafficking of children and youth were rife.1066 children in the 9 to 14 age group are part of 44 children’s clubs. They now attend school regularly and receive holistic education in the clubs. They learn about their rights to include age appropriate sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR), entrepreneurship, through an innovative Earn While You Learn. They are linked with child protection agencies. 980 vulnerable youth in the 15 to 22 age group are part of 40 youth clubs. They share and learn from each other in the clubs and are provided with holistic education. They have been provided livelihood skills and have started earning a regular income by adding value to locally available resources as well as servicing the needs of the community. Each village has a Community Watch Group made up of 9 members from the village. The set up is self-sustainable and continues after the project cycle is over. Incidences of unsafe migration, trafficking and child marriages have been drastically reduced.

“Digital India” is now in overdrive, with the rise of online services replacing many manual processes. Digital platforms are increasingly used for obtaining legal documents, and other vital records, like caste certificates, land records etc. Online money transactions are also becoming popular for people who cannot easily access a bank or an ATM. The use of the internet for social media and entertainment is fast replacing the need for a television or radio. Online education at various levels is being used extensively. On the flip side, rural areas in India still lack access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Internet connectivity does not exist, but people manage to receive some news and information on their phones. Several communities in remote rural areas have no access or knowledge about digital services, mobile commerce and government schemes which are all available online via the internet. Without awareness and access, they are greatly handicapped and left behind. They are further excluded from mainstream development. This project is to bridge this digital divide and take these online services to remote rural areas. Youth from disadvantaged communities are trained to use computers and technology to provide online services to their communities. The project also provides sustainable livelihood to unemployed rural youth. The project covered 16 villages in Karnataka and 24 villages in Mizoram reaching out to nearly 43,750 households. These households in remote, rural areas now have access to online services and 40 educated youth from disadvantaged backgrounds are earning a decent living in their own villages by serving their community.

A programme to prevent child marriages was implemented in Jharkhand and Odisha. These two states have a very high incidence of child marriage in the country. The Goal was to reduce child marriages by 50% and strengthen Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights among adolescents and youth. As in all our projects, the community and community organisations were involved right from the beginning. The broad objectives of the program was: better knowledge on SRHR, improved access to SRHR services, enhancing access to formal education, ensuring retention amongst adolescent girls in schools, sensitizing the communities towards behavioral change, influencing government policies, institutional mechanisms and services on Child Marriage and SRHR. 6 Yuva Mitras were selected from each of the 400 villages where the project was implemented. They were motivated to volunteer and be ‘Change Agents’ in the villages. The Yuva Mitras were systematically trained on SRHR issues, the importance of education and laws governing child marriage. They in turn mobilized 800 youth groups across 400 villages that met regularly and facilitated them. These issues were discussed in the youth groups. Youth were sensitized and set goals for themselves. More than 22,000 youth have been sensitized. Children in 200 government schools were also sensitized. Awareness of the communities in these villages has been raised so that they will support the youth in their decisions. By the end of the project cycle, several child marriages have been stopped. The fact that the youth are together as a group emboldens them to resist harmful traditional practices. The Yuva Mitras still supports the youth even after the project cycle is over. The authorities have been sensitized and are willing to step in and stop illegal practices that threaten the rights of a child.