Education

Overview
Early Childcare Development
Child Protection
Quality Education
Residential Schools

We empower children and other community members to advocate for their right to education and fight against child labor and corporal punishment. By organizing children and providing them the information they need, their collective voice becomes a powerful change agent in their communities.

Bal Sanghas (Child Clubs)

We've helped create 78 "Bal Sanghas", forums where members between the ages of 6 and 18 are educated on child rights, health, early marriage, drug addiction and advocacy. In these clubs, children work together to discuss their issues and come up with strategies to improve the well-being of themselves and their communities.

The clubs organize and participate in "Sisumelas" (Children's Fairs), inter-village exposure visits and the state Adivasi Festival. They have also formed their own district-level federation where they have successfully sought action on improving schools and increasing access to education in remote areas.

The clubs are very active in their communities, providing villagers information about common problems like malaria. In addition, we have helped create a 'Theater for Development' group that is spreading a strong HIV/AIDS prevention message across villages. These activities have vastly improved the relationship and communication between children and adults.

Today, the "Bal Sanghas" have 6,739 members (3,291 boys and 3,439 girls), among which 52 are special needs children and 98 are orphans. As of mid-2008, 2,055 new members have joined. Read a success story.

Child-Led Indicators

We've instituted a unique tool for children's self assessment in the villages to track and measure important issues such as drop out rates, HIV infection, livelihood concerns, and child labor victims. The children in the Bal Sanghas gather and draw a map of their village. Through different colors and symbolism, they work to plot out the homes, schools, temples, wells and other resources in their village. They also plot information on each child in the village, including age, sex, school status and health.

The completed sketch is then fixed on the wall of the school, so that the children can easily analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their village. Here, they track each other's progress and use the information to target problem areas and work together to improve the situations of their fellow peers.

Village Protection Committees

We help form democratically-elected Village Protection Committees comprised of 13 adults and 2 children to supplement the Bal Sanghas. These committees work to fight for the rights of children in their villages and speak out against corporal punishment and child labor.