Campaign Story
About the project
Panchkula is a well-planned city, and is one among the tri-city which includes Chandigarh and Zirakhpur. Children’s access to education in a large number of urban slums is very gloomy. Most of the slum population are those who have migrated from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West-Bengal and other parts of the country. The primary occupation of the slum dwellers is daily wage in shops/small scale industries, selling vegetables, domestic help done by female workers etc. Level of awareness among the community on education is very low and due to the issue of poverty, education of children is not prioritized at the community level. Children are being engaged in rag picking, cleaning, sanitation work, domestic help and working in hotel/dhaba to supplement family income.
Making a difference
CRY America’s Project PAPN is working in 2 slums, ensuring all the children within the age group of 6-14 are enrolled in the school and are retained in schools. Children acquire life skills and exercise their agency towards the fulfillment of their rights. Creation and capacity building of women groups, adolescent groups and children groups is done to ensure reporting and redressal of the cases of child rights violation. The key activities under the project are monitoring and ensuring all eligible children admitted to schools, children made aware of the protocols for prevention mechanisms for COVID -19, community meetings conducted in small groups adhering to social distancing and mask norms for awareness and identification of the children who have lost or separated from caregivers due to COVID-19 and link them with foster care and sponsorship scheme.
Action during COVID times
● Children of families who suffered income losses were linked with open school
● 60 children are sensitized on COVID appropriate behavior
The way forward
● Linking all eligible children with health and ICDS systems to ensure key health and nutrition services- especially routine immunization.
● Continuation of remedial education services in Child Activity Centres (CAC) for providing support to mainstreamed children
● Regular interaction with the community members through online and offline mediums to break the myths regarding vaccination and motivated them towards vaccination
● Awareness generation and sensitization in the children regarding the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and build their capacity to spread awareness among the community to come forward for the vaccines- through wall writings, small group meetings, homevisits etc.
● Providing monetary support to the children and linking them with NIOS
Project Impact
130
Children were provided with remedial support
114
Out of school children were mainstreamed in school.
800
Households were visited through door to door awareness drive to create awareness on social distancing and COVID safety protocols
136
Children engaged in child labor linked with CAC and school
13
Children linked with Open school for 10th and 12th board exams
Last Year’s Grant Disbursed: $15,324
Current Year’s Approved Grant
Story of persistence
Monika and Savita are two sisters living in Kharak Mangoli. Their family shifted here in search of work almost 60 years ago. Their father used to work as a laborer and mother as domestic help. When Savita and Monika were in the 8th grade, their father met with an accident which led to a lot of medical expenses, resulting in both the sisters dropping out of school.
When the project team came to know about the situation they convinced the parents to send the girls to the Child Activity Center and also join the Digital Learning Center. Both the sisters were enrolled in the 10th grade through open school and passed their exams.
Even during the pandemic they continued to take online classes by CRY and the CAC online classes. Their father passed away at the end of 2020 but this did not deter Monika and Savita from pursuing their studies. Both the sisters started preparing for 10th board examination and visited the Child Activity Center often for remedial support.
They have successfully passed their 10th open board examination and have enrolled for the 11th grade as they were very enthusiastic to rejoin school.
Project Photo Gallery
