This months newsletter is a comparison in contrast. One of the featured articles discusses about Child Labor - a malaise that affects the lives of millions of children in India. It speaks of the ban instituted by the Government of India against Child Labor - a ban that has been 50 years slow in coming. What is astounding is the fact that child labor has the blessing of not just rural India but urban India as well. But there is hope yet. The second article speaks of the opportunity if local resources are utilised to create education for children. It speaks of the power in collective community action and how that can transform the life of a child providing not just learning opportunities but hopes and dreams of a future as well. The message is clear - transformation is not the responsibility of the state alone. For it to have impact the onus is on the individual to recognise that his/her contribution can and will change a life. It is not for nothing that the adage goes "Charity starts at home".

Child Labor Ban in India

The Indian government has announced a ban on children working as domestic servants or in roadside food stalls. The order, which applies to children under 14, will come into effect in October ‘06. It also bans children from teashops, restaurants, hotels, motels, resorts, spas or other recreational centers. The Technical Advisory Committee on Child Labor while recommending the ban has warned that that those found violating the ban would be penalized under the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act of 1986. Punishments range from a fine to imprisonment.

India has laws in place to protect children and bans the use of young workers in hazardous industries, but they remain ineffective in many areas. Thousands of children continue to work in firecracker and matchstick factories or are involved in carpet weaving, embroidery or stitching footballs. There are estimated to be more than 12.6 million child workers in India. The scattered nature of the sector, frail rehabilitation efforts, an acutely understaffed civic shops and establishments department and, of course, grinding poverty drives these children to work in unhealthy and often dangerous environs.

In Maharashtra, which enforced the ban in April in this year, law enforcers were allowed to raid establishments and fine owners, provide education to rescued children and rehabilitation to their families and enable the formation of a task force under each district collector. The results? No one knows. Officials admit that the raids on non-hazardous industries with underage employees have been so few and far between that there are no separate statistics. An overview shows that the last 12 months have seen 38 raids in Mumbai and Thane, primarily on zari, leather and plastic units. Over 1,500 children were rescued. Most have since been returned to the very poverty-stricken homes that sent them to the sweat shops in the first place. There is hope that the new central law will help the implementation of the ban in Maharashtra.

But what is emerging is that domestic labor is a hidden and scattered phenomenon hence it is essential to focus on providing the families with alternative sources of income as opposed to sending rescued children back home from where they end up right back in the cities. What is really needed is a concentrated effort towards the socio-economic development of backward areas. Though the government has schemes for the poor such as the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and the Public Distribution System, they are full of loopholes and money is siphoned off by officials. In many cases, people have not been given work and stipulated wages under the EGS. So, children have to work as laborers for two square meals and a few rupees. Therefore it is almost a verdict that the government must create and safeguard livelihood and ensure quality of life.

Malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh

93% of Sahariya children are victims of severe malnourishment.
15% are almost on the verge of death, due to malnourishment.
The average life span of a Sahariya is 45 years.

This is the situation in Patalgarh village in the State of Madhya Pradesh in India. Right To Food Campaign Madhya Pradesh (RTFMP) Support Group is fighting for the rights of these victims of malnourishment.

How can you help?

Vibha is committed to assisting the RTFMP Support Group by publicizing this grave issue. You can help by signing the online petition hosted by Vibha, addressed to the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. All the signatures collected through the online petition will be sent to the concerned officials.

Make yourself heard right now. Please sign the petition against Malnutrition online.

Miles for Smiles - Vibha Walk/Run 2006

Vibha Walk/Run is a National Fundraiser that we organize to raise awareness and funds for child development projects in India.

While Bay Area has already finished this event, more walks are being organized in Minneapolis (Sept 17), Atlanta (Sept 23), Dallas (Sept 23), Los Angeles (Oct 1), Washington DC (Oct 1), and Austin (Oct 15). We request you to participate in this unique event in your city.

We also request you to help us get sponsorships for this event at a National level or for your local event. Different sponsorship options are available and we request you to write to us.

Together, we can do much more!
Dream a little! Do a Little!

Write To Us...

Your feedback is important to us. Vibha welcomes any comments, suggestions or questions you may have about our projects, programs, products, monitoring etc. If you are particularly interested in a topic and would like to see Vibha showcase it please let us know.

Project Profile

Gramin Siksha Kendra, Bodh Siksha Samiti, Jaipur - Rajasthan

Gramin Siksha Kendra: Gramin Shiksha Kendra (GSK) was established in 2003 by a group of villagers and external development professionals working together on social development issues in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. The school was a response to what ailed the socio-economic conditions of Sawai Madhopur - poor and irrelevant education offered by the existing system.

Mission: GSK aims to set up three high quality learning schools in the Sawai Madhopur and Khandar blocks of Sawai Madhopur district. Additionally a parallel community outreach programme, will help these communities see the difference made by quality in education and encourage them to demand the same from the government. GSK will also design, develop and evolve curriculum and pedagogy which makes education more relevant to people's lives in the rural areas.

Background: The first school started in 2004 and a second has begun this year. Both schools are owned and managed by the rural community and the land and labor for construction was donated by the villagers according to their economic means. The schools have 150 and 75 children respectively. GSK has also started the outreach programme with other government schools in the area and are signing a MoU with the Rajasthan State Govt on establishing one of the schools as a technical resource center.

Teaching and Learning: GSK provides child-centric education, which allows every child to learn all the subjects at his/her own pace and mode of learning. All the teaching at the primary level is done through activities as opposed to learning by rote. Every day, after the school, the teachers assess each child's progress for that day and come up with a set of activities for the next day. Emphasis is placed on the creative and analytical skills whereby the child understands the concepts behind the subject. For instance, one of the activities in history for a small group of children aged 8-9 years, required them to venture out into the village to collect history about the local canal. Children were encouraged to think about what questions to ask, whom to ask etc.

Curriculum and pedagogy: There are monthly meetings with the parents where the parents participate in the evolution of the curriculum. So, for instance, farming and local symbols and activities form an integral part of the curriculum. The children will be mainstreamed into the government system at the 10th grade.

Extra-curricular activities: The school encourages physical activities and has exhibitions and sports days. An interesting innovation in the school has been the Bal Panchayat, where the children elect a few among themselves to the Panchayat. The panchayat serves to educate the children on a working democracy. A main activity of the panchayat is a daily newspaper where a team of reporters collect news from the village to put up on the school notice-board. Another is a weekly magazine containing creative writings and drawings from various children. The panchayat also has a program called Apna Kaam, wherein the panchayat decides on a weekly community service activity for all the children.

Vibha and GSK: Vibha has been supporting this project since 2005 and expects to continue its involvement into the future as well. Vibha's funding was crucial in supporting operational costs needed for the teachers' salaries, learning materials and other administrative expenses.

It is progress like this that spurs us on in our efforts to create opportunities and hope for children. If you would like more information on Gramin Siksha Kendra please contact us at projects@vibha.org.

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Vibha is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization that seeks to restore to underprivileged children their basic rights to food, shelter, health and education - in short, a future.
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