Provide Nutrition to Migrant Children For a Year

Progress Report of Early Chldhood Care and Development Center at

Prestige Waterford, Anand Nagar and Bidadi centres in Bangalore

 Reporting Period: 1st October 2023 to 31st December 2023

 Supported by GlobalGiving

Dear Friends of Sampark,

We wish you all a very Happy new year 2024 ! With support from good humans like you all, it has been possible for us to deliver good work and support migrant children in Bangalore, India. Let's dive into what we did this quarter.

Background of our work

A new city, new friends, and new experiences sound exciting to many of us. Well, we wish it is true for the 4 million migrants working in the construction sector in Bangalore. Parents migrate to the city to earn an income to manage their debts, are working the whole day and children are left to themselves in the labour colony. Migrant children live in unhygienic surroundings with no proper access to water and sanitation. Children lose out on their education when they move around with their parents to different places of work. They are completely invisible in the city to access their basic entitlements on health, education and nutrition. 

Sampark creche interventions caters to 1,500 migrant children through 26 crèches in various locations in Bangalore. The children are provided with a safe and fun place to play and learn basic languages, numbers, and arts and crafts. The children are under-nourished, and the health and nutrition requirements are secured by providing them breakfast, lunch, and snacks in the evening. The crèches work from 9.30 am to 5 pm. Children as young as 6 months old are taken in, Balwadi consists of children from 3-6 years and Non-formal Education from the age of 6 to 12 years.

Sampark based on its core women empowerment values, realized in cities, women primarily need support through childcare services to enable them to join the labour force and earn an income to contribute to their family income.

Location

There are multiple labour colonies spread all across Bangalore. This report particularly provides you the progress update of the below 3 centres.

Name of Crèche & Address of Crèches

1. Prestige water ford

Prestige Waterford, ECC Rd, Pattandur Agrahara, Whitefield, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560066

 2. Anand Nagar

G B J School Rd No 1, Sanjay Nagar, Marathahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560037

3. Bidadi

Rangegowdana Doddi, Manchanayakana Halli, Bidadi, Ramanagar - 562109

Children catered to 

Creche (6 months to 3 years)   - 9 girls and 5 boys

Balwadi (3 to 5 years)     - 10 girls and 12 boys

Bridge course (above 5 years to 12 years)     - 14 girls and 9 boys

Government school going children - 7 girls and 9 boys

In total 40 girls and 35 boys benefitted from the services of the early child hood care centre. It is to be noted that during the reporting period i.e. 1st Oct to 31st Dec , 5 children were newly enrolled, 13 children returned back from their native villages, and 21 children went to the village. The total enrolled as on 31st December is 75 (40 girls and 35 boys). This brings out the nature of the migrant children's life and makes us understand the importance of the support provided.

 Nutrition

Sampark set up the crèche keeping in mind that migrant children’s nutrition should be given utmost priority. The team provided eggs, bananas, chikkis and cooked hot midday meals (Kichidi) every day as per the planned schedule to all the children. Protien mixture was provided to the undernourished children and supplementary nutrition such as a multivitamin, and iron syrups were also included.

We are very happy that out of 5 children, 4 Children (Shravan Kumar, Dhiksha, Poornima and Shivakumar ) have shown improvement in weight and Grade ( moved from yellow ( moderately underweight to normal weight),1 Child (Gagan ) has improved his weight .


 Health Checks

5 children recieved their age-appropriate immunization and 20 (10 girls and 10 boys) Children were provided with Vitamin A and Deworming medicines. 2 Paediatric health camps were organized for children. 56 (29 Girls and 27 Boys ) children were screened. During the health camps, the teacher identified 4 pregnant women and enabled them to get mother card from the government maternal care centre and 1 women received immunization.

The team monitored the height and weight of the 36 children( 19 Girls and 17 boys ) aged below 5 years regularly. Out of 36 children, 5 children were undernourished. A special diet (protein mixture) was provided to these undernourished children. 5 children ( 2 girls and 3 boys) showed improvement in their weight.

Learning Activities

Crèche caters to children under 3 different categories. Creche: Children above 6 months to 3 years, Balwadi- children between 3 – 6 years, and non-formal education for children above 6 years. Activities related to overall development such as cognitive and physical development were implemented on the children in the creche. The topics covered during the reporting period were 

Activities related to overall development such as cognitive like simple maths, coloring, alphabet, Numbers, etc, and physical development like exercise and indoor and outdoor games, etc were implemented for the children. The topics covered during the reporting period were, Fruits and Life Skill, Vegetables and Village and City, Water and Our Country India etc.

Community Interventions

In an effort to ensure regular attendance to creche and learn and follow good ygience, discipline and healthy eating practices, Sampark team regularly interacts with parents.

6 parent meetings were conducted. The topic discussed during the parent’s meetings includes Cleanliness part 2, Age-appropriate immunization for children, Age-appropriate children's growth, and children's Cleanliness.69 parents (1 male and 68 females) attended the parent meetings.   

12 Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted. The topics discussed during the meetings were Anganwadi linkage and Children safety, Colony Cleanliness, Anganwadi Linkage, Health, Nutrition, Children Cleanliness, and Immunization. 61 parents (61 females) participated in the meeting.

Special Events and Festivals

Children look forward to fun celebrations and we make special effort to take them to many events which gives them a lot of experiential learning and exposure. The centres celebrated the below 

On November 14th Children's Day was celebrated. Several games and fancy dress competion were conducted and distributed prizes for the winners and also children enjoyed with Cake Cutting. 

Read more about how Mallikarjun’s escaped malnutrition !

Galeppa and Lakshmi faced major poverty in Belgaum. They decided to migrate to Bangalore in April 2023 for better income-earning opportunities. They moved to Bangalore with two children— One boy and one girl. When they arrived in the Anand Nagar area, they found out about Sampark’s Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) center and enrolled their two children in the ECCD center.              

One child Shravani who is above 6 years is eligible to enroll in Government School so teacher of ECCD center enrolled her in the government school.

Mallikaarjun is 3 years old. When he was enrolled his weight was only 7 kg. As per WHO standards at the age of 3 years Mallikaarjun should weigh 11 Kgs and so he was categorized as Undernourished Child. He had a habit of sitting one corner most of the time and he used to sleepy and tired. The teacher at the centre ensured special nutritious food (Protein mix made with equal quantities of fried legumes, jaggery, ground nut and broken wheat) was provided. Regular Boiled chick pea, Ground Nut, Cooked Moong, Gram dhal, egg, and Banana) were provided. After 4 months Mallikarnjun weight has now increased to a healthy 11.50 kgs. Since Lakshmi and her husband go to work, she confidently leaves her children at the center without any worries. Now the child is active and showing interest in participating stimulation activities and playing with other children,  

Sampark’s ECCD centers,teachers are thrilled that their efforts and care helps these children to fight malnutrition and enjoy a life full of good health and growth !!

Links:

• 5 min read about the importance of ECCD

A brief insight into the lives of migrant women and their children 

With over 35-40 million people engaged in the construction sector, women occupy nearly 20-30 percent of this workforce. A majority of these women work as construction labourers primarily because the male members of their family are already employed in the construction sector. The status of migrant women workers can vary depending on factors such as geographic location, regulatory frameworks, and specific working conditions. 

Here are some common aspects related to their status:

a. Limited Access to Formal Employment: Migrant women workers in the construction industry lack literacy skills and hence often end up working in informal or precarious jobs, lacking social protections and benefits.

b. Low Wages and Exploitative Conditions: They may face long working hours, lack of proper safety measures, and inadequate access to healthcare and other essential services. 

c. Lack of Social Support Networks: Migrant women workers face isolation and a lack of social support networks. This can exacerbate their vulnerability to exploitation and limit their access to information and resources.

d. Language and Cultural Barriers: Language and cultural barriers can pose challenges for migrant women workers in the construction industry. Difficulties in communication and understanding workplace norms can contribute to their marginalization and limit their opportunities for growth.

Role in Supporting Working Migrant Women In India - An insight into our efforts in the year 2022-23

The primary responsibility for childcare prevents women from working or earning incomes, exposing women and children to multitude of problems.

The 28 Early Childhood Care and Development centers that are spread across 75 labour colonies, where 1995 children - 1,046 boys and 949 girls run by Sampark provide a range of services and programs that cater to the care, development, and education of young children, typically from birth to around 14 years of age. The children are classified into three sections:

Crèches - 6 months to 3 years; Balwadi - between 3 to 6 years and non-formal education for children above 6 years.

Support provided by Sampark through its Child Care Centres

Healthcare: Monthly health camps are conducted at creches. The creche teacher links the children to the local Primary Health Centre to ensure age- appropriate immunization.

• 7,801 children attended the health camps. ( 4066, boys and 3735 girls).
• 1,638 children who had illnesses accessed the services of the Public health centre near them. 

Nutrition: In the centers, all children are provided 3 meals a day.  Children’s growth is monitored monthly and children are categorized as normal or undernourished based on nutrition standards prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Undernourished children are put on a special diet.

• 539 children - 247 girls and 292 boys received special diet.
• 410 children improved their nutrition, so happy that 188 girls and 222 boys are growing healthy and happy!
• Out of 539, 410 (77%) improved their nutrition.

As a standard practice, teachers prepare and distribute protein powder to the undernourished children. Under the ICDS scheme ( Integrated Child Development services Programme) through the anganwadis, 229 children were also enabled to access anganwadi ( Government day care centres) nutrition. 

Education: Sampark uses child-friendly materials and techniques to make learning exciting and truly engaging, aiding its absorption. Monthly topics and activities are planned and regular parent meetings are held to discuss attendance and learning. The importance of continuing education is emphasized. Today, children who were once destined to proceed in their lives with zero education can easily read out the alphabet, memorize songs and dances, demonstrate spatial skills by sorting objects, and engage in pre-writing exercises. Sampark is able to transform children into school-ready batches of potential students, on their way to enter mainstream education.

• 145 children - 82 girls and 63 boys joined Government schools this academic year, of which the highest number of children, 23 children ( 16 girls and 7 boys) are from a non-builders colony - Patallama layout in Bangalore. This makes us really proud !

Community engagement: Facilitate community dialogues and workshops to encourage social integration, promote understanding between migrant and host communities, and foster mutual support networks. Ex. Aadhar cards, Pan, Bank account, Health Card. Monthly one  parent teacher’s meeting to ensure government school linkages happen on time. 2,731 parents attended the Parents teachers meetings this year

Capacity building of the care providers: The care providers are trained on issues related to education, health, nutrition and inclusive child care practices, equipping them with the necessary skills to support migrant families effectively. 504 child care workers trained.

Mainstreaming the Sampark model in Government Programs

 Three of our in-house resource persons have become master trainers and these trainers train the childcare workers of daycare centers which are in the Zilla Panchayat ( block level office), Taluk Panchayat (district government office), NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), Zilla Hospital, and Police quarters. These centers are run for the employees of the particular department. In each department, 3 teachers are trained to take care of the employee’s children. The training is for 10 days, 7 days the trainer provides training to all the trainees with regard to activities, Nutrition, Crèche Set up, Immunization, etc, and for the next 3 days, practical training is provided to set up the crèche. The trainer visits these creches and gives practical training and helps in setting up of creches. 

Stories of TRansformation

 Renamma: A life changing intervention 

Hanumantha and Sharanamma, a couple from Raichur district migrated to Bangalore 10 years back in search of jobs. The couple has 4 children, 2 girls and 2 boys. Both parents work as masons. Among 4 children, Renamma is the eldest one, who is 11 years old and studying in 5th standard in the government school. 2 other children are also enrolled in the Government School with the help of the teacher, and the last child  is in the crèche now.

During the summer vacation, Renamma’s parents took her to the village and there they tried to look for an alliance to get her married. An alert creche teacher came to know about this through a neighbor. The teacher called the parents over phone and got confirmation that they were indeed trying to get her married. 

The teacher and supervisor then told the parents that this is against the law and if they continue with this marriage they will complain to the police under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. With several follow ups with parents, the teacher convinced the parents about the importance of education for the child. Parents realized their mistake and agreed to send the child to the school. And also the parents agreed and signed in a document that they won’t stop the child’s education. Now, Renamma is continuing her education. 

Sampark’s timely intervention helped in ensuring Renamma has a good future.