Empower 5000 drop out Adolescent Girls in Lucknow

We wish a very Happy and Healthy New Year 2021 to GlobalGiving, its team and all donors supporting for the development and welfare of vulnerable communities.        

The Covid-19 induced challenges such as household food insecurity,livelihood insecurity,child labour, child marriages,  economic slowdowns, sectoral services like education, health, nutrition have compounded community vulnerabilities, despite vigorous efforts of the government, non-government organisations and donor groups in India and across the Globe. It has more devastating impact on children, adolescent girls and women in slum communities where majority of the families are daily wage earners, migrants and daily vendors living in the situation from hand to mouth. Covid 19 may further increase the problems like school dropouts, child labour and child marriage affecting them most. Sarathi Development Foundation has focussed on reducing challenges of Covid 19 by capacity building of community volunteers and groups, communication to prevent Covid 19 spread risks in congested slum settings & crowded basic facilities like community toilets, water supply systems and building linkages with the government relief schemes such as dry ration for food.    

Education is the foundation to empower children and adolescents girls and protect from the risks like child labour, child marriage, trafficking, discriminations, abuses and exploitation especially in the given poor social and economic conditions of the slums. Keeping this in view, Sarathi Development Foundation started My School My Dream Campaign in month of December 2020 to see the children and adolescent girls back to their schools in slums of Badali Khera, Makdoom Nagar and Munshi Khera slums of the Lucknow. It focussed on mapping of children and adolescent girls either already drop out or at the risk of becoming drop out, home based counselling of care givers of children and adolescent girls, coordination with the school teachers and school management committees and enrolment in the schools through the engagement of community volunteers, women self-help groups and adolescent girls groups developed under the project with support of GlobalGiving. 45 drop out children and adolescent girls were re-enrolled in four government schools and nine are in process to be re-enrolled.

We are grateful to the support of GlobalGiving to deliver impact among the children, adolescent girls and their families in slums of Lucknow. 

Developing community resources child reporters brings long-term sustainable impact at ground level. Our Saloni project aiming at empowering 10-19 years adolescent girls and improving their conditions in gender critical urban slums of Lucknow has demonstrated impact value of above mentioned   community resources developed at ground level with support of Global Giving.  

Child Reporters: -Child Reporters are contributing in building the foundation for child participation and initiatives to address the issues affecting them, their families, schools and community in slums of Lucknow. They are being developed and empowered with a blend of strategies including training, exposure, interface, publication of the child centered and stories based on their issues and dialoguing with service providers.

Thirteen years old Shbabana living in Makdoomnagar and studying in 7^th standard was selected as Child Reporter under the project in 2018. She was trained to enhance her motivation and skills on communication, participation, child rights and entitlements, self-advocacy tools like story, feedback notes, drawings, applications. She was introduced along with other 30 child reporters to wider community, school teachers, local representative’s public health workers and other service providers. These project inputs and continuous mentoring guidance made Shabana  a community level change maker. She has also enrolled herself with a vocational training courses while continuing here education. While mobilizing the parents for sending their children especially girls to schools regularly, preventing child marriage, she provides feedback to the service providers. Her feedback and communication with local governance body member brought new hand pump for drinking water in the community. She collects and disseminates information to community members on government schemes. She has also been able to motivate her parents for admission of her two sisters in school. At the age of 13, she demonstrates the potential girls carry to bring change among themselves and their community. Shabana is not alone. Project has developed 30 child reporters in age group of 10-15 years in 5 slums. They are emerging as local journalists, change makers and feedback providers. Their presence in the slums and schools contributes in encouraging education, delaying child marriages, improving delivery of public services like education, health, nutrition, water, sanitation impacting above 5000  children, girls and families.