Project Area: Dharur and Gadwal mandals of Mahabubnagar District, Telangana | Timeline: June 2014 – 2018
The program focuses on marginalised communities especially in an area which is known for chronic migration of labour resulting in homes being locked for half the year and schools being dysfunctional.
Overview
The program reaches out to 12000 children in the area. It focuses on holding meetings with the community and the gram panchayats, campaign against child labour, working in cotton seed farms, motivating parents to allow children to stay back home for continuing with their education, strengthening the School Management Committees and women’s groups on protection of child rights. The program also provides for scholarships for children from dalit communities for pursuing higher education.
Project Updates
- Support given to government elementary schools to provide quality, non-discriminatory and universal education. Teachers have been motivated to discontinue practices of making girl children sweep the floor, wash the lunch plates of the teachers and also discourage them from calling girls by nicknames.
- Formation of children’s committees.
- 25 dalit children identified and given scholarships at Rs.14,000 per annum per student for completion of graduation.
- Orientation to the school teachers and SMCs to stop discriminatory practices.
- Significant reduction in migration of children along with their parents and also being absorbed as child labourers.
- Enhanced public awareness on school budgets, roles and responsibilities of teachers and accountability
- At least 20 gram panchayats are involved in engaging with schools in a systematic fashion. Schools and child rights are part of the agenda and mentioned in the minutes of the meetings of gram Panchayats.
- 40 SMCs aware of the provisions of the RTE Act and their roles and responsibilities. Minutes of SMC meetings maintained and quality of agenda items discussed.
- Increase in school enrolment
Donor: Actionaid
