Project Area: Ieeza and Gattu Mandals, Jogulamba Gadwal District; Amrabad Mandal, Nagarkurnool District in Telangana and Dhanora Block, Gadchiroli District, Maharashtra | Timeline: April 2014 – December 2018.

The focus of this project is in areas of civil unrest, neglect and backwardness in the states of Telangana and Maharashtra. Such areas are characterized by high levels of militancy, increased poverty rates, marginalized populations and prevalence of child labour. With this rationale in mind, MVF has limited its intervention to two areas, one in Telangana and one in Maharashtra.

MVF’s intervention in these areas is to build support of community through a process of social mobilization to enroll all children in schools particularly from areas of neglect in Jogulamba Gadwal and Nagarkurnool Districts, Telangana and civil unrest in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra.

Overview
The program started to ensure universal enrolment and retention of children in schools through a strategy of social mobilization and awareness building; and to pilot a model of teacher led systemic change towards child friendly education; run residential bridge course camps for out of school children and child labourers withdrawn from work; and set up 15 Quality Schools which would act as models of teacher led systemic change towards child friendly education.

Project Updates

  • Baseline survey conducted in all the villages i.e. 131 of the then Mahbubnagar District and 187 of Gadchiroli District. According to baseline survey it was found that there are 40085 School Going (SG) and 7509 Non School Going (NSG) children.
  • Total Schools being tracked across years are 333 and total students tracked 32,682
  • 374 children have been mainstreamed into formal schools from the RBC in erstwhile Mahbubnagar District and 109 students from Gadchiroli District.
  • Quality Improvement program has been taken up in 15 schools with a total number of 42 government teachers, education activists and 3183 students. Schools have assessed, remedial classes have begun and 2793 children i.e. 968 and 1825 children showed improvement in the 1st and 2nd assessments conducted so far. Children’s Committees have been created and they take part in co-curricular activities. Subject teacher forums formed.
  • Campaign against child marriages taken up by conducting street plays and other awareness programs. 57 child marriages stopped so far.
  • 839 local community bodies trained (240 SMCs, 129 GPs, 196 CRPFs)

Donor: Jamsetji Tata Trust