Project Mitwa Mahila Kalyan Evam Seva Samiti (MMKSS)

Campaign Story

About the project

Bilaspur is a region in Chhattisgarh where education is a very huge problem, faced by the communities living there. Lack of access to quality education and infrastructure results in children dropping out of school and getting involved in child labor. The pandemic increased the challenges with children facing issues with digital learning coupled with increased financial burden on the family which resulted in children dropping out of school.

Making a difference

CRY America’s Project MMKSS works towards creating children’s collectives, sensitizing the SMCs, ensuring children in the age of 3 to 6 years attend preschool, and teacher learning manual support is provided to teachers. The key activities under the project are linking children with scholarship schemes, vulnerability mapping and work regarding installation of kitchen gardens in model schools and AWC.

Action during COVID times

● When schools were closed, children were linked to online and mohalla classes
● Masks, books, sweaters and sanitary pads were distributed
● PPE kits and oxygen concentrators were distributed to district hospitals

The way forward

● Awareness session such as street plays to disseminate information regarding prevention of child labor/ migration/ marriage and abuse
● Mainstream and rehabilitate vulnerable and rescued children into school and other avenues of skills for livelihood with the help of VCPC, SMC and other child protection institutions and authorities.
● Assessment on child labor & child marriage present status & impact of COVID through community level meetings & personal interviews.
● Home visits and personal counseling for children appearing in board examination
● Academic support in the form of linkages with remedial and support classes to ensure maximum number of children clear their higher secondary board examination

Project Impact

children were linked with online and mohalla classes.

322

Children were linked with online and mohalla classes.

children were distributed with masks, books, sweaters and sanitary pads to 211 adolescent girls

900

Children were distributed with masks, books, sweaters and sanitary pads to 211 adolescent girls

children are registered in AWC and enrolled to pre-school

312

Children are registered in AWC and enrolled to pre-school

children are registered_ enrolled in school in age of 6 to 18 years

1235

Children are registered/ enrolled in school in age of 6 to 18 years

children gave class 10 exam and all got promoted

145

Children gave class 10 exam and all got promoted

340

Children in children’s collectives

17

Children’s groups

130

Adolescent girls in adolescent girls’ collectives

Donate To Project

Last Year’s Grant Disbursed: $17,161

Current Year’s Approved Grant

Nutrition$778

Education$11,483

Administration$3,892

Participation$3,309

Total Budget$19,462

Story of Girl Power

Suhana Pravin, an adolescent girl from Chuchuhiyapara slum is a regular member of adolescent collective. She and other 12 girls regularly organize meetings in the slums on issues related to child rights like education and health. In the month of Nov 2021, she with support from project staff and members of collectives visited households of minority communities in the slum and motivated 12 women to get COVID-19 vaccination. Project beneficiaries like Jamira Nisha, a minority woman, have been immensely helped by her and the girls collective effort. Now 12 other minority women have been fully vaccinated despite so many misconceptions prevalent in their respective households. Suhana says that the CRY project has helped them build confidence in her so that she can raise the voices in the community related to various issues. Jamira says that the collective is doing a wonderful job by creating awareness in the community. If the project would not have been there it would not have been possible to break the superstitions related to vaccination. Similarly adolescent collectives from other slum i.e. Yadavpara with support from CRY and Mitwa staff has discussed the issue of vaccination in the slum area of Yadavpara and organized a vaccination camp in Nov 2021 and helped 250 community members to get vaccinated.

People like Suhana are the changemakers in the community who are helping us reach our vision.