Project Pragathi

Campaign Story

About the project

Project Pragathi works in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. The team has observed that though the anganwadi teacher is providing ECCE and play way teaching currently it’s not up to the mark, pre-school readiness program as prescribed by the ICDS norms is not being implemented due to lack of skills in anganwadi workers and this needs to be addressed. Along with that, children are dropping out of schools and are moving towards child labor. Most of the migrating families work as watchmen at mango gardens and some older children are also involved in that work. They also work as cattle grazers in fields. Some children are working in order to clear the debts of the family.

Making a difference

CRY America’s Project Pragathi is working to ensure quality education for children of the intervention area, reduction of child labor and formation of child’s collectives and developing life skills in the children. The activities taken under the project are ensuring admission of 3+ children into pre-school programme of Anganwadi, submitting requisitions to government for better infrastructure facilities in Anganwadi centers, sensitizing parents of dropout children on the importance of education and encouraging teachers to visit families that have child laborers in order to urge parents to send them back to school.

Action during COVID times

● Team sensitized through various activities parents of newly drop out children due to COVID-19.
● 200 Children were covered in Psycho Social well-being of the children in the context of COVID.
● Team involved doctors and CDPOs as resource members to spread awareness about COVID-19

The way forward

● Orienting Anganwadi teachers on Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme components.
● Tracking all children in the age group of 15-18 yrs and ensuring their transition from upper primary to high school & high school to other higher education courses.
● Conducting awareness programmes on child labor at the community level.
● Implementing Life Skills Modules in Child Collectives to inculcate self-esteem and self confidence.
● Demand for public display boards against child labor.

Project Impact

centers transformed into Model Anganwadi centers

12

Centers transformed into Model Anganwadi centers

dropout children mainstreamed in school

80

Dropout children mainstreamed in school

children in child collectives covered in life skills sessions

2600

Children in child collectives covered in life skills sessions

children in adolescent collectives covered in Bi annual Life skills sessions

1200

Children in adolescent collectives covered in Bi annual Life skills sessions

200

Children were covered in psycho social well-being of the children in the context of COVID-19.

Donate To Project

Last year’s budget: $38,480

Current Year’s Approved Grant

Education$15,417

Administration$7,709

Protection$15,417

Total Budget$38,543

Sanjana a shining star

Sanjana a 15-year old girl lives with her grandparents and mother. She lost her father to an accident when she was 6 years old. Residing at her grandmother’s place, Sanjana along with her mother run a tiffin center where Sanjana renders her helping hand to her mother at times. Sanjana is currently in a government high school.

After knowing the family background the project team helped Sanjana’s mother to get ‘Widow Pension’ where widows get a sum of Rs 2250 monthly and gain permanent housing under the Gruha Nirmana Vedika scheme. The team conducted sessions for families every month to educate them about various aspects such as the schemes by government, funds that government raises for poor people, benefits of schooling to children and many more. They did the same with children of the age group between 9 to 18 years. They established ‘children groups’ and educated children about their rights and social evils such as child marriage, child labor etc.

Among all these children Sanjana is one among them but she stands out to be prominent as she is a wrestler. She had been to Delhi for the zonal tournament but ended up losing in it and this was a great disappointment for her. But she was constantly motivated by her family members, school headmaster, and physical education teacher and also by the project staff.

Later after this loss, Sanjana never turned back all she saw was victory over victory. Sanjana qualified and also participated in National level wrestling competition at Annathpur, Andhra Pradesh and she ended up being victorious by bagging a gold medal. And later following this, there was another tournament where 9 other school friends also participated along with Sanjana. Out of these 10 members, 6 of them shared podiums and carried home medals along with them, Sanjana won bronze in this tournament.

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