Campaign Story
About the project
The children and their families from 4 urban slums in Ranchi, Jharkhand, are under the constant threat of rapid urbanization. They are victims of eviction, displacement, flooding, lack of safety, and unstable parental income. Child labor is a prevalent issue in this community due to high poverty levels. Children aged 6-18 years often drop out of school to support their family, either by working as cheap laborers or by looking after their siblings and doing household chores. Children work in hotels, garages, and even as rag pickers at dumping grounds. Child marriage is also practiced in this community due to parental fear of children eloping.
Making a difference
CRY America’s project in Ranchi works at facilitating access to education and protection for children living in the four urban slums in the area. Key activities under this project include identifying drop-out children, counseling them for re-enrollment, setting up remedial classes, providing parental counseling on child labor and child marriage issues, and linking children with government programs. Another focus area is forming children collectives and adolescent girl collectives to address issues of dropouts, menstrual hygiene, child labor and child marriage.
The way forward
● Provide education support to 81 children in 2 remedial centers.
● Monitor and track the regularization of 188 children aged 6-14 years in schools.
● Conduct regular meetings with 4 teachers and 29 School Management Committee (SMC) members on regularization and retention plans.
● Capacity building of 29 members from two SMCs in operational areas.
● Monitor the grade transition of 271 children from secondary education to college.
Conduct regular meetings with 60 members of 4 children collectives, including stakeholders from the School Management Committee and local administrative members
● Regularize meetings with the existing 8 children and adolescent collectives and create 3 new children and adolescent collectives.
● Motivate 60 members of 4 adolescent collectives by introducing them to Life Skills.
Project Impact
188
Children aged 6-14 years enrolled in schools
81
Children attending classes at 2 remedial centers
12
Child laborers aged 15-18 years identified and enrolled in schools.
34
Children linked with scholarship programs.
5
New children’s and adolescent collectives formed.
60
Children attended Life Skills sessions.
Current Year’s Approved Grant (April to Dec 2024) $11,098
Last Year’s Grant Disbursed (Jan to Dec, 2023) – $297,425
