Campaign Story
About the project
One of the key problems of Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu is the very high number of child laborers. The reasons being the lack of livelihood opportunities, indebtedness trap, door pick up for child laborers working in salt pans and Seafood processing units, lack of availability of school, lack of access to schools, increasing private schools, etc. In addition to it, lack of availability of schools and high cost for transport are adding on to the severity of the problem that children and communities face.
Making a difference
CRY America’s Project RWDS works towards focussing engagement in ensuring increased retention of school going children from 70% to 80% and ensuring physical access to schools, infrastructure & quality within schools & ICDS centers, increasing child participation. The key activities under the project are supporting groups formed in all 52 villages comprising community volunteers, AWW, local youth and panchayat members, ensuring regular administration of immunization, initiating supplementary classes in 5 villages and preventing increase in dropout rates in school due to pandemic.
Action during COVID times
● Initiation of COVID-19 support group comprising of community volunteers and organizing health awareness for children at household level.
● Household awareness done in all the 52 villages through support group members. Iterations on importance of the vaccine, benefits of vaccination, measures of social distancing, wearing mask and using sanitizer
The way forward
● Engagement with dropout children and their parents for sensitizing and motivating them to continue education regularly – re-enrolling dropouts in schools
● Keeping a close track of children writing board exams and motivating them for reappearance of exams to clear the subjects
● Engaging with the panchayat members and VCPC members to re-initiate the village level child protection committees
● Organize sessions for adolescent collective members & children collective members on to life skills modules
● Organize psycho social sessions for adolescent collectives
Project Impact
1,183
Members ensured of getting panchayat level 100 days job for 15 days in a month under MNREGA
3,473
Children in the age group of 6-18 years were monitored for enrollment in the schools
12
Child laborers stopped from working and constantly monitored / motivated for re-enrolment
39
Children collective meetings conducted with participation of 478 children
16
Adolescent Girl Children meetings conducted where 148 girls participated
Current Year’s Approved Grant
| Name | Donate Amount | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Remias & Jyothi Pantulu | $3,500 | July 29, 2022 |
| Geeta & Bala Balachandran | $2,500 | July 29, 2022 |
| Guru Krupa Foundation | $20,000 | July 29, 2022 |
