Project Save The Children

Campaign Story

About the project

“Protecting Children Through Capacitated Workforce” aims to protect children in West Bengal and Jharkhand from risks and harmful practices by ensuring local Child Protection Workforces meet established occupational standards. The project promotes engagement and coordination among stakeholders responsible for protection of children at the village, block and district levels, and advocates for improvement of Integrated Child Protection Services (ICPS) using evidence and collective action.

This Project is fully funded by the Oak foundation.

Making a difference

ICPS establishes a robust framework for child protection throughout India, though realities on the ground often fall short of these ideals. Save the Children focuses on effective and sustainable implementation of existing child protection mechanisms such as village level, block level, and district child protection committees. Community groups who are trained in child protection policy lead the charge in strengthening existing entities and advocating for such infrastructure where absent. In addition to nurturing community ownership of child protection systems in this manner, Save the Children maps vulnerable populations and connects families and children with social programs.

The way forward

● Conduct community-led child-protection capacity-building sessions for child protection committee members in Jharkhand and West Bengal
● Provide technical support to State Institute for Rural Development for training newly elected Panchayat Raj Institution members on child protection
● Complete multi-phase training for community groups on occupational standards, parenting without violence
● Develop public informational/educational/communication materials on gender-based violence
● Document 20 high-impact child-protection case studies across operational areas

Project Impact

99

COVID orphans supported through a sponsorship program

41

Community mobilizers trained on parenting without violence

27

Community mobilizers completed 3-phase training on working with ICPS, strengthening child protection committees, case management, and psychosocial support.

20

Community groups trained on psychosocial support and family preparedness in the context of dealing with children affected by COVID.

11

Civil society organizations organized into a state-level collective to recommend on the relevance and importance of community-level child protection workforce.

Last Year’s Grant Disbursed: $56,400

Current Year’s Approved Grant – $64,089

Project Story

Diksha, a 15 year old girl (name changed) was very committed to her studies and eventually wanted to earn and improve her family’s financial condition. However, due to the extreme poverty experienced by the family, Diksha was married off before she could complete her 8th grade.

Though Diksha was married against her wish, she tried her best to settle down in the new environment. But within a month of the wedding, her husband and in-laws began a pattern of severe abuse and made it difficult for her to live in the house. \

When the parents came to know about their daughter’s plight, they decided to bring Diskha home. With intervention from the village-level child protection committee, Diksha was separated from her husband. But she was left with deep emotional scars, and found she lacked the courage to start her life again.

At this point, the VLCPC members informed the community mobilizers about Diksha. The community mobilizers of the project team regularly visited Diksha and her parents and counseled them so that she could start her education again. The biggest challenge was to re-enroll Diksha in school. The principal of the school refused to admit her because it was a case of child marriage.

The mobilizers continued to counsel Diksha, building her confidence and encouraging her to advocate for herself with the school principal. Before long, Diksha felt empowered enough to meet with the principal and present her case directly. The principal accepted her plea and admitted her into school.

Constant home visits and psycho-social support by Save the Children-trained staff helped Diksha in coping with the ongoing depression and mental distress. The team helped to offset the costs of education by linking Diksha with a state scholarship and grant program for low-income girls. Diksha told project staff, “I am happy that I could study again and fulfill my dreams”.

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