Project Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation (SSRF)

Campaign Story

About the project

District Varanasi is highly critical in violation of child rights in form of child marriage, child labor, child trafficking and gender discrimination. It has a clear link with the trafficking of girl children which impacts the health of a young girl and reduces the chances of an education. All this affects the overall development of a child.

Making a difference

CRY America Project SSRF is working towards creating an enabling environment that empowers children to influence decision making on issues that affect them, creating informed, sensitized, empowered family members and community to stop child marriage, ensuring vigilant governance for child protection. The key activities taking place under the project are orientation meetings of children groups on child rights issues and developing their understanding, engagement with child protection structures in the district and in the entire state.

Action during COVID times

● Team was a part of monitoring committee for conditions of homes and condition of children in the district during the COVID-19 times
● 2 child marriages were stopped
● Team setup COVID helpdesk to minimize the panic inside the community

The way forward

● Identifying vulnerable children and bringing them to children collectives
● Regular child participation and life skill session with adolescent groups
● Ensuring the progress of community action plan developed based on interface of children collective/adolescent girls group with community
● Meeting with parents of children groups on life skills and child protection issues
● Regular interface with the community to create space for children and community leaders for exchanging and sharing their ideas and experience related to child marriage

Project Impact

Children impacted

4,530

Children impacted

Villages_slums covered

9

Villages/slums covered

Children in schools (6-18 yrs)

2,580

Children in schools (6-18 yrs)

Children mainstreamed into schools

240

Children mainstreamed into schools

Child marriages stopped

8

Child marriages stopped

Children in children’s collectives

324

Children in children’s collectives

Children received health check-ups

159

Children received health check-ups

Adolescent girls’ collectives

132

Adolescent girls’ collectives

Donate To Project

Last year’s budget: $27,886

Current Year’s Approved Grant

Education$13,152

Administration$5,775

Protection$13,152

Total Budget$32,079

Missing child reunited with the Family

A 17-year-old boy Mohhamad Shami lives with his family in Puranapul at Pulkohla. His father works in a powerloom factory in Varanasi.

One fine day, a missing child information was given to the SRF team, they quickly started spreading the word in the community and nearby locations. After a few days, Shami was identified when found at the Railway Station by the ChildLine team. Shami was tracked from the Railway Station and information was given to SRF as they were looking for the child along with the family. Same day Shami was sent to a shelter home run by SRF in the Varanasi district. Through a professional social worker counseling session he expressed the reason for leaving home. It was informed that the child had lost his eyesight at the age of 2 years due to severe illness because of which he couldn’t pursue his education.

During a counseling session with the child, it was revealed that Shami left the house in anger. Later after completing all the documentation, presenting the child to the child welfare committee, the child was sent back to home with parents. Currently, regular follow ups are done of the child by the SSRF team through home visits. SRF is also trying for his enrollment in school. Hopefully, very soon, the child will start pursuing an education and will be supported for his eye treatment too.