Project Shambhunath Singh Research Foundation (SSRF)

Campaign Story

About the project

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

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.

The way forward

● Celebration of Children’s Week with a focus on Child participation, protection, and education for 475 children and 450 parents
● Regular child participation and life skill sessions with children collective for 885 children
● Ensuring enrolment of 2223 children
● Ensuring retention of 1800 children
● Ensuring re-enrolment of 84 out of school children
● Benefitting 105 children through smart classes
● Digital literacy for 140 children

Project Impact

girls attended life skill sessions

500

Girls attended life skill sessions

cases of child marriages prevented

58

Cases of child marriages prevented

dropouts enrolled back to school

14

Dropouts enrolled back to school

never been to school children enrolled in schools

16

Never been to school children enrolled in schools

never been to school children enrolled in schools

65

Child laborers enrolled back into school

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Last year’s budget: $31,400

Current Year’s Approved Grant

Education$36,322

Administration$6,365

Total Budget$42,687

Nazia’s Journey to Education and Empowerment

Nazia’s story is one of resilience and perseverance. Her mother, Ruksana, was forced into marriage at the age of 16, to a man who was more than twice her age and already had nine children. While the truth of the marriage was hidden from Ruksana, she soon found herself in a difficult situation, having to cook for the entire family and getting pregnant at the young age of 17. Unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage during her first pregnancy. The following year, she gave birth to Nazia, who faced her own challenges as she grew up.

At just eight years old, Nazia’s father passed away, and she and her mother were thrown out of the house by her father’s family. They were forced to move from one slum area to another, and Nazia’s mother had to do household chores to survive. For eight long years, they struggled to make ends meet, until they entered the CRY America supported field area.

Nazia and her mother were restored to their home when Nazia was 16 years old. However, after eight years of being a dropout, it was tough for Nazia to get back into school. Even though the teachers were not keen to take her back, the project team advocated on her behalf, and she was finally admitted to the 8th grade.

Through the support of the project team, Nazia also received a government scholarship, which helped to cover her educational expenses. She became an active participant in the evening class that helps bring out-of-school children back to the classroom. She learned valuable life skills and received gender training, which helped her become a role model for other girls in her community.

Today, Nazia is enrolled in school and speaks publicly on the survivor platform, Aap-Beti. This platform, developed by the project team, recognizes survivors and gives them a platform for dignity and education. Nazia is an inspiration to others, having survived child labor, while her mother survived child marriage. She has overcome tremendous obstacles and is determined to pursue her education further, breaking the cycle of poverty and abuse that she and her mother experienced.

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