Campaign Story
About the project
The project area of Nagar block has very low awareness levels. The religious beliefs and cultural practices have kept them away from immunization among the children and pregnant women which lead to a large number of maternal and neonatal deaths. The people strongly believe that using family planning methods is against their religion and thus they have extremely large family sizes varying from 8 – 10 children to each couple. The traditional practices like pardah, child marriage are widely prevalent in the intervention area and women occupy an extremely low status in the society as well as in the family. The educational status is dismal. Usually girls dropout after primary grades and are forced into household chores, sibling care. There is lack of information and sensitivity amongst the community regarding the available government schemes for promotion of girls’ education among the community people.
Making a difference
Project SJJKS focuses towards reducing socio-economic vulnerability, ensuring children are in schools, working towards mainstreaming child labor, implementing protection systems and mechanisms at district level and bringing attitudinal changes in community in context of child marriage and child labor over a period of 3 years.
The Way Forward
● Ensure 90% children (6-14 years) and 70% children (15-18 years) from targeted districts are in school
● Facilitating enrollment drives
● Regular meeting with vulnerable households members including adolescents boys and girls to sensitize about socio-economic schemes
● Community level awareness programs for sensitization of community and adolescents on early pregnancies
● Leadership training for adolescent girls with focus on girls belonging to vulnerable households
The way forward
● Strengthening of VCPC in operational villages.
● Identification of vulnerable children and linking with the scheme related to the child rights
● Support to the victim families to get justice and the compensation from the department.
● Interface with the multi stakeholders at community level for prevention of child trafficking.
Project Impact
536
Members of CBOs sensitized.
323
Children of 6-14 years enrolled in schools.
246
Children transitioning from preschool to primary school.
26
Child marriages prevented.