Campaign Story
About the project
The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) program faces challenges in effective implementation due to the limited infrastructure and manpower in the Anganwadi Centers. Although there are primary and upper primary schools in the region, numerous challenges prevent children from attending school, including the lack of school buildings, poor maintenance, and a shortage of classrooms. The absence of adequate higher secondary schools in the area forces adolescent boys and girls to either engage in child labor or get married at an early age.
Making a difference
CRY America’s Project SRAMA is working towards providing quality education to children and keeping them out of the vicious cycle of child labor and child marriage. Key activities under the project include identifying children with irregular school attendance and taking measures to reintegrate them, sensitizing parents of school dropouts on the importance of education, and engaging with community stakeholders including village secretariats, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and Community-Based Organization (CBO) members on child rights and protection issues. Another important activity is the formation of Children’s Collectives and Adolescent Collectives to raise awareness within the community about child protection issues.
The way forward
● Convert 5 Anganwadi Centers into Model Anganwadis
● Prevent at least 42 children aged 6–18 years from dropping out of school
● Rescue 35 children from child labor
● Prevent or stop 35 potential child marriages
● Train 750 members of Children’s Collectives through Year 3 Life Skills sessions
● Train 400 members of Adolescent Collectives through bi-annual Life Skills sessions
● Conduct Parent Module sessions with the engagement of 600 parents
● Orienting Anganwadi teachers on Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme components.
● Strengthening parents monitoring committee
● Conducting awareness programmes on child labor at the community level
● Implementing Life Skills Modules in child collectives to inculcate self-esteem and self confidence
● Transact life skills modules on sexual and reproductive health in adolescent girls collectives
The way forward
● Orienting Anganwadi teachers on Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme components.
● Strengthening parents monitoring committee
● Conducting awareness programmes on child labor at the community level
● Implementing Life Skills Modules in child collectives to inculcate self-esteem and self confidence
● Transact life skills modules on sexual and reproductive health in adolescent girls collectives
Project Impact
45
Dropped out children mainstreamed in schools
35
Children removed from child labor & mainstreamed in schools
52
Potential child marriages averted
780
Children participated in Life Skill Sessions
410
Girls attended sessions on menstrual hygiene management
300
Parents trained in Parents Modules
47
Children aged 3-6 years enrolled in Anganwadi centers (AWC)
480
Mother’s Committee members oriented on importance of Early childhood care and education (ECCE) & AWC
76
Irregular children regularized in schools
59
Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) trained in ECCE components