OUR INTERVENTIONS
STAR
The imposition of lockdown in March 2020 threw the entire economy out of gear, affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor families. We undertook COVID-19 relief activities in all mandals of Sangareddy district subsequent to the imposition of lockdown, extending succour to more than 2500 families in the forms of essential food provisions, blankets and clothing. We also identified nearly 600 immigrant families that had returned from their destination sites and were jobless. These families were given livelihood support to the tune of Rs 3500 each, as they had no employment opportunities locally. We also tied up with UWH (United Way of Hyderabad) to distribute Essential Provision Kits worth Rs 2500 each to 1600 families in Sangareddy and Nalgonda districts.
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COVID-19 Relief Activities
We have joined hands with SAFA and United Way of Hyderabad to provide micro grants to COVID-19 affected families under the Livelihood Access Support - Micro Advances Programme. Beneficiaries include unorganised workers with no stable income, individuals that have lost their livelihoods due to COVID 19 and families the sole bread earner of which have succumbed to COVID-19. The objective of this intervention is to enable them to stand on their feet and earn enough money to lead a life of dignity.
Advocacy on Girl Child issues
We collaborated with PLAN International to advocate girl child issues under the banner of GAA (Girls’ Advocacy Alliance) with the specific objectives of preventing child marriage, ensuring girls’ retention in school up to the secondary level and ending discrimination against girls on grounds of gender. We worked with the Gram Panchayat, teachers, mothers, adolescent girls, religious leaders and other community based organisations on an ongoing basis to ensure that girls were sent to school and were not married underage. As many as 100 Gram Panchayats passed resolutions against child marriage due to our efforts.
Model School Project
We have teamed with Parker Hannifin India Pvt. Ltd. to launch a MODEL SCHOOL PROJECT as part of a CSR initiative to transform 4 schools from Patancheru and Kandi mandals into child friendly Model Schools. These schools have been equipped with Projectors and Joyful Learning Kits. School bags, shoes and stationery have been distributed to children enrolled in these institutions. Basic infrastructure support has also been provided to all 4 schools.
Promoting Joyful Learning
We tied up with BodhaGuru Learning Pvt. ltd and crowd funder MILAP to implement a Digital Learning intervention in 156 government Primary and Upper Primary Schools of 8 mandals in addition to 100 Anganwadi Centres of Sangareddy district. Njoyful Learning Kits were distributed to these institutions.
Distribution of Study Material
We collaborated with PRATHAM – READ INDIA to address the issue of learning deficit among children enrolled in 200 Primary Schools of Medak district. One volunteer each was appointed per mandal and they were placed in charge of transacting graded study material using child friendly pedagogy and a wide range of teaching aids in order to improve their LSRW skills.
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Childline-1098
Having recognised our work in the field of child right protection, the government invited us to coordinate the implementation of the Childline intervention in Sangareddy district from 2018 – 19 on. We handled a total of 2000 distress calls so far and held approximately 300 orientation sessions for 5000-odd children and adults. We also organised outreach activities such as door-to-door visits, school level meetings, cultural campaigns, small group/public meetings, and discussions in public places on nearly 3800 occasions with a turnout of roughly 74000 people. We also conducted one district level Open House and 6 at the community level to bring children’s issues to the notice of government officials and redress them.
Childline stalls were put up in Sangareddy and Jharasangam with the objective of publicising the intervention and identifying lost/missing children. More than a thousand people were sensitised to child protection issues through this initiative. Our team also participated in the government’s Operation Muskaan drive against child labour in shops, hotels and other commercial establishments and successfully rescued 235 children from work. Soap, masks and sanitisers were provided to 100 migrant families through the DWCD. Essential provisions, clothes and masks were mobilised through Childline India Foundation and other institutional/individual donors for 107 families and 314 individuals in addition.
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Interventions with Domestic Workers
Childline stalls were put up in Sangareddy and Jharasangam with the objective of publicising the intervention and identifying lost/missing children. More than a thousand people were sensitised to child protection issues through this initiative. Our team also participated in the government’s Operation Muskaan drive against child labour in shops, hotels and other commercial establishments and successfully rescued 235 children from work. Soap, masks and sanitisers were provided to 100 migrant families through the DWCD. Essential provisions, clothes and masks were mobilised through Childline India Foundation and other institutional/individual donors for 107 families and 314 individuals in addition.
INHP
We joined hands with CARE International to spread awareness among pregnant women, lactating mothers, children aged 3-5, and adolescent girls on ICDS schemes and on facilities available to them in Anganwadi Centres. This initiative covered Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Adilabad, Karimnagar, Medak and Nizamabad districts. Awareness on immunisation and institutional delivery have gone up significantly due to this intervention. Medak district was ranked first across the State in terms of these indicators.
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Environmental Education
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We collaborated with UNICEF-CEE to launch an environmental education initiative in 75 girls’ hostels of Medak district, reaching approximately 6000 children. One Coordinator each was placed in charge of 5 hostels. They oriented the girls on MHM, personal hygiene, environmental issues, nutrition and the importance of Kitchen Gardens. They were given sanitary pads and were encouraged to develop Kitchen Gardens in the hostel premises. They were also trained to make sanitary napkins, shampoo, phenyl, detergent and Skincare Jelly. They responded well and owned up the responsibility for maintaining cleanliness in their respective hostels.
NCCD Project
We mobilised community members in 100 villages of Medak district for participation in awareness generation sessions on chronic diseases such as Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Health Disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc. They were given inputs on the causes, symptoms and prevention of these diseases.
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SAMISHTI – Transforming Villages into Child Friendly Institutions
This intervention had five broad components – education, health, nutrition, sanitation and environment protection. The following activities were broadly taken up as part of the intervention:
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Identification and training of village volunteers in 1000 villages
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Preparation of Village level Micro Plans
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Initiating Behavioural Communication Change among communities
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Cultural campaign against child marriage
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Child Protection
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Promoting Institutional Delivery
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Birth Registration
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Testing Water Quality
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Promoting immunisation and Vitamin A
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Enrolment and retention of all children aged 6-14 years in school
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Total Sanitation Campaign
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Grooming Child Reporters
The below are the significant achievements of the intervention:
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Identified and trained 3834 Village Volunteers
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Prepared 1068 Village Level Micro Plans
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Identified and trained 60 Child Reporters
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Provided Digital and Video cameras to 90 children
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Nirmal Gram Puraskar awarded to 103 Open Defecation Free villages
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Prevented 120 child marriages
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Facilitated water & sanitation facilities and compound walls in more than 1000 schools through UNICEF
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Achieved the display of 16 child development indicators on Boards in more than 1000 villages
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Formed Monitoring Structures at the Panchayat, mandal and district levels
WATSAN
We undertook a Need Assessment in the areas of WATSAN, Health, Education and Personal Hygiene using PRA techniques in 100 villages of united Medak district. Village level Micro Plans were generated for all these villages using PRA techniques. Village Development Committees were formed in 20 villages on a pilot basis. Working for the enrolment and retention of all children in school was another major intervention under the project. We also undertook an initiative to ensure cleanliness and proper disposal of garbage and in schools of 20 villages. We further facilitated the provision and maintenance of & repairs to ISLs, public water sources and water harvesting structures in these villages and the availability of equipment in ICDS and Health Sub-Centres in these villages. We also made efforts to streamline service delivery by these institutions.
We also formed Child Cabinets in more than 1400 schools across Medak district as part of the Integrated Project. Members of these Cabinets and community groups were oriented on sanitation and hand wash. The Child Cabinets played an instrumental role in beautifying their schools and maintaining cleanliness therein. Saplings were also planted in the premises of these schools.
The Medak district administration acknowledged the success of these efforts and invited us to undertake an intervention across the entire district under the banner of Samishti.
Engaging with the government
We have implemented the below programmes upon invitation from the district administration:
Mana Ooru :
We coordinated with the district administration to implement the Mana Ooru intervention, which aimed at addressing problems of governance at the village level by involving elected representatives and local government. Focus was placed on promoting teachers’ and children’s attendance in school and functioning of ICDS Centres.
Training SMCs:
We were invited by the RVM to train members of 1500 newly SMCs from across Medak district on the structure of the SMC, coordination with school authorities, their role in school governance, school monitoring, utilisation of school grants, children’s retention and community mobilisation.
Livelihood training and Support
We trained 200 young women aged 15-20 years in 4 batches of 50 each in various aspects of tailoring with support from NCRI. Sewing machines were given to all of them. More than 100 of them set up their own tailoring businesses/shops/centres subsequent to the training session.
DWO
We launched an intensive campaign against child marriage, as part of which we engaged in community outreach activity, oriented community on the ill effects and the legal implications of child marriage and disseminated IEC material among community members.
RWS
We implemented an intervention to free villages from Open Defecation as part of the Total Sanitation Campaign. We convened constituency level meetings and formed Core Groups. We also surveyed more than 500 villages for access to ISLs and ensured that every single household had ISLs. We further organised sensitisation meetings for media persons and undertook intensive community outreach activities.
SANKALP
We partnered with UNICEF and the DWCD to implement the SANKALP project during 2013-14. The primary objective of this intervention was to ensure adherence to NHD. Extensive consultations were held with Anganwadi Teachers and community groups – especially women and adolescent girls. Other activities included growth monitoring, ensuring access to supplementary nutrition, strengthening mothers’ committees and monitoring adolescent girls’ health and implementation of Early Childhood Education.
Other Programs
Survey of Thandas and remote hamlets
We undertook a survey of access by inhabitants of 500 Thandas and remote hamlets of Medak district to health, education and nutrition. The Health Department and the DWCD facilitated transport connectivity to Anganwadi Centres and Health Sub-Centres in a number of villages and also set up mini Anganwadi Centres based on the outcomes of the Study.
Survey on HIV
We undertook a HIV Survey with support from LEPRA and UNICEF during the year 2009-10 to identify high risk groups in hot spots in 120 villages and get them tested. We also oriented them on safe sex methods and encouraged them to use condoms.
Horticulture Survey
We undertook a survey to study the availability of and access to horticulture facilities across Medak district. We interacted with Gram Panchayat functionaries and community members to gather information on acreage under horticulture in their respective villages.
Columbia University Survey
Teachers College – Columbia University undertook a Study in 2014 to explore issues pertaining to curriculum and teacher training policies and practices in government schools. We facilitated the conduct of the Study in of Medak district, interviewing 150 teachers from PS and UPS in the process.
Community Mobilisation
We strongly believe that community participation is central to community development/empowerment. We accordingly mobilise them through public meetings, rallies, door-to-door visits, cultural campaigns aimed at behavioural change, distribution of IEC material, formation and strengthening of community institutions, and observing occasions of national/international significance such as Global Day against Child Labour, International Women’s Day, Independence Day, International Day of the Girl Child, National Girl Child Day, CRC Week, and so on.
Line departments have recognised our contributions to community development and have invited our functionaries to officiate as resource persons in capacity building sessions organised by them. The district administration has also included them in key District Committees such as the CWC, the JJB, Sakhi Centres, Sponsorship & Foster Care Approval Committee, District Inspection Committee for Inspection of Childcare Institutions, Committee for Prevention of Discrimination against SC/ST/OBC and Minorities, Health & Nutrition Committees, SHE Teams, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Peace Committees, etc. in an advisory capacity.
Line departments have recognised our contributions to community development and have invited our functionaries to officiate as resource persons in capacity building sessions organised by them. The district administration has also included them in key District Committees such as the CWC, the JJB, Sakhi Centres, Sponsorship & Foster Care Approval Committee, District Inspection Committee for Inspection of Childcare Institutions, Committee for Prevention of Discrimination against SC/ST/OBC and Minorities, Health & Nutrition Committees, SHE Teams, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Peace Committees, etc. in an advisory capacity.