ANNUAL REPORT FOR INTEGRATED PROGRAMME FOR ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR THROUGH EDUCATIONAL, VOCATIONAL AND RECREATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR CHILD LABORERS AT CHITTOOR, CHITTOOR DISTRICT,

ANDHRA PRADESH, SOUTH INDIA

ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT

(April 2006 to March 2007)

Submitted to VIBHA

By

Health Education Adoption Rehabilitation Development Society (HEARDS)

# 15-2366, Johns Garden, Palamner Road, Chittoor

Andhra Pradesh, INDIA - 517002

Phone: + 91-8572-234647

Mob: + 91-9440934428

E-mail:

GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING PROJECT:

TITLE OF THE PROJECT : / Integrated Programme for Elimination of Child Labour through Educational, Vocational and Recreational Programme for Child Laborers.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE :
APPLICANT / Mr. K Sajan
Chairman
Health Education Adoption Rehabilitation Development Society (HEARDS)
# 15-2366, Johns Garden,
Palamner Road,
CHITTOOR – 517 002
Andhra Pradesh
South India.
NAME OF THE IMPLEMENTING :
AGENCY / Health Education Adoption Rehabilitation Development Society (HEARDS)
REPORTING NUMBER : / ANL RPT 2 / 2007
REPORTING PERIOD : / 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 (1 Year)
DURATION OF THE PROJECT : / 3 Years
AREA OF OPERATION : / Chittoor Town
BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT : / 64 child laborers from 2 centers

INTRODUCTION

Health Education Adoption Rehabilitation Development Society would like to express its sincere gratitude to VIBHA, USA for your continued support and constructive partnership for building up a people's movement, educating the poor child laborers and the disadvantaged children of Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India. This helps us an equitable, sustainable society with respect for human rights and dignity, opportunities, protection and participation of the vulnerable sections in their fuller development and well being of these children. The approach of HEARDS has always been participatory in its nature with the local community. During last year we have streamlined 9 children into regular Government schools. Previously we had 31 children in Thotapalyam Centre and 33 children in C.B.Road Centre. During our Animators survey we find out another 6 children in C.B.Road area and 5 children in Thotapalyam area who was working as child laborers were newly enrolled in our Centres. At present the total number of children in Thotapalyam Center is 36 and C.B.Road Centre it is 39.

RATIONALE

This year our education programme in both the rehabilitation centers continue in what has by now become a well-set model. Most of our children once again performed extremely well, and our programme remained flexible and dynamic, something that we feel is in great part the reason for the success of our work. This year we have added several new components for children like uniform, bags, computers which made our children felt their happiness in coming to the centers besides their curriculum study.

IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITIES

The following were the activities carried out for the child labor rehabilitation project during the period 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007:

(1)Survey

Our Project Coordinator Mr. Kuriakose Santy along with the animators and myself have discussed about the position of the child laborers in Chittoor town. A detailed child labor resurvey was conducted in Chittoor town through our animators and teachers headed by our Project Coordinator. The Animators and the Project Coordinator have conducted a door to door survey and find out another 5 children as child laborers in Chittoor. Among them we have been able to convince and bring back only 3 children back to our centres for rehabilitation.

(2)Incentives

Children are provided with the education materials like text books, note books, copy writing books, slates, pens, pencils, etc. along with the educational calendars which help efficiently in learning basic calculations and also to learn easily English and Telugu language (the local language). They are also provided with the sports materials like chess, caroms, flying disk, ring, skipping ropes, balls, etc. During this year children were also provided with 2 sets of uniform and a school bag to carry books, which make them feel more enthusiastic. Besides this we have also distributed materials of Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan. These text books were really useful for children as they improve their educational standards to the level of the State Board syllabus from the State Government of Andhra Pradesh.

(3)Monthly Staff Meeting

On 5th of every month we hold a staff meeting. All the teachers, animators, cook and Project Coordinator from both the rehabilitation centres gather in the office of HEARDS, Chittoor. It normally starts at 4 pm and ends at 7 pm. In the first month we have also provided a training programme to the teachers and animators regarding the educational methodology and curriculum to be adopted during this year. The Project Coordinator has demonstrated new methods of teaching and explained how to use a particular education kit or cards. Besides this we generally discuss about the previous months achievements regarding the educational standards of the children. Teachers and Animators share their experiences, and narrate various problems faced by them during the month. The Chairman and the Project Coordinator try to understand their problems, and paves the way for the solution.

(4)Parents Meeting

In order to secure a bright future for the children and for overall development of the child, HEARDS conducts parents meet every month. The attendance of the parents was with an average of more than 90% in these meetings. The overall outputs of the parents in this meet were that they were very much happy regarding the facilities provided to the children by the rehabilitation center. The parents expressed their deep sense of gratitude for the kind support by the donor agency. We have also discussed about the health and hygiene of the children. The teachers shared the status of the children’s health and also requested parents to focus towards the hygiene aspect of the children. It has also been discussed about the children rights through education. Our great advantage of these meetings is that the preponderance of women who are mothers of our children. However, the parents were also happy because of initiating some income generation activity by HEARDS to the mothers of the children. The parents were also motivated to keep in touch with the teachers to know regarding the primary health, nutrition, primary education, protection of child rights etc.

(5)Providing Education and Vocational Training

During this year there were lots of changes happened in the children. The learning processes of the children in HEARDS child labor rehabilitation centers were improved. Every effort is made and caution taken not to generate fear in children towards study. As per the previous exams conducted in the centers there were a total of 15 children who have a remarkable academic excellence in their educational standards where they will be definitely compete with the regular school going children. They were really good in all the subjects and we find them to be very much suitable for streamlining into regular Government schools. Besides these the other 49 children were started to learn the basics and they were good enough to handle simple words, calculations and can able to improve the writing speeds. All the measures were taken by our Coordinator and Teachers to make these children much more compatible to the other regular school going children.

We have conducted Annual Examination from April 18 2007 to April 24 2007. During the Annual Exams 15 children has scored more than 70% marks at an average in all the subjects. The rest 49 children were scored with an average of 45% marks. These children have to be improved in their reading ability and also they should be improved in Mathematics and English.

From March, 2007 we have started to provide training on computers and all the children were very much happy to learn computers. We have a teacher named Ms.Asmathaj who has undergone two months training on computer operation, words, excel, power point, drawings and painting and other general function of computer. At present this teacher were teaching basics of computers to the children. This programme has created more enthusiasm among children to learn more in education and also in computers. This programme will help the children to be a computer literate and they can able to perform basic operations in computers before leaving this rehabilitation center. The computer programme which we conduct here will definitely make our children much more compatible with other regular school going children as they were also able to learn computers during their rehabilitation programme.

In C.B.Road Centre vocational trainings like tailoring, basket weaving and various craft materials were provided to the girls. These classes were conducted every day to the children for one hour. Our Animator Ms. Anitha Kumari is providing the training to 15 girls have been training in this vocational program. They are also started to learn cutting in tailoring. Besides they are also started to weave plastic wire baskets. . It is continuing successfully. Some of the girls now have become experts in stitching women garments. Girls themselves are started to stitch their own dresses for themselves.

(6)Mid-Day Meal

We have continued to provide mid-day meal for the children. Both the centers were given good nutritious food like rice with dhal, vegetables, pulses and leafy vegetables in all the working days. Due to the revised budget we have also started to provide eggs once in a week for the children. During the evening hours biscuits were also provided to the children. Due to summer season we are providing butter milk for the children along with the mid-day meal.

(7)Health check up

Every month there was a regular health check up has been conducted to all children of the child labour rehabilitation centre and checked the weight and general health. During the second week of every month a private medical practitioner by named Dr.Jaganathan offered his services to both the centers. This regular health check up camps helps to keeps our children health well. Children are also maintaining clean and hygienic condition in the centre and even outside. They are practicing good hobbies of warm up exercises, brushing their teeth daily, wearing cleaned and dried cloth always could be an indicator of good and healthy environment in the centre. Almost all the children were quite healthy when compared to the previous year.

(8)Child Labor Awareness Programme

Preparatory meetings were held at each center by me and the coordinator to convince the parents and other members of the community about the need to publicly stress the demands. In some cases the coordinator visited the localities more than once. Interaction, with teachers and the children of the classes took place, especially on the topic. The visits in the community help the team to get to know the children who have not gone to school and other issues with regard to health. Besides this a rally is conducted in Chittoor town during the month of January, 2006. On 26 January 2007, eve of Republic Day the chairman, project coordinator, volunteers, the teachers and children of the rehabilitation centers went in a procession with placards and slogans. Leaflets were distributed and posters were affixed in various places to provide awareness to the public.

Whenever our Project Coordinator and Animators make visits to the shops and industries they issue leaflets and explain the importance of education. The leaflets are printed back to back in both the languages Telugu and English. As an effort of providing awareness on child labor, posters were printed in the regional language – Telugu and which is affixed in the work spots and prominent places of Chittoor town.

(9)National Day Celebrations

In both the rehabilitation centers at Thotapalyam and C.B.Road we have celebrated grandly the Independence Day, Children’s Day and Republic Day. There was a festival mood where children and teachers were engaged in arrangement of stage and preparation of sweets, garlands and Flags. Our Project Coordinator, Teachers, Animators, municipal counselors and local school head master were the chief guest who address the children and spoke on the importance of the day. There was cultural programme by our rehabilitation centre children and finally distributed the sweets to the children. The children cultural programme of folk group dance individual dances, group songs, integrated songs, skits and jokes by children have been made the gathered children and people to enjoy. At the end of the programme sweets and some prizes for best programme given to the children

ACHIEVEMENTS

Children attend the rehabilitation centers with joy and high level of participation. There is good change and improvement in them in terms of hygiene, self maintenance, language, interaction and mingling with other children, expression ability, focus on participation and so on. Gradually this will promote their interest to attend higher classes once they got streamlined into Government schools. Vocational training for deserving young girls has giving a great impact on this project as they are also able to learn a trade along with the education. Even the uniforms and bags distributed were given a great reputation for the center. There is a good and favorable response from the mothers of these children in participating in the development of their children. They attend meetings regularly, discuss matters related to the rehabilitation center, making comments on the methodology that the teacher is using to facilitate their children’s learning and also taking care towards health & hygiene of their child. We got a very good community response and it is very much satisfactory and encouraging towards the programme. The computer programme which we implemented recently makes a very positive approach among the children and also their parents. All the parents unanimously accepted that they will never send their children to work and they will continue to make their children study to the extent their child can study.

CONCLUSION

During this year there is a wide community support for such arrangements made by HEARDS through the support from VIBHA, which normally undertaken after taking the parents of the children enrolled in special schools into close confidence. This naturally develops these young children systematically in all aspects of life and which makes them as a significant person for our society. HEARDS is trying to make all sorts of effort to convince the parents to internalise the concept of child rights and their development among them. Our Project was conceived to meet the needs of first generation students, particularly those belonging to deprived communities. We have been successful in giving those children what they require most of all, namely, a sense of belonging and the ability to socialise and adjust to the environment of the school. HEARDS look forward to have more opportunities to work for the rehabilitation of child laborers in order to have a better society in future.

Mr. K Sajan

(Chairman – HEARDS)

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