UNICEF- Advancing the Rights of Children in India

Savita has topped her class. She is the envy of her friends and cynosure of her sister-in-law, Mahima. More importantly, she is a harbinger of change for children whom she teaches and is trying hard to get other out-of-school children back into school.
For four years, Savita’s tender hands dug trenches, planted trees and carved stones. UNICEF supports thousands of girls like Savita to get back in school and start a new beginning in their lives.

UNICEF is the largest UN organisation working in the country, fully committed to working with the Government of India to ensure that each child born in this vast and complex country gets the best start in life, thrives and develops to his or her full potential.
UNICEF began work in India in 1949 and established an office in Delhi three years later. It started with a staff of three people. UNICEF is now working for the rights of India's children in 16 states.
Background

India is home to the largest number of children in the world with nearly 40 per cent of its estimated 1.2 billion population under the age of 18. The gross domestic product (GDP)in India has grown at an average of 8.25 per cent over the last five years.
However the economic growth has not yielded commensurate results in the reduction of poverty and disparity.About 30 per cent of the population lives below the national poverty line. A child born in the poorest household is three times as likely to die before the age of five as compared to a child born in the richest household.
The under-five mortality rates for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes are 96 and 88 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively, compared to 60 deaths for the general population.More than 8 million children aged 6-14 years drop out before they complete the full eight year elementary education cycle.
UNICEF role

As the largest UN organisation in the country, UNICEFgoal is to advance the rights of children, adolescents and women to survival, growth, development, participation and protection by reducing inequities based on caste, ethnicity, gender, poverty, region or religion.
UNICEF utilises a multi-pronged approach to addressing pressing issues of health, nutrition, sanitation, education and child protection. It aims to involve families and community member in understanding their contribution to ensure their children thrive while providing a platform for young community champions to emerge and inspire.

UNICEF uses community level knowledge andquality research to comprehend issues, create and introduce easily implementable innovative interventions that address the situation of children, and works with partners to create ground level change.

With its unique system of 13 state offices, partnerships with sister UN agencies, NGOs, self-help groups and array of celebrity campaigners, UNICEF has been able to provide focussed attention to the poorest and most disadvantaged communities, while working alongside at the national level.

Brief History

1949 -India’s first Penicillin Plant Established
India’s first penicillin plant set up at Pimpri. It is the first public sector undertaking in the Drugs & Pharmaceutical Sector. UNICEF provides equipment and technical assistance.

1954 -The White Revolution: A beginning

During 1940s, Kaira Union (AMUL), a milk cooperative, faced a problem. Their surplus milk could not be sold. The livelihood of thousands of milk farmers was in jeopardy. Dr. Verghese Kurien, the legendary “Father of the White Revolution”, convinced UNICEF and others that the surplus buffalo milk could be converted into powder.

In 1954 - UNICEF signed an agreement with the Government of India to fund the Aarey and Anand milk processing plants. In return free and subsidised milk would be provided to needy children in the area. Within a decade, India had thirteen UNICEF assisted milk processing plants. Today, India has become the world’s largest producer of milk.
1954 -India’s first DDT Plant Established
India’s first DDT plant set up to supply National Malaria Eradication Programme launched by the Government of India. Plant is set up with the equipment provided by UNICEF.

1966- Bihar DroughtIn the summer of 1966, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh experienced one of the worst droughts in the history of the region during the 20th century.Around 60 million people were suffering from acute food and water shortages.

At the request of the country’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, UNICEF provided drilling rigs to accelerate the government’s efforts to provide safe drinking water.The emergency programme mounted at that time lead, in due course, to a major expansion of the national rural drinking water supply programme in which UNICEF became the key external partner.

1960 - Science teaching
In the early 1960s, the GOI and UNICEF sign an agreement for reorganisation and expansion of science teaching in the schools of India.The emphasis is on teaching through demonstration kits rather than through chalk and talk method. NCERT, UNESCO and UNICEF work together.

1963 -Applied Nutrition Programme
A nationwide village–based Applied Nutrition Programme is introduced in 1963. India signs a master plan of operation with UNICEF and its sister agencies, WHO and FAO; UNICEF assists ANP with equipment and supplies.

1970 -The Water Revolution

During the 1970s, UNICEF became a key partner with the Government of India in the world’s largest rural water supply programme. UNICEF brought drilling rigs to India which could drill boreholes in hard rock. The Government supplied handpumps. A problem arose. The handpumps, designed for single family use, were not up to the wear and tear of use by a community of 500 or more people. India needed a strong, locally manufactured handpump which could be easily maintained.

This need led to the development of the India Mark II, now the world’s most famous handpump.UNICEF worked with the government’s Mechanical Engineering Research and Development Organisation and Richardson and Cruddas, a government-owned engineering company, to develop the India Mark II, but the story began in Maharashtra where the Sholapur Pump was already in use. This pump was strong and well-engineered; it became the basis for the design of India Mark II.

The India Mark II, and the later India Mark III, are now exported to more than 40 countries around the world.

1975 - Integrated Child Development Services
The Government launches the Integrated Child Development Services scheme to improve nutrition and health for children under six as well as expectant and nursing mothers. The scheme now reaches nearly forty million children.

1983-Guinea Worm Eradication Programme

UNICEF supports India's national programme to rid the country of an agonising disease caused by guinea worms. This project was instrumental in getting the surgical extraction of guinea worms accepted in India and thereafter globally. In 2000 the World Health Organisation certifies that India is guinea worm free.

1985 - National Mission on Immunization
UNICEF supports Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's National Mission on Immunization. At the end of 1990, India announced that immunization coverage for children under the age of one had surpassed 80%.

1989- Mahila Samakhya –Education for women’s equality

Mahila Samakhya (meaning education for womens equality), launched in 1989, is now active in 12,000 villages, over 60 districts in 9 states including Bihar, where UNICEF and Mahila Samakhya have long been partners.

1991 - Iodine Deficiency Disorder
Since the 1990s, the Government of India, UNICEF, other UN agencies and NGOs have been working together for the promotion of Iodised salt as the best way of preventing Iodine Deficiencies Disorders. Today in India, more than 14 million out of the 26 million newborns are protected against brain damage due to iodine deficiency
1999 -Super Cylone of Orissa
'Super Cyclone' hits the Orissa coast killing about 10,000 people. State Government is supported by various agencies including UNICEF which coordinates relief operations for about 1.7 million children
2001 -Dular Project
The Dular project,to combat malnutrition, infant mortality and poor maternal health, started in selected districts of Bihar and Jharkhand by the Government with UNICEF support.

2001 - Gujarat Earthquake

Nearly 3 million children are directly affected by the Gujarat earthquake. 12,000 schools are damaged or destroyed. UNICEF is supporting efforts to revitalise the education system with modern learning tools and methodologies.
2003

2003- Infant Milk Substitute
The national enactment of the 2003 Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods Amendment Act, that serves to strengthen the existing 1992 law, becomes a major step promoted and welcomed by UNICEF and partners
2004 - Tsunami relief

The Tsunami kills more than 12,400 in India: A large percentage are women and children. UNICEF works to raise the standard of child-centred services to levels higher than they were before the disaster.

2005- Joyful Learning
In the last 14 years since 1991, joyful learning has emerged as a powerful concept to change the way schools and classrooms are managed. Whether it is in Nalli Kalli of Karnataka, the Quality Education Schools in UP or elsewhere - UNICEF supports joyful learning.
2011 - Census support
Gender issues were mainstreamed into the training and communication strategy for Census 2011. This helped 2.7 million enumerators and supervisors collect quality disaggregated data as part of the UNICEF contribution to the joint United Nations support to the Census.

2012–Polio Campaign
Polio cases in India fell from 559 in 2008 to no case in 2012.24 The Government, in partnership with UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contributed to almost universal awareness of the need to vaccinate all children under five against polio;

2013- Reduction in MMR -
UNICEF Support to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the second phase of the Reproductive and Child Health programme resulted in increased access to institutional and community-based maternal, neonatal and child health services. This contributed to a reduction in the MMR (from 28021 to 200) and IMR (from 58 to 44).The percentage of fully immunised children increased by 17 percentage points between 2006 and 2009

2013 -Communication Campaign on Maternal and Child Nutrition

Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) successfully launched nationwide Communication Campaign on Maternal and Child Nutritionin November 2012, jointly with Mr. Aamir Khan, a renowned actor and UNICEF Ambassador promoting nutrition for children. This is one of the largest public service campaigns in the country, reaching people across India, through diverse means of communication in 18 languages

2015- Ending Child Labour
In 2004, UNICEF and the multinational IKEA launched an initiative to help these children. It now reaches around XXX children in XXX villages.(Need latest figures about IKEA partnership)