Summary
Highly inspired by their Mobilising Support training in February and March of 2019, Iniya Udaiyam Charitable Trust (IUCT) initiated a campaign to put an end to child beggary in the localities where they operate and to ensure that these children at least get a proper education. This will be an ongoing campaign that will last till approximately May 2025.
Problem analysis
In Chennai 35 families of Telugu-speaking migrants from Andhra Pradesh were evicted from their places by the infrastructure development government. In return they were offered a 430 sq.ft place in JJ Nagar, Morai, without basic facilities like electricity, light, a proper road, etc. Some people constructed their own huts, some are living under the trees. They are illiterate people, selling books at traffic signals. Sometimes they are begging. Nearly 350 adults and children are living in these conditions. The children are also involved in these activities and do not go to school. Child labour means that children can come into contact with anti-social elements, sometimes resulting in sexual abuse. Child marriage is frequent and common practice. Parents are not aware of the importance of education and often cannot miss the income of their children, due to their poor economic conditions. A child can earn more than 400 rupees per day through begging and selling books.
Solution analysis
• Provide non-formal education; last academic year IUCT enrolled 11 students in a nearby school in different classes.
• Enroll children in nearby schools.
• Provide creche facility to the children below 5yrs to reduce child beggary.
• Create awareness among the parents about importance of education and provide educational materials to the children.
• Use Juvenile Justice Act to give legal aspect to reduce child labour and child beggary.
• Involve local leaders and ask them to arrange government benefits for the community people.
• Arrange medical camps for their health improvement.
• Plan to arrange alternative jobs for them.
Stakeholder analysis
Which stakeholders (NGO’s, government, private sector) did you identify as allies and how did you involve them?
a. District child protection unit has a role to provide care for needy children.
b. Child welfare committee can give residential support to the children for their education development.
c. Child line 1098 and other local education institutions can provide support for the children to enroll schools under the RTE (Right to Education) Act.
d. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All Movement) can support for taking non-formal education to the children.
e. District mid-day meal can provide food for the children.
Which stakeholders did you identify as neutral and how did you mobilise them?
IUCT sought help of the community leaders to raise awareness among the parents. When the families faced an issue, they reached out to the leaders of the community who helped to resolve the issue. These leaders had no specific interest in either party. The community leaders and local political leaders proved to be good mediums to mobilise the people for this area development process.
Which stakeholders did you identify as opponents and why were they opposed?
Mostly parents because the campaign causes them to lose their children’s earnings.
Local schoolteachers are also opponents because they discriminate children based on their caste.
How did you involve your beneficiaries in the stakeholder analysis/campaign?
IUCT motivated the children by organising exposure visits. The children were taken to visit colleges and got involved in the college cultural activities. IUCT provided education assistance, medical assistance, organised festival celebrations and introduced the play-way method in their remedial classes to improve their study skills. IUCT also provided nutritious food, etc.
Nearly 50% of children who were found showed an interest to go to school, but did not go due to lack of parents support to ensure the education of their children.
Short description of the organisation implementing the action/campaign
Iniya Udaiyam Charitable Trust (IUCT) is committed to the holistic development of children and youth in Avadi, Thiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, since 2004. They focus upon the children who belong to the migrant communities and the slum dwellers. They normally beg, do the rag picking and sell trinkets or books at the traffic signals.
Slum dwelling children don’t attend the school regularly. IUCT helps these children through non-formal education and also provides them with nutritious food and a health care programme.
Action period
2 June 2018 to 31 May 2025
Objectives
1. Put an end to child beggary in JJ Nagar, Moorai panchayat, Thiruvallur district.
2. Provide alternative jobs to the nomads begging community people.
3. Ensure child rights in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to these children.
Action results
Until now:
1. Nearly 58 (children out of 120) are now going to nearby government schools. 11 children were enrolled in private school by IUCT.
2. A 400Sq.ft remedial center for the children has been constructed.
3. And - very important - 100% participation of the community members to secure their rights.
Description of preparatory activities
1. Motivating people for their basic needs like light, road, patta (piece of land) , etc.
2. Inviting local police person to inform people about their basic facilities.
3. IUCT constructed two remedial centres in these areas, supported by the community people.
4. Involving local leaders and politicial leaders.
5. Raising our voices about these community problems in district collector meeting, review meeting in District child protection team, etc.
Description of implementation
1. Community meeting organised on 20/2/2019 (after the Mobilising Support training). Motivated the participants to hand a petition to the district collector. As a result 15 solar lights were fixed in their area by the Collectorate.
2. The police department fixed five CCTV cameras in this place.
3. Evening remedial classes were organised for these begging children to prepare them for enrollment in formal schools. They received educational assistance, were taken on exposure visits to other colleges and participated in the cultural programmes of these colleges.
4. Leaders are supporting them to arrange for Government schemes, birth certificate, Community certificate etc.
5. The District child protection officer visited this place and met the headmistress of a nearby school to talk about child labour issues and the lack of enrollment of these children.
Description of time investmen
4 hours per day.
Costs
Cost wise IUCT spent nearly Rs. 60,000/- for this campaign: 50% was raised from individuals (around 40k from online fundraising) and the remaining 50% was provided by an employee.
Follow up
There are repeated follow-ups with the State education department, Social defense, Administration in state, SCPCR (Street Child protection), JJ committee in high court, etc.
