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Society for Advancement in Tribes, Health, Education, Environment (SATHEE). Jharkhand, India.
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Society for Advancement in Tribes, Health, Education, Environment (SATHEE) Jharkhand, India
To ensure that the most vulnerable communities, especially marginalized children and women, living in the 4 districts, Jharkhand, attain their fundamental rights as guaranteed to them in the Constitution of India
These children come from… • 46% of the population that live below the poverty line • Displacement, recurring droughts and continuous migration exists to simply survive • For 12.5 % of the inhabitants even two square meals a day is difficult to come by • 25% still do not have access to safe drinking water. • 50% have yet to gain their basic rights to an education • 76% to 80% children dropped out due to inaccessibility to the school. • 56% of the girl child never enrolled into a school, while more than 90% dropped out • 84% living here have no access to even toilet facilities
These children come from… • 312 child laborers were initially reported working in the different forms while 655 children were identified to be working as house hold workers • 43 cases of child trafficking were identified in the area. • Children are deprived from participation at all levels. • 32% children suffered sexual abuse and 97% cases of premature marriages were reported. • Basic infrastructure like roadways, electricity are still amiss in this district • The district has the lowest right to earn a living and means of employment in India even 60 years post independence
...have now formed pressure groups... Today, there are: • 500 such bal sansads’ formed across the state of Jharkhand • 18 sessions have been held at various levels – village, district and regional levels • 10 bal melas’ (children’s gatherings) organized for networking and interaction amongst children • A Bal Adhikar Morcha (a children’s rally) was organized to lobby with local government bodies • A children’s magazine was also published on quarterly basis and distributed across the state
…leading to action • SATHEE along with the bal sansad groups and the community members have enabled free, compulsory and quality education to the children of the region : • functioning of 19 primary govt. schools, 6 residential welfare schools • 100% enrollment of children in the primary schools across 98 villages. • 50% retention of the children and decrease in school drop out rate by 80%. • 76% Girl children enrolled • 100% Challenged children enrolled • Removal of all forms of child labor and violence against children • 96% villages are child labor free and enrolled into schools
…leading to action • Reduction of infant, child and mother mortality rate • government schemes like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) are made available, accessible. • At least 10 sessions on the subject health, Nutrition and hygiene in each village have been conducted to combat preventable diseases • 100% birth registration has been ensured in the villages. • Functioning of local health care centers – infrastructure, medical equipments, beds, medicines, staff • 4 Public Health Centers,14 Health Sub-centers, 3 referral Health centers and 17 ICDS centers have been activated. • The various schemes initiated by the government have been implemented - food, pension, maternity benefits etc. • 55 public distribution centers activated with regular basic food supplies.
What it takes to make this change “lasting” - SATHEE’s initiatives • Awareness drives and campaigns demanding schools closer to village habitations and re-activation of the non-functional schools • Information on legal rights of the community and the role of local government bodies in ensuring alternative means like irrigation facilities and scientific knowledge of agricultural methods to cultivate land • Campaigns advocating and seeking social audits and public hearings for transparent implementation of the programs initiated by the government. • Rallying to re-initiate the legal access by this tribal community to local natural resources
Sustainable change made possible • Conversion of 200 acres of drought land into cultivable areas • Established village level cooperatives to control the market of local produce, thus cutting out the middle man • Introduced traditional methods of farming and seeds and organized grain and seed banks in more than 75 villages. • Initiated collective farming processes across 50 villages. • Ensuring of emergency funds in 40 villages to combat the food situation during lean period.
Empowered community groups • 176 Village councils (Gram Sabha) including equal and adequate participation of women. • 500 Traditional and Local apex self- governance bodies (Bungalow federations) • Regional level alliances
“ Children can turn the world upside down (in the right direction that is!)” - Anita Marande, Bal Sarpanch (Chief of the children’s parliament) Godda district Jharkhand