Transform the Lives of Children in Gujarat, India

No Child Labour Day in India

30^th April was a busy day for the whole Shaishav team as they worked to spread the message about child labour and promote the long-term value of education. Shaishav staff ran an informal session for child labourers, affording children the day off and giving them an opportunity to come together in a safe and secure environment to look at some of the issues they face. The main focus of the day was fun and games – a precious chance to relax, make new friends and just be kids for the day.

We also ran our School Enrollment Drives in several schools at the same time that students went to collect their exam results, so we could help them secure the next stage in their education immediately and get them on the path towards a sustainable livelihood.

In the evening the team went to local areas where child labourers are known to work, like food and drinks stands, to distribute pamphlets about support services and begin one-to-one conversations to get these children into education. 

Let us know any about any activities you are planning for World Day Against Child Labour on 12th June.

New child-led research project: Child Friendly Communities

Balsena children and Tarunsena youth have been very busy conducting large-scale action research across Bhavnagar for the last few weeks. Shaishav was selected as a pilot organisation for a new child friendly communities research tool kit being pioneered by CERG – the Child Environments Research Group, part of City University New York. Sruthi Atmakur from CERG and Shaishav’s Executive Director Parul Sheth delivered 3 days of intensive training to 47 youngsters in May, building valuable new skills and equipping them to carry out detailed data
collection across 7 slum communities in Bhavnagar to understand the challenges children face and understand how to make their homes, schools, hospitals and neighbourhoods more child-friendly.

Balsena and Tarunsena members brought their innovation, creativity and problem-solving capabilities to the pilot study – identifying many new indicators which CERG can incorporate into their toolkit, and also trying out a new method of data collection using computers on the Shaishav bus (our mobile resource centre) to attract respondents and give them an opportunity to gain valuable new computer skills. This work will continue throughout the summer, with the analysis and report produced later this year.

Shaishav are pleased to be able to take part in this important pilot to refine and develop the research toolkit, especially as some Balsena and Tarunsena members have already honed their research skills during our last action research project – the Child Rights Audit – in 2009. Another one of the pilots was conducted in a school in Haiti after the earthquake to understand how best to develop child-friendly environments after such a huge disaster.

Let us know what you are doing to make your communities more child- friendly. Get in touch on shaishav93@gmail.com – we’d love to hear your ideas and learn something new.

Thank you for your support for Shaishav. The Balsena and Tarunsena members are grateful for your support to allow them continue to spread messages of positive change across Bhavnagar and beyond.

Throughout January and December, Shaishav staff and youth collective members of Tarunsena trained themselves to perform street theater as a tool to teach small communities throughout Bhavnagar about the Right to Education Act (RTE) and the purpose of School Management Committees to ensure proper, efficient implementation of the act and provide quality education to the children. The Right to Education is India’s declaration of quality education as a fundamental right for the first time in Indian constitutional history. Through 75 street theatre performances in over 50 communities in the city of Bhavnagar, Shaishav, Balsena and Tarunsena teams roused audiences to engage with questions like: “The RTE tells us that every school should have a mid-day meal, gender specific toilet facilities, and qualified teachers promoting quality education. Is this happening in your school?” Over 10,000 citizens, adults and children, engaged with these performances. The actors urged parents to take an active role in their child’s School Management Committee to ensure these fundamental rights are being met.

In addition to community based performances, Shaishav hosted a state level event on January 17^th, 18^th and 19^th that incorporated the participation of 80 child and adult representatives of 13 different NGOs throughout Gujarat. The event was held to develop an action plan that addresses the involvement of youth in governance which was developed by each participating organization. Throughout the three days, participants attended various sessions on what it takes to work collaboratively and how adults can help youth in working together for their goals. The event was a great networking opportunity for like-minded organizations as well as a time to fully develop a child participation model to implement in their organizations.

Just a few days after the consultation, Shaishav held the 10^th annual celebration of Balsena, the children’s collective. The event started with a rally through one of the main streets in Bhavnagar and led to Shamaldas college campus where children started the ceremonies with dancing, snacks and flag raising. Children spent the morning learning about safety and protection from Shaishav staff and Tarunsena youth. Safety and protection has become a significant topic in light of the Delhi rape case in December 2012. In the afternoon, Balsena members displayed the collective’s history and the children got to engage with a guest speaker on her journey as a former national volleyball player who is now an amputee and continues to pursue life to the fullest as she preps to climb Mt. Everest this spring. The parents of active Balsena and Tarunsena members were felicitated for supporting their children in their journey of empowerment. The day was full of infectious inspiration and a sense of solidarity as members, parents, and Shaishav staff celebrated the hard work the collective has accomplished in the last year.

Although Shaishav functions as a direct service provider through programs like Balsena and Tarunsena, the organization has been working to establish itself as a resource and training support for like-minded organizations and individuals since 2008. In January, Shaishav had the long awaited opportunity to present its Child Rights and Resource Training Center to the public as the future home of exceptional training in child rights, participation, and community action through youth leadership. The inauguration of the building was attended by important community leaders and supporters as well as Balsena and Tarunsena youth. Attendees got to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter for Shaishav.  

Throughout all the events, Shaishav has been continuously appreciative of the funding it has received to make its efforts possible. As an engaged follower and a funder, we send you our utmost gratitude in continuing the work that Shaishav believes to be most essential in furthering the capacity of youth to make community wide change through the development of themselves and their peers.