From household chores to a classroom in school.

Girls in India, continue to become child labourers and drop outs because people do not address girl children’s issues holistically. Irrespective of the data source, roughly 50% of all working children are girls. School dropout rates amongst adolescent girls remains high at 63%. Moreover, 53% of girls in the age group of 5-9 years are illiterate.  What is needed is a systems approach, which focuses on tackling external and internal barriers to girl child education. This includes bridge courses for children to make up in years of lost schooling, ensuring good quality free government schools, good backup in health services and adequate employment and housing for the adults.

Child Labor is deeply rooted in our society due to social and economic marginalization, poverty, displacement, migration and lack of a coherent policy towards quality education for all. Girls work mainly to help their families because the adults do not have appropriate employment and adequate income. Children also work because there is a demand for cheap labor in the market.

Take the case of Rina, who had to quit school due to her family’s bad economic condition. Rina’s mother, who worked as a PE (peer educator) in an NGO had to discontinue her job for some reason. This forced her to withdraw her children from school. After dropping out of school, Rina began to perform the domestic chores. Her mother started engaging in some work in order to support the family. Furthermore, her family’s HIV status subjected her to stigma and discrimination from her father’s family. Rina confined herself to a small room in her house for most of the time. Due to the unfriendly and indifferent environment, she started becoming very depressed. She kept away from her friends and gradually started becoming abusive and aggressive towards her family.

Intervention from CRY America and our partner, Wide Angle helped Rina get back to school. Frequent visits and counseling sessions were conducted to ensure that Rina actively participated in children’s programs. Staff members of Wide Angle convinced her mother to enroll Rina in a school closer to her house. They met with the headmaster of Buddhimanjuri High school (government school) and explained Rina’s condition. They emphasized on the immediate need to reinstate Rina’s life as a student and empower her by imparting education. The headmaster responded positively to their request and assured them of complete cooperation. Today, Rina has been admitted into the government school in class V. Rina has started going to school again with a hope to attain herself a better and brighter future. Your support ensured that children like Rina get a chance to go to school, no matter what the barriers to education are.

We, at CRY America, firmly believe that when a girl is able to go to school, she sets off a cycle of positive change which gives her the strength and skill to fight numerous obstacles and change the course of her life. Our recent initiative, ‘Stay in School’ campaign is about ensuring 1944 girl children in India do not drop out of school and receive  quality access to a classroom, a teacher, books and much more by removing the roadblocks that hinder their education. All we need is $70,000 to achieve it.

CRY UW India Trip 2013

Our CRY America University of Washington Action Center is currently in India and volunteering their time with CRY. Below is a summary of their first few days. Please take a moment to learn about their experience.

Wednesday, September 4th - Orientation Day

Today was our first official day with CRY India where we gained a complete overview of the objectives of the organization. At the orientation, we were introduced to one partner organization called Kalapandhari Magas Vargiya and Adivasi Gramin Vikas Sanstha (KMVAGVS), whose projects we would be visiting for the next two days in the villages of Latur.  KMVAGVS is an NGO that gained the support of CRY India in 1999 with its original purpose being to “Ensure Child Rights through Women’s Empowerment in the district of Latur near the border of Maharashtra.

September 5th-6th - Latur, Day 1

We travelled overnight by train and arrived early morning in an urban area of Latur. Today we visited the office of KMVAGVS, where we were greeted with warm hearts and warm chai by the staff and founder/leader B.P. Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi explained to us the motivation behind his organization. Despite his underprivileged childhood, he overcame the barriers ubiquitous to his situation and devoted his life to improving the prospects for impoverished children.

Our first visit of the day was to the local Primary Health Center (PHC) where we became acquainted with the lack of sanitation, space, staff, and equipment. Through our conversation with the only doctor serving the PHC, we saw that despite the many challenges of serving over 50 patients each day, he maintains optimism in this destitute situation. This PHC is supposed to provide vaccinations and a few other services, some of which are virtually discontinued due to insufficient support from the government. 

                                                      Bhalghat meeting among students in grades 6-10, led by Meena of KMVAGVS

Our second visit of the day took us through miles of winding, unpaved roads. After travelling through sugar cane fields for nearly an hour, we arrived at a primary school in a remote village. Despite being complete strangers, we were greeted enthusiastically by the students, ranging from grades 1 to 4. The school children were gracious enough to invite us to a session of their “Bhalghat” group. A Bhalghat meeting is a group of students who convene periodically to discuss how they can exercise their right to demand justice from the government in order to further overcome the obstacles they face.

The meeting was followed by a formal welcoming by the women leaders of the Banjaram tribe. We discussed the issues they faced, including domestic violence, social ostracism, and child labor. The community elders, musical artist volunteering for KMVAGVS, and the children performed several songs and skits portraying their triumphs over child-related injustices. By the end of the evening, we felt that the experience gave us an idea of how long it takes for an NGO (KMVAGVS) and a community in need to build a trusting relationship with each other, only after which real change can take place. This visit also clarified for us how the support from the partner CRY India empowers NGOs and communities to take action.

Continue sharing joy this festive season - https://america.cry.org/mainapp/donation.aspx?PageType=CMLP08

Children victims of meagre wages

Thousands of crores may have been spent on setting up venues and the village for Commonwealth Games, but the men who actually lay the brick do not even get enough wages to afford one square meal for the family every day.

A study by Child Rights and You (CRY), CRY America's partner in India, at the Siri Fort construction site has revealed 84% labourers are paid much less than the stipulated minimum wage of Rs 203 per day for unskilled workers.

According to CRY's survey conducted over a period of two months at other sites like Dhyan Chand National Stadium, R K Khanna Stadium, Talkatora Stadium, JLN Stadium and Lodhi Road, children of these construction workers have to live in inhuman conditions. They go without quality food, safe drinking water, healthcare and formal schooling, the report says.

"We interviewed many construction workers at the Siri Fort construction site and found a majority of them were paid only about 60% of the stipulated amount, which is anyway too less. As a result, these workers can't even provide adequate food to their children," said Yogita Verma, director, CRY.

As per the findings, while unskilled workers were being paid Rs 85 to Rs 100 per day, skilled workers earned around Rs 120 every day. A 25-year-old worker at the Games Village site told CRY that a large chunk of his wages was taken away by the contractor. "Our entire family is cramped into a plastic tent. Whenever mediapersons come, the site supervisor bluffs them by saying that workers receive Rs 200 and masons get Rs 500. We only get a part of it, the rest goes to the contractor," he claimed.

Verma said, "We are trying to build such a fantastic image of our country but the children of these workers do not even go to school. They just loiter around all day as these sites do not even have any facility for a creche." The report also refers to a PIL filed in the Delhi high court according to which nearly 4.15 lakh daily-wage workers were working on six venue clusters and five standalone venues for the Games in the city. CRY found children of many such workers had to drop out of school when the family migrated to the city from their place of residence.
(source: Times of India)

Javed Akthar, a renowned poet, lyricist and scriptwriter recites his poem ‘Mumbai Tere Bachche’ (Mumbai, your children) describing the trials and tribulations of street children in Mumbai city in India at a CRY America event for child rights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKFmsdf3L3Y
Acclaimed actor Shabana Azmi recites Javed Akthar's poem in English 'Mumbai your children' at a CRY America event for child rights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUJ0bHET1aY

CRY America had around 30 people at the India Day parade in New York on August 16, 2009, including a large, very energetic bunch of young people who danced all the way to the music from the Zee float behind us.

CRY America's 'My Vision and Dream for Children' campaign

http://america.cry.org/myvisionforchildren

Illiteracy, child labor, malnutrition, preventable diseases, gender discrimination, child abuse, amongst others - are injustices faced by millions of children on a daily basis. But not for long we hope ... because no matter how difficult the journey, if each of us believes in doing what's right, all children will have their right to live, learn, grow and play.

CRY America believes in a 'just' world in which all children - regardless of gender, class, caste, faith, color, race, physical and mental ability etc. - have an equal opportunity to develop to their full potential and realize their dreams.

Participate in CRY America’s “My Vision and Dream for Children” Campaign – tell us what you believe. What is your vision/dream for children? Express yourself in exciting ways - paintings, poems, essays, songs and become part of a larger movement for children’s rights.

You can register and upload your entry online. Or find out about what’s happening in your city and participate in local events being organized by our Volunteer Action Centers. View all eligible entries at our Viewing Gallery and set up your own page and invite friends to view your entry.
National winners will be chosen as per specified criteria and process and all winning entries will be specially displayed on the CRY America website and receive special certificates.

Join this campaign today … we look forward to your participation!

Express yourself - paint, write, sing, click, do what you like and help bring us closer to that day!