India

Building Child Friendly Villages

kantin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:43:39 -0500

by Bhuwan Ribhu
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This notebook will introduce and share the concept of Child Friendly Villages or Bal Mitra Gram (BMG), developed by Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), which directly address the multi-dimensional problems that generate, maintain and perpetuate the child labour situation. BMGs attack the triangular paradigm, a vicious circle of illiteracy, poverty, and child labour. The BMG is an innovative concept that offers a long-term, sustainable solution to a wide variety of problems such as child labour, trafficking for forced labour, poverty alleviation, and illiteracy, among others. BMGs aim at prevention while understanding the root causes to ensure sustainability and permanent settlement of the child labor problem. Not only does the BMG programme aim to withdraw children from work while enhancing the quality of education, it also aims at a holistic development of villages towards the creation of a child friendly society. Throughout the whole process emphasis is given on child participation, community mobilization, promotion of education, victim empowerment, gender equity and awareness of gender issues, while drawing upon the convergence of various poverty alleviation schemes and programmes, and ensuring long-term sustainability of the initiatives through the creation of sound community organisation and building a resource base.

A BMG village has no child labour. All children receive compulsory, good quality education, and the voice and opinion of the children ar eheard and taken into account. To date there are more than 150 Child Friendly Villages and currently BBA is working in an additional 43 villages to make them Bal MItra Gram. This notebook will outline how the BMG approach is child-centric and ensures participation of children, making it a comprehensive programme.

*Note: You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the files marked with an asterisk (*). You can download a free version of this program from www.adobe.com.

Right to Know, Right to Live

kantin — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:06:02 -0500

by Sowmya Kidambi
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This notebook shares how Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) has been deeply involved in a collective process which has shaped and influenced the Campaign for the Right to Information in India. MKSS makes the case that without access to information and transparency there can be no genuine participation of all members of society, particularly the poor, in democracy. The right to know and actual transparency of information provides the ability to demand and access rights.

Access to livelihood, wages, medicine and other essentials inspired the workers and peasants in central Rajasthan to protest against the opaqueness of the local government. The Right to Information (RTI) campaign of MKSS is symbiotically connected to an understanding that without information and transparency there can be no genuine participation of the poor in democracy, no ability to demand and access their rights. The Right to Information Act is the result of a collective effort—of organizations and people who battled at the grassroots, in the villages and in urban areas. Many helped draft the law, some helped with critical input or provided the space and infrastructure, and yet others gave monetary contributions. So the credit is shared by a large group. The contribution of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan is one of many.

This notebook describes the origins of the right to information campaign in India from the perspecitve and experience of MKSS. You will see how MKSS began with a strategy of advocating for minimum wage payments for local labourers, but subsequently shifted to mobilizing local populations to demand access to public records that exposed extensive corruption and abuse of power in our state of Rajasthan, India. More recently, MKSS's strategy has again changed to engagement with the political process, as they have joined a national lobbying effort to change legislation governing the right to information and supporting transparent, accountable candidates for electoral office. Throughout these changes, MKSS deliberated to define the appropriate strategy for their goals, and to identify creative, inclusive tactics to further their strategy. You’ll see how the tactics and strategies they selected helped them build a mass grassroots movement for change and influence all levels of the Indian government.

*Note: You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the files marked with an asterisk (*). You can download a free version of this program from http://www.adobe.com

Pradeep Agrawal

PAgrawal — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:56:44 -0500

I am consultant Psychiatrist working with torture victims since 1996. Initiated a center in New Delhi India in 2000 to treat and rehabilitate the torture victims. this was the first center in Delhi. We have organised several training programmes for different health professionals. We have conducted several surveys in the community regarding torture and domestic violence among women. we have created a manual for the professionals who are involved in the management of torture victims. This includes legal professionals, social workers, psychologists, nursing professionals, Doctors and psychiatrists. The center has been functioning regularly since 2000.

Onil

OKshetrimayum — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 02:18:32 -0500

Name: Kshetrimayum Onil
Date of birth : 31 March 1979
Nationality: Indian
Religion: Athiest
Gender: Male
Home town address: Elangbam Leikei, Leirak Macha, Imphal 795001, Manipur, India

Experience

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Oct' 2006 - Reachout, New Delhi, India
Coordinator

Started a youth initiative non profit organization focus in the conflict regins of North.
Coordinate campaign to support Ms. Irom Sharmila Chanu who has been fasting for over six years, in protest to repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958

Working for the promotion of peace through youth movement in the conflict areas of North East India to coexist various sections and marginalized community of a society.
_____________________________________________ July 2006-Oct' 2006 - Oxfam GB, New Delhi
Popular Mobilization - Control Arms

Designing campaign to bring pressure to the government to sign Arms Trade Treaty
Making popularize on Control Arms campaign within the civil societies
Building alliance partners
Launched Global Day of Action on Control Arms, Global Photo Exhibition on Control Arms and Parliamentarian meeting to support Arms Trade Treaty
Coordinate campaign to Control Arms which results to over 20,000 Million Faces petition
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June 2004 - June 2006, Amnesty International India
New Delhi, India
Campaign Assistant

Launched campaign against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 in various cities of India in alliance with local NGOs mobilized over 6000 people
Conflict analysis in North East, India
Recruiting, training and coordianting volunteers from school, colleges and universities
Formed alliance partners with various NGO's within and outside India
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April 2003-May 2004, Royal Educational Society, Maharashtra, India
Teacher
Taught in school and women's college
Monitoring 164 Gujarat riots victim children students

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2003-2004, Independent Field Monitor, Gujarat, India

Routine visits to the families of communal riots victim children of 164
Reports of the affected families are being submitted to UNHCR , request to take necessary steps for the internally displaced families
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June 2002- March 2003, Greenpeace Environment Trust
Chennai, India
Direct Dialogue Recruiter
Raising awareness on environmental issues in public domain, schools and colleges.
Fund raising and membership activation
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Training undergone
Campaign and Advocacy Training for South Asia organized by International Secretariat, Amnesty International at Kathmandu, Nepal
Consultancy Training on Arms Trade Treaty for different civil societies and activists from the conflict areas organized by Amnesty International India and Saferworld at New Delhi, India
_______________________________________________
Education
2000-2002 - Post Graduated in Zoology, Loyola College, Cheenai

1997-2000 - Graduated in Zoology, Madras Christian College, Chennai
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Hobby
Photography, parasailing, trekking, playing guitar, reading, games (table tennis) and spending time with children