events-archive-nov-2013

Childline Se Dosti week!

Bhilwara, Rajasthan, November 11 – 14, 2013

CHILDLINE Se DOSTI week is a national campaign is celebrating from 8th to 14th November 2013, to make ordinary citizens stakeholders in CHILDLINE 1098. The primary objective of this campaign is to spread awareness amongst those who remain unaware about the work done by CHILDLINE and generate CHILDLINE ‘Dosts’ everywhere. This week is all about fun, energy and excitement! ‘CHILDLINE Se Dosti’ is a weeklong national campaign that aims to make ordinary citizens stakeholders in CHILDLINE 1098. Campaign involves a range of events, activities across the country. Be it a student, a taxi driver, an IT professional, a rickshaw puller or a housewife, it is our objective to reach out to people from different walks of life to get to know CHILDLINE, begin to care about vulnerable children and initiate action towards change. The ostensible purpose of this campaign is to generate a Million ‘Dosts’ for CHILDLINE and acquaint people with Child Rights and Protection. During this week CHILDLINE 1098, Bhilwara is going to organizing sports events with children, signature campaigns with various stakeholders, shearing the SURKSHA BANDHNA (Security knot) to police personnel’s, with more evenest to make more friends.

S.No.

Date Name of Activity Target Group Place
1 11.11.2013 Sports events Children, youth RC Vyas colony, Bhilwara
2 12.11.2013 Signature camping Public Public place, Bhilwara
3 13.11.2013 Friendship bands Children, Police Police stations, Bhilwara
4 14.11.2013 Drawing competition Students Government school, Bhilwara

For more information, please contact:

Dharmveer Yadav / Madan Lal Keer
Email: dy@cuts.org, childline@cuts.org
Ph: 01482 234145, 234146


Two days CEOs (Project Implementing Agencies ) training cum workshop under Swadharini project

Chittorgarh – Bhilwara, Rajasthan, November 11 – 14, 2013

Micro Finance

Besides geographical backwardness, poverty is rampant in certain groups like the SC /ST tribes households, who are the most deprived lot with poorest human development indicators and low income. Women are also underprivileged with most gender disparity indicators 57 higher than national averages. For rural poor, the income from agriculture and allied activities is seasonal in nature, primarily around the harvest season. Rural poor save money as cash in pocket/house, saving in recurring deposits in post office, buying insurance (mainly life insurance of LIC), saving in SHGs, chit funds/ committees, and in companies.

Rural poor depend on money lenders and friends/ relatives for credit. Due to numerous reasons, they have low access to formal sources of credit. The credit from informal sources comes at very high cost i.e. at 24% to 60% annual interest. The immediate propensity of 85 poor is to pay off costly loan from moneylenders and then to use it for meeting their consumption needs, health expenditures and after some time, start making small investments to augment their livelihood sources e.g. seeds and other inputs, fodder for animals etc.

SHG model has turned out to be a promising model for poverty alleviation in India. SHGs have become efficient vehicles for promoting savings and inter-loaning among poor women. Self Help Group development evolves through phases of coming together, learning to work together, developing norms of engagement and finally being able to work together in an interdependent and flexible manner. SHG movement builds on time-tested ‘conceptual package’ which involves organization of poor into groups, capacity building to unleash their potential and empowering them to manage their own capital.

Access to financial services plays a very crucial role in economic and social development of People. The impact assessment of microfinance programmes in Rajasthan and elsewhere clearly indicates the change in income level of beneficiaries; reduction of dependence on moneylenders; increase in expenditure/ investment on children’s education, health, agricultural inputs, increase in production and most important the increased awareness and self-confidence among women and poor. Over the years, considerable progress has been made in organizing women into groups. The groups of women have to be promoted since new SHGs do not self-evolve. That’s where Self Help Group promoting institutions (SHPI) play a key role. In order to give a boost to the programme in the state, with an emphasis on quality of SHGs, providing new products and services to the SHGs members and upgrading the SHGs to take up microenterprise activates, “Swadharini” is being launched as a pilot programme involving major NGOs functioning in the state as Resource Agencies such as Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS-CHD).

About Swadharini Project

‘Swadharni’ is a pilot project with an objective to upscale and intensify the SHG SB & credit linkages programme (SHG-BLP) in Rajasthan, based on Resource Non-Government Organization (R-NGO) model. Though the Self-Help Group has spread in several part of the state, it has limited success in terms of impacts due to some lack of suitable PIA which required knowledge, expertise and experience to hand holding the programme. In directive to address of these, and to strengthen and upscale the SHGs programme in Rajasthan state, NABARD RO has initiated a project called “Swadharni” which objective to promote, nurture, and bank link of SHGs in identified districts through R-NGOs in 11 districts of Rajasthan.

Apart from above this pilot project will also focus on capacity building and training on various stakeholders viz. PIAs, Bankers, SHGs workers and members and other related functionaries.

The selected R-NGO will identify the potential PIAs for forming and bank linkages of SHGs in their respective area. The R-NGO will train the PIAs personnel’s and also hand hold to them to promote the SHGs programme. At the same time R-NGO will also do the train of bankers and other stakeholders as identified during situational analysis by the R-NGO. The R-NGO will monitor the programme in assigned district/s and progress reports submit to NABARD time to time. This is the first stage of this Swadharni pilot project.

Background of Resource Agency

CONSUMER UNITY & TRUST SOCIETY (CUTS) as part of ‘Swadharni’ project in Bhilwara and Chittorgarh district of southern Rajasthan to strengthening the SHG movement. Under the initiative the proposed resource agency is conducting project launching in respective districts viz. Chittorgarh and Bhilwara.

Training and orientation programme for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and management level

Date: 11th & 12th November, 2013 in Chittorgarh
13th & 14th November, 2013 in Bhilwara

Venue: Chittorgarh Chitrakoot Resort, Udaipur Road Rithola Chouraha, Chittorgarh
Bhilwara yet to be decided

Time: 10.00 am to 05.30 pm (Two days Residential)

Participation: 30 (2 members from each SHPIs/PIAs along with LDM, DDM, PD-ICDS, Manager DIC and two private bankers).

For more information regarding the programme, please contact:

Dharmveer Yadav: 88890841068 (dy@cuts.org)
Madan Giri Goswami: 9829285938 (mgg@cuts.org)


BAL Mela / BAL DIVAS

Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, November 14, 2013

CUTS is organising ‘Bal Mela’ to celebrate Children’s Day. Most schools have cultural programmes for the day, with the students managing it all. All over the country, various cultural, social, and even corporate, institutions conduct competitions for children. Children’s Day is a day for children to engage in fun and frolic. Schools celebrate this day by organising cultural programmes. Various competitions like quizzes, fancy dress competitions, and elocutions are organised on this day.

Children’s Day is to celebrate ‘childhood’. India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was born on November 14, 1889. After his death in 1963, his birthday has been celebrated as children’s Day in India. Children’s Day is not just a day to let the future generation have its say. It is a day to remember a leader who, in his quiet but determined way, laid the foundation to convert a nascent nation into a world power.

CUTS CHD, in association with Save the Children, is implementing a Child Rights project named, ‘Stronger Voice to Excluded Children in Government & NGOs Policies and Programmes’ at 28 villages of six Gram Panchayat in Chittorgarh Block. A series of activities are being organised under it with the children, community and stakeholders. On the occasion of Bal Divas, CUTS is organising huge Bal Mela at Senior Secondary School Samri in Chittorgarh on November 14, 2013.

Objective

• Organising an event meant for children and giving each child a fun filled and memorable day
• Providing an occasion to children for meeting, developing, observing, perceiving and creating potential through co-curricular activities
• Providing a platform for children to enhance social interaction, leadership, healthy recreation, self-discipline and self-confidence
• Engaging children in fun and frolic irrespective of any discrimination based on socio-economic status

For more information regarding the programme, please contact:

Dharmveer Yadav: 88890841068 (dy@cuts.org)
Madan Giri Goswami: 9829285938 (mgg@cuts.org)


Bal Panchayat meet on CSA

Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, November 28, 2013

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 came into force on November 14, 2012. The Act under its ambit defines child as a person below the age-group of 18 and is gender neutral and have a clear definition for all types of sexual abuses like sexual harassment, penetrative or non-penetrative sexual abuse, and pornography. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 has been drafted to strengthen the legal provisions for the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For the first time, a special law has been passed to address the issue of sexual offences against children in India. Sexual offences are currently covered under different sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The IPC does not provide for all types of sexual offences against children and, more importantly, does not distinguish between adult and child victims.

The Act provides for stringent punishments, which have been graded as per the gravity of the offence. The punishments range from simple to rigorous imprisonment of varying periods. There is also provision for fine, which is to be decided by the Court. An offence is treated as ‘aggravated’ when committed by a person in a position of trust or authority of child such as a member of security forces, police officer, public servant, etc. The Act provides for the establishment of Special Courts for trial of offences under the Act, keeping the best interest of the child as of paramount importance at every stage of the judicial process. The Act incorporates child friendly procedures for reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and trial of offences.

According to Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India, 2007 report, 53 percent children are exploited by child sexual abuse. Another report of Tulir-CPHCSA, 2006 indicated that 42 percent of children are exploited – 39 percent among girls, 48 percent boys.

Child Sexual Abuse is the use of a child for sexual gratification by an older or more powerful person. The offender is usually an adult, but could also be a more powerful child. Both girls and boys are vulnerable. Besides being a public health concern, it is a crime punishable by law. Most people imagine abusers to be shadowy and frightening strangers. In fact, most often these abusers can range from family members to acquaintances and someone the victim trusts explicitly. Rarely are abusers complete strangers. Contrary also to what people may think, a person who abuses a child is usually not someone with a psychiatric disorder. They are usually indistinguishable from anyone else. In fact, often an abuser is a “regular” person who leads a “routine” life and is known to the victim, but has no inhibition or qualms for having sex with children. The effects of child sexual abuse vary from child to child with each child developing his/her own coping mechanism. The effects are dependent on a host of factors, the primary ones being age of the child, sex of the child, the relationship with the abusers, frequency of abuse and availability of support systems etc.

Role of Parents, School and Community in Curbing Child Sexual Abuse

Parents are most important adults in their child’s life They care for your children and are concerned about their safety; but unfortunately cannot always ensure it. However, they can equip them with information and skills in order to build self-protective behaviour.

Schools are at the frontline of child protection since they have the potential to both teach protective behaviour effectively. Besides, educators have a special role in combating child sexual abuse, as they possess the knowledge, training and opportunity to observe and respond to children’s behaviour and physical conditions over a period of time.

Community provides information for adults on preventing child sexual abuse for the children in their lives. It discusses facts on child sexual abuse, how to talk with children, establishing healthy boundaries, fostering healthy sexual development, and taking action to prevent sexual abuse.

In Chittorgarh district, CUTS Centre for Human Development (CUTS CHD) in association with Save the Children is launching a 90-day campaign at Gram Panchayat, Block and District during October-December 2013. Various activities would be conducted under the campaign. In this series, an IEC workshop will be organised at the District level with Block level Bal Panchayat members on November 28, 2013. More than 30 Bal Panchayat members will be participating in this event and generating IEC on child sexual abuse. There will be screening of documentary on child sexual abuse and a group activity with children.

Target Audience: Children/members of Bal Panchayat or Children Collectives.

Expected Key Results/Outcomes: Community will be more sensitised on the issue of child sex abuse and raise the issue against injustice of children from sexual abuse.

For more information regarding the programme, please contact:

Dharmveer Yadav: 88890841068 (dy@cuts.org)
Madan Giri Goswami: 9829285938 (mgg@cuts.org)