Getting the Basics Right

Kalapandhari Magasvargiya & Adivasi Gramin Vikas 

10 villages in Beed District, Maharashtra, West India, saw a revolution of a different nature.

Beed district comprises mainly of Dalits, one of the most marginalized communities in India. Agriculture is their main occupation, but with scanty rainfall and poor irrigation facilities, they were unable to support themselves and their families. Moreover, with a near absence of schools in the area, there was an increase in children working to support the family income, thus denying them their most basic rights - to learn, to play, and to grow.

By mobilizing the community in the project area, CRY America and its NGO partner Kalapandhari have now ensured that these children get the opportunities they could not dream of.

Kalapandhari has successfully organized community collectives, especially women’s groups, to mount various campaigns on diverse issues related to child rights. These have included providing immunization to children, activating primary health care centers, enrolling and retaining children in schools, and building awareness on the ills of child labor and child marriage.

Kalapandhari has also created a children’s group called Balgat - a space for children to express themselves, and to showcase their talents by participating in various skits, plays and songs. Balgat has given children a voice by helping them put forward their views on social issues impacting their lives.

The Kalapathak team supported by Kalapandhari has also emerged as a vocal instrument for spreading awareness on human rights and predominant regional issues through theatre, song and drama. For instance “BACHAPAN BACHAO” was a play put together to counter the increase in children dropping out of schools. The outcome - 3 government schools in the region had 100% retention of school-going children, and facilities in one local school were upgraded.

Kalapandhari today continues to work in these villages and neighboring districts with one focus - empowering the community to restore to children their rights, holistically. And CRY America continues to provide them with the required resources, financial and non-financial, to enable this change.

Read more details about this initiative and its work