This project aims to transform Perumbakkam into a child-friendly village and bring child labour to an end, guarantee education for all the children as well as healthcare and hygiene, and promote children’s rights through the participation of the community.

CONTEXT AND ISSUES

Humanium’s Realisation of Children’s Rights Index places India in red, which indicates the precarious situation of young Indians. The Tamil Nadu region, in the extreme south of the country, is a rural zone facing an overall lack of growth.

In this region, poverty is omnipresent and this situation has considerable consequences on children’s lives, their education, health and development. Children’s basic needs, but also their family’s needs, are not being met. There is a high rate of absenteeism and widespread child labour, a lack of access to preventive and curative healthcare, a high rate of malnutrition and anaemia, limited knowledge of basic hygiene practices and poor access to drinking water. Moreover, risky conventional agricultural practices pose a threat to health, to the preservation of soils and to the environment, threatening even more the community and the future of children.

OUR SOLUTION AND ITS RELEVANCE

Humanium has intervened in India for the past ten years and has already helped implementing several similar projects. The model used has been developed by our local partner Hand in Hand India.

We intervene in one village only but make sure that we target the main challenges faced by the community and thus threatening the healthy development of children. The main objective is to transform Perumbakkam into a Child Friendly Village and that requires working with children, as well as adults.

The project has thus been designed around 4 pillars to address these challenges:

1. Bringing children back to school and ending child labor: this includes awareness campaigns among the community to identify children who do not benefit from education, but also improving and upgrading the school’s infrastructures and material, with a smart classroom for example.
2. Making children’s rights happen: Humanium leads several capacity building workshops for the community using coaching and leadership tools. There are also many manifestations and contests organised by and for children so that they know their rights perfectly. Children’s Rights Committees are formed to implement these actions on the long run.
3. Improving access to health: unhealthy children cannot go to school and unhealthy parents cannot work. Medical camps are thus organised in the community to improve access to health. We also pay a particular attention to malnutrition and anemia which are widely common in rural areas.
4. Supporting the community in generating revenues: If adults cannot support their families, this has a direct impact on the life of children. We are thus working with women to develop their skills in entrepreneurship and micro-credit, but also with farmers around organic agriculture, so they know how to handle climate change, how to produce without investing a lot of money and how to preserve their lands and ensure food for the community. 

MEASURABLE AND LASTING IMPACT

• With a healthy environment, new generated revenues and empowered children and adults, the community will achieve independence and prosperity.
• Improved personal hygiene, sanitation, nutrition and maternal health will lead to healthy living conditions, a better work environment and an enhanced quality of life.
• Perumbakkam will receive the label “Child-Friendly Village” and become a model for neighbouring villages. Villagers will look to the future with newfound confidence and learn to make a success of their sustainable actions.
• A healthy and prosperous community is a community where children are safe and protected.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO IMPROVE THE LIFE OF SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE!

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