PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHANGE

Our advocacy includes working to promote awareness of the rights of children on construction sites both among the communities in which they live, government departments, and the construction industry in general. It also includes training other NGOs, organisations, and individuals to set up and run comprehensive day-care centres which promote Early Childhood Development.

Within the government system, we work with four major departments:

  1. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) - (ICDS) implemented under each stateīs Women and Childrenīs Department is a national programme which mandates preschool as well as supplementary nutrition for children under six, and pregnant and lactating mothers. We have partnered with the ICDS to include - for the first time - the migrant child in their focus and work. .
  2. Education Department - The Right to Education Act, 2009 implemented by the Education Department of each city municipality, mandates education as a fundamental right for all children from six to fourteen.
  3. Public Health System - We link with local municipal health posts to organise immunizations, health checkups and subsidized hospitalization and treatment for children and their families.
  4. Labour Department - The Labour Department is mandated to implement the Building and other Construction Workers Act, 1996 that provides many social services to construction workers. This is yet to be implemented fully in Maharashtra, but we hope to work with them in their efforts.

As of late 2012, nearly 40% of our teachers are women from construction sites who have been through our Balpalika training programme. Every year, we hope to encourage more women from the sites to become teachers and run centres themselves. They are our biggest champions of change!