When girls ask: Why?

India Blooms News Service. Little fingers from Bhopal bring out concern on bias towards girl child, water crisis and corporal punishment. Anil Gulati reports

"I even dance in my dreams, I love dancing, it is my passion, but my parents and brother don’t like my passion, they say I would not be able to dance after Class 10. But why? These is the question of Tammana, a girl presently in tenth grade in a Bhopal school.

Varhsa another girl studying in eighth grade questions "why there is difference between girl and boy child". She argues: "When my brother comes to house from outside my mom asks me to give him water and food. But will that be same when I come from outside? Will my brother be asked to help me with food and water?"

These are voices of girls who are part of school forums set by Child Rights Observatory, an NGO advocating on child rights in Madhya Pradesh in 20 urban schools of Bhopal with support from UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh.

Few of these voices of girl child were reflected in a poster published by Child Rights Observatory titled "What do our girls say?"

Seema, another girl who wrote in the poster, said that we are two sisters but they are clueless why people "ask my parents that if we have brother?"

School forums are child rights groups in 20 schools of Bhopal and nearby, which meet at intervals and discuss about child rights issues. But these are not ‘very formal meetings’. They are play and learn kinds, explains Sonali Jana, an officer with Child Rights Observatory.

"This is start of the process; gradually we encourage them to have their own wall paper and also plan to expand this network at district level. Children contribute in meetings by their writings, drawings and many times speak out in various forums which we organise," Jana says.

Naveen, Khushi, Deepti and Anjana are also members of school forums and by writing poems, stories have brought out the issue of child labour, impact of poverty on children, environment and also reflecting about new things they are learning in school.

Rahul Kushwah, a student of class 7th from Bhopal, contributed a drawing on impact of drinking unsafe water in children magazine titled as Chakmak, brought out by Eklavya, a non-Governmental organization working on education.

His drawing reflected on the harmful effects of drinking contaminated and unsafe water.

Ankur, a child in Class 6 in a Bhopal public school shares his concern on menace of polythene bags in the city and how they are lying around near dustbins and are not cleaned for days together. He expresses concern on cows eating polybags by writing an article in a children magazine run by a media house.

Likewise Pooja from same school talks about growing water crisis in Bhopal and how Bhopal’s water body Upper Lake is losing its water. Krishna, a girl child, questions why teachers and parents beat them instead of explaining where they have gone wrong.

Sometimes it is just scolding but there are times when they are asked to kneel down, stand outside in sun, beaten up with a stick, or are paraded around the lawn of school. But why?

"It is encouraging to see that we are getting more spaces for children to air their views and opinions. This needs to be encouraged and more opportunities should be created for children to speak out on issues that impact their lives, which is their right," says Dr Tania Goldner, Chief, UNICEF, Madhya Pradesh.

Age no bar in India when it comes to marriage!

Rajgarh (Madhya Pradesh), May 16 (IANS) Lakhan, dressed in a cream suit with a flashy headgear on his forehead and a garland of currency notes around his neck, should have been attending his school and preparing for the ensuing summer break at this time of the year.

But donning the traditional attire of a groom, he was at an ancient temple in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh to seek blessings from the local deity not only for himself but also for a teenaged girl sitting beside him.

Amid the unending stream of people, one could easily miss the girl, decked up in a saree, the traditional Indian dress for women. She refused to take off the veil in spite of the heat. There were several other young people like the couple making a beeline to seek the blessings of the deity.

Lakhan reasoned: "She is too shy and, moreover, it is not good to take off the veil in the presence of family elders."

Lakhan and his bride did not carry any proof of age before getting married at this temple and are visibly underage. So are hundreds of others like them.

Their families travelled from another district of Madhya Pradesh to get them married May 6 this year on the occasion of 'Akshya Trithiya', considered to be an auspicious day for solemnising marriages according to Hindu mythology.

Every year, 'Akshay Trithiya' witnesses thousands of child marriages in several parts of the country in blatant violation of the law.

According to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, the minimum age of marriage in India is 21 years for males and 18 years for females.

The State of the World's Children 2009 report by Unicef indicates how widespread the violation of this law is in India.

According to the report, 47 percent of India's women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18, with 56 percent of them in rural areas.

The report also revealed that 40 percent of the world's child marriages are conducted in India.

According to the National Family Health Survey-III, out of 47.3 percent of women aged 20-24 married by the age of 18, at least 2.6 percent were married before they turned 13, while 22.6 percent were married before they were 16.

Around 44.5 percent were married when they were between 16 and 17.

The survey also highlighted the fact that states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Andra Pradesh continue to witness a high number of child marriages.

Dr. Tania Goldner, chief of the Unicef office in Madhya Pradesh, says: "Child marriage is violation of child rights. Early marriage denies the child of the basic rights to health, nutrition, education, freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation and deprives the child of his or her childhood."

"At least 20 districts of Madhya Pradesh have high incidence of child marriages, particularly Badwani, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Sheopur, Neemuch, Sehore, Mandsaur, Chattarpur and Shivpuri," Nirmala Buch, president of Child Rights Observatory, an NGO working for child rights in the state, told IANS.

Though the state government is making an effort to curb the practice, there is a long way to go, says Buch.

Recently, the Madhya Pradesh government's department of women and child development and the district administration of Bhopal were able to intervene and stop three child marriages in the Ratibad area, but such success stories are rare.

Meanwhile, Lakhan had been able to convince his family elders to leave the newly wed couple alone at the temple for a minute.

The shy girl, who stopped going to school much earlier, lifted her veil and both of them got their first 6X4 inch 'Marriage photograph' clicked for Rs.20. Both of them were smiling in their first picture as a 'happily married' couple.

Need for effective enforcement of child rights: Experts

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), April 30 : There are several laws to protect the rights of children in India but what is required is effective enforcement of these rights, prominent members of judiciary said here Saturday. "There are laws for children in India but the challenge is to enforce them. Child is the supreme asset of the nation," Justice Rakesh Saxena of Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur told the symposium on "Child Rights and Law".

Several district judges, civil society organisations and state government departments are participating in the two-day symposium organised by Human Rights Law Network in partnership with Unicef office for Madhya Pradesh and the state department for women and child development. The aim is to sensitise judiciary and senior government officials and to explore ways and means for strict implementation of these laws, said a UNICEF official.

Justice S.K. Gangele of Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court emphasised the need for effective implementation of laws related to child rights at the ground level. "There is a need to engage workers at the grassroots level in the implementation of these laws," he added. Tania Goldner, chief of Unicef field office for Madhya Pradesh, said: "There is an urgent need to bring in higher level of enforcement and strengthen implementation of laws and schemes to let children enjoy their rights."

‘Child marriage is violation of children’s rights’

Civil society consultation on prevention of early marriage was held here on Wednesday at the Academy of Administration.  More than 100 civil society organisations from various districts of the State like Rewa, Hoshangabad, Chhatarpur, Rajgarh, Sehore, Raisen, Badwani, Jhabua, Morena, Tikamgarh, Datia, Guna, Gwalior, Indore, Shivpuri, and Bhind participated in the programme.

Chief of UNICEF in Madhya Pradesh Tania Goldner speaking on the occasion said that Child marriage is violation of children’s rights - whether it happens to girl or boy as it denies the basic rights to health, nutrition, education, freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation and deprives the child of his/her childhood. Though the marriages are coming down but the pace is slow, India contributes to 40 per cent child marriages in world, she added.

Goldner further said that State is taking steps and have law in place, as well as several schemes and programmes focused on Girl child and adolescent girls. But need is to engage communities, address the social norm related to child marriage and make sure that no child loses her or his childhood due to early marriage.

Two girls Pooja and Poonam from Bhopal narrated their stories in the meeting. Poonam resented her own marriage and was able to fight her family and now is studying in school.

Principal Secretary Women and Child Development BR Naidu spoke about the law and how law can help prevent early marriages. He added the need to make use of the law both by communities and civil society organisations. We need to engage community leaders to create awareness in them and make sure that all get married after legal age of marriage, he added.

Nirmala Buch President Child Rights Observatory said that need is to evolve a sustained long term campaign against early marriage in coordination with all stakeholders to support implementation of law in high alert districts. We need to empower decision making in the girl child through focusing on the issue in schools, she added.

Secretary Health & Family Welfare SR Mohanty said that the need is to engage gram Panchayats, Asha workers and field level workers to stop the child marriage at district level. Civil society organisation worked in groups and worked on the key priority areas they would like to focus on coming months and areas where they need support from the State and Police.

Poster on 'voices of girl child'

A unique poster 'Voices of girl child' was released in Bhopal by 30 girls from 6 schools on the occasion of National girl child day. Girls expressed their views and opinions on gender discrimination & feeling about society in this poster. 

A Bhopal based NGO Child Rights Observatory (CRO) has sat up school forums in 6 schools of Bhopal. All girls (Syeda, Pooja, Seema etc.) who were present at the launch was excited and said they want to rise higher but there are barriers in the society, it is the support from parents which encourages one to move forward. Pooja student of class 7th wrote in the poster that why girl’s are only advised to do things in certain manner or not and questioned that why norms are only for girls?

President of Child Rights Observatory Ms. Nirmala Buch says, "This is part of our work to encourage child participation. CRO has set up 6 school forums in Bhopal schools and we plan to expand this to other districts. The girls who have contributed are symbolic of many other who speak out in school forums on issues which impact them and against the discrimination."  Dr. Sheela Bhambal, Secretary, Child Rights Observatory who encouraged the girls and in interaction with them said that girl is no less then boys.  She added CRO publications will encourage children to contribute.

Anil Gulati Communication Specialist, UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh says, "This is way to lead and is one of the ways to let the voices of children to be heard." Lalit Shastri and Dr. Uday Jain, Executive Members of CRO interacted with girls present at the occasion and encouraged them to express their views and opinions.

Little Fingers to report for their newsletter 'Jagmag'

Shivram Bhagel, Jitendar Jatav, Bhuriya are young kids studying in class seventh and eighth in middle schools of the Guna district of India. They are part of the excited 30 young kids who were participating in children training for giving their opinion a voice and helping to them to become 'child reporters'.

The training was held in their district on the 20th and the 21st of October 2010. All children part of this training are from class seventh and eighth of Government run middle schools in the villages of Tarawata, Imjhara and Dungsahara of Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. Guna is the district located in the State of Madhya Pradesh, in the central region of India. This children group is called 'Jagmag Sena', children group which promotes sanitation and hygiene among their peers. Groups like this are present in 25 schools of the Guna district. After this training they are planning to come out with their own monthly newspaper which will not only talk about issues of sanitation and hygiene but also cover various aspects which they feel and impact their rights.

In the two days training programme held they were trained in writing and reporting skills. They were made aware of intricacies of media, how newspaper is published, what is reporting and how they can write about issues which they feel are important to them. They also interacted with local media professionals for them to help them understand the importance of news. This training programme was organized by the UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh in partnership with Vibhavari and nongovernmental organizations and the district education department. This is a part of UNICEF initiative to promote child participation and give voice to children views and opinion.

Rajkumar from village Tarwata, who was one of the participating kids, wants to write about the problem of his village and he feels that the newspaper will help him to express his concern for his village. Rajni Ohja another student of class eight of the middle school from Tarawata Village questions why people spit on the road? Deepak Kopri of class 7th of middle school in Imjara writes about why some people in his village use a toilet while some do not.

These stories as being penned by children that are reflecting the local real issues which they face and many a times do not get covered in newspapers. Now they will have their own say, in their newspaper, which they have titled 'Jagmag'. Sunil Chaturvedi who works with Vibhavari the NGO which is partner in this initiative says that the 'children are excited and this training will not only help them in writing but will contribute in their overall development and give them exposure to much wider perspectives, which will boost their self confidence'.

HIVs pad up to fight stigma on World Aids Day

Bhopal, Dec 1 (IANS) A friendly 20-20 cricket match was played here Wednesday. However, what was unusual about the match was that 10 of the 30 players were HIV positive. The two teams were called Minister's XI and Project Director's XI. Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Health Mahendra Hardia captained the former while project director of Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society, Manohar Agnani, captained the other. 'No doubt forums and seminars on Dec 1 are informative and spread awareness. But a cricket match was a brilliant idea,' Hardia said.
'It sends an instant message to society that HIV positive people can play a game of cricket with as much energy and enthusiasm as any other person,' he added. UNICEF's Programme Manager Manish Mathur said it was not about winning or losing the match, the important thing was that we together win to spread awareness on the issue and help fight stigma and discrimination associated with it. Though the match ended in a tie but the spirit of fighting the stigma lingered on long after the game.

The match was organised by the Network of People Living With HIV AIDS Society, an association of activists working for HIV positive patients throughout the state.

Click Click - Girls to tell their own stories

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Sep 16 (IANS) Schoolgirls Pooja Bhadoria and Kanchan Mishra are already feeling empowered. In a world where social prejudices are steeped against girls, they are hoping to wield the camera and tell their stories. The two are from Bhind and Morena, which figure among the 14 districts with some of the lowest child sex ratios in India - less than 850 girls per 1,000 boys, indicating a distinct bias against girls.

But now they are among 30 girls from Gwalior, Bhind and Morena who are being trained in the art of photography by UNICEF and the department of women and child development of the Madhya Pradesh government. 'I had not touched a camera before. It is exciting. Now I can show what I feel,' Priya, a Class 10 student of Rabindranath Tagore School from Bhind district, said after attending her first session of a three-day workshop that began here Wednesday.  'There are so many problems we face but we can hardly share that with anyone. Perhaps photography will help.'  Two senior photographers, Prabhas Roy and Jagdish Yadav from Delhi, are training the girls to master the art of photography.

Monica Srivastava, a Class 10 student of Mahatma Lochandas School in Morena, is confident she would be able to highlight the problems of gender bias through photographs.  'The world may not believe if I tell them but how can anyone deny the facts shown in a photograph?' Both Bhind and Morena are around 500 km from state capital Bhopal. Girls in these districts have to fight poverty, lack of education as well as gender bias. The voices of girls have been muffled as they hardly have a forum to vent their feelings and social barriers don't permit them to engage in any activity outside other than going to school - if they are fortunate enough. But now 'clicks' of camera are going to break this barrier of silence.

There are plans to hold a public exhibition of photographs clicked by the girls over the next few days. These photographs will be displayed in the schools where the girls study. 'Such initiatives will go a long way in empowering these girls,' Ashok Shivhare, additional commissioner, Gwalior, told IANS after inaugurating the workshop. Anil Gulati, communication specialist, Unicef Office for Madhya Pradesh, said: 'This workshop is part of an effort to provide an opportunity to children to express their opinions using the power of photography.' 'This is part of the initiative to provide more space and forums to child participation and how they can be engaged to document what they know, see or hear on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the ground realities,' he added  Suresh Tomar, joint director, department of women and child development, said: 'We are hoping the children would be able to use the art of photography to help realise the MDGs.'

40,000 people visit Red Ribbon Express in MP

Bhopal, Aug 20 (IBNS) ’Red Ribbon Express’, an exhibition on train which aims to spread awareness about HIV/ AIDS in the country, is now in Madhya Pradesh.

About 40,000 people already visited the train in the 7 stations it has travelled. It entered Madhya Pradesh via Harda district on August 5, where about 6000 people including young people visited the train and interacted with the volunteers on the train. It entered Madhya Pradesh from Chhattisgarh and will leave for Uttar Pradesh from here. The train will be covering 11 stations in the State of Madhya Pradesh. It will be reaching Katni district on Aug 21, and following which the train will travel to Shahdol, Jabalpur and Satna.

Till date it has been to Harda, Bhopal, Sujalpur, Ujjain, Ratlam, Mandsore, Shivpuri. The eight coach train is attracting attention of young ones particularly in smaller stations and has variety of multimedia and interactive displays, which aim to provide information and answers to many queries on the issue of HIV/AIDS.

Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society, volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra, National Service Scheme and UNICEF are supporting mobilisation of people and are providing counsellors at the stations to help discussion on the issue like HIV/AIDS.  Local civil society partners are supporting at the district level to help make it a popular affair. Network of positive people in Madhya Pradesh are supporting the train and a team is travelling with the train to educate the people about their issues and interacting with people to help reduce stigma.

Kids meet at Bhopal

Bhopal, Aug 16 : At least 60 children from Bhopal, Vidisha, and Sehore districts of Madhya Pradesh participated in 'Anganwadi Bal Samagam', (children's meet) held at Jawahar Bal Bhawan, here on Monday. About 30 mothers also participated in the same. It was organised for children to listen to them, let them participate, play and also listen to mothers on their views about anganwadi's centres. This 'children's meet' was organised by Department of Women and Child Development in partnership with UNICEF.

Loveleen Kacker, Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Tania Goldner, Chief UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh and Anupam Rajan, Director Women and Child Development interacted with children and mothers. They sought their opinion about what is working in anganwadi . Kacker, while interacting with children and mothers, said: "I am here to listen to them including things which are not working." Mothers shared about the benefits they were getting at anganwadi and also shared the problems they were facing. Snehlata Vishwakarma, Anganwadi worker from Vidisha, in her interaction with Tania Goldner of UNICEF, shared she enjoys being with children, listening to them, learning from them and she believes that it is not only about giving children food at anganwadi centre but making them citizens of tomorrow.

A special play by children from Bal Bhawan was presented which highlighted the issue of malnutrition and role of anganwadi's in combating the same and what can parents do to claim their entitlements. In second session children were taught drawing, painting and clay making. They enjoyed with clay and painted their thoughts on paper. Little fingers used paint to portray their thoughts and painted creatures they imagined. Children sang and danced to showcase their talent. R S Raghuvanshi, Director, Bal Bhawan, and Praveen Gangrade, Joint Director Bhopal, Kavita Sharma UNICEF Nutrition Specialist were also present at the meet.

12-yr-old helps sibling recover from malnutrition

By Anil Gulati, Shivpuri, May 18 : Premwati, a 12 year old girl, feels elated and smiles when asked about her sister whom she carried in her lap. She had helped her younger sibling Anushka recover from severe malnutrition. Premwati lives in Bamera Panchayat of Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh.

Her sister Anushka was a year old when she was unwell and was suffering with severe acute malnutrition. NGO ASHA worker Ramswarupi Lodhi, during her rounds in May 2009 to their house, found the kid to be underweight and was in stage of severe acute malnutrition.

ASHA worker advised her parents that the child should be referred to the nearest Nutritional Rehabilitation centre for treatment and care. She briefed her parents, who are agricultural labourers, and urged them to take the little one for treatment.

Though her parents wanted to treat her, but they were worried about their other 5 children.

They were dependent on their daily earnings for bread. They could not afford to stay with the child at NRC for 14 days leaving their work.

It was then her sister Premwati took it upon herself and expressed her eagerness to stay with the little one at NRC and look after her.

Though she had to take time out of her school, a place where she loves to go, but in her own words, it was worth for her little sister. She stayed with her younger sibling was at NRC in Shivpuri district for 14 days.

Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre is centre for treatment and care of severe acute malnourished children. Madhya Pradesh has 202 such centres including this one at Shivpuri.

They are being run under National Rural Health Mission with support from State Government. Staff at NRC and ASHA worker fondly remembers how punctual Prenwati was with her sister meals, medicine.

She was loved by all NRC staff during her stay. After her stay at NRC, district team did follow the child at her home. Whenever team used to come to follow up, Premwati used to make sure that they see her sister.

Premwati studies in school now and not only vows to study further but wants to make sure that her sister too goes to schoolwhen she grows up.

Recently UNICEF team from UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh visited her at her village; she smiled with her sister in her lap while people of her village proudly talked about her to the visiting team.

One breaks free, but child marriages go on in Madhya Pradesh

By Sanjay Sharma, Bhopal, May 14 (IANS) : All hell broke loose at Vanita's house when she refused to tie the knot before completing her studies. She was not even 18, the legal age for women to get married in India, pointed out the spunky Dalit girl.

It took people by surprise in Madhya Pradesh where every second girl is married off before she reaches marriageable age. Many of these weddings take place on the festival of Akshya Tritiya, which falls on Sunday.

Vanita, 17, who lives in a settlement for the poor in Bhopal, last week threatened to go to police when, after returning from school one day, she was told by her younger sister that she was about to be married off to a middle-aged man from Rajasthan.

Though her parents seem to have relented for now, she is not sure about the future stance of her drunkard father.

"I am still afraid that anyone can brainwash my father and he would insist on my marriage once again," says Vanita who has sought the support of the NGO Sarokar which works with girls on issues like child marriage and gender bias.

Vanita, who wants to be a policewoman after completing her studies, has also equipped herself with knowledge as to how to approach the police if any further pressure comes.

As many as 53 percent girls are believed to get married under the age of 18 years in the state while the national average is 47.4 percent, says a report of the National Family Health Survey.

The figure for Bihar is 69 percent, Rajasthan 65.2 percent, Jharkhand 62.3 percent and Uttar Pradesh 58.6 percent, the survey says.  In Madhya Pradesh districts like Barwani, Sehore, Neemach, Chhatarpur, Mandsaur, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Sheopur and Shivpuri, more than 40 percent of girls are married before attaining the legal age, according to the findings of a district-level household survey carried out by the International Institute of Population Studies on behalf of the central government.

Though the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, bars the marriage of a girl aged below 18 years and a man below 21, the problem persists, with a majority of child marriages being performed on occasions like Akshay Trithya.

Madhya Pradesh's Women and Child Development Department has issued directives to its joint directors and district level development officers to upstream their efforts and prevent child marriages.

They are being supported by organisations like the Child Rights Observatory, an independent child rights monitoring body in Madhya Pradesh.

"Child marriage is a violation of a child's right. We are raising the issue with the state and will also support it in preventing the same," says Nirmala Buch, Child Rights Observatory president.

"Early marriage has profound physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional impact, cutting off educational opportunity and chances of individual development and growth for both boys and girls," Tania Goldner, chief of the Unicef office for Madhya Pradesh, told IANS.

"The consequences for girls are especially dire, as they are usually compelled into early childbearing which results in associated health risks and social isolation," she says.

"Child brides will frequently drop out of school and be exposed to higher risk of domestic violence and abuse, increased economic dependence, denial of decision-making power and inequality at home, which further perpetuate discrimination against and the low status of girls and women," she adds.

Saving Madhya Pradesh children with nutrition centres

Sanjay Sharma, Bhopal, April 30 (IANS) : Kartar Adivasi, a one-year-old, weighed just 6.342 kg when he was admitted to the nutritional rehabilitation centre (NRC) at Narwar in Madhya Pradesh.  Born to Banwari and Binia of village Kiranpura (Barkhadi), the child was kept at the NRC for 14 days and then under followup care at his house, with the result that his weight increased to 9.3 kg by the time he was 15 months old.

Like the one in Narwar, the nine NRCs of Shivpuri district have helped save the lives of 2,701 acutely malnourished children in 2009. Of them 53.5 percent were girls while the remaining 43.5 percent boys.

‘Of the 10 million below-five-years children in the state, 60 percent are malnourished and 100,000 are severely malnourished despite schemes to improve the services of ‘anganwadis’ (mother and child welfare centres) and nutrition centres. And half of them would have died but for the services provided by the NRCs,’ a health official said. Children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) face a 10-20 times higher risk of death as compared to those who are not severely malnourished.

The NRCs, started with the technical support of Unicef for treatment of malnourished children, have gone a long way in saving the lives of the severely malnourished children, acknowledge officials and poor families.They are managed by the state health department under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). While the NRC at Shivpuri opened in 2006 was the first, Madhya Pradesh today has 202 such centres and plans to open 23 more, taking their total number to 225. The success of the NRCs in saving the lives of children has encouraged service providers.

‘However, running these centres is not easy,’ said an NRC staff member adding that they face great problems in keeping mothers in hospital for 14 days as they scramble for other children left behind at home.

Nevertheless, the NRCs are much-needed in the state. Their funding – annual cost of Rs.300,000 for each NRC – is provided by the state government through the NRHM while Unicef provides technical support and training for the centres’ staff. This includes one doctor, one nurse, one cook and two caretakers. Tania Goldner, chief of Unicef office for Madhya Pradesh, says NRCs are facility-based units for the care of children who suffer from SAM.

‘We are happy that the state government has set up NRCs in all districts of Madhya Pradesh. They are being managed under the NRHM while Unicef provides technical assistance,’ Goldner told IANS. ‘However, we need to encourage effective and efficient preventive measures at the community level to ensure that fewer and fewer children get into severe degrees of malnutrition,’ she added.

Madhya Pradesh: Holes in tribal food basket

Rubina Khan Shapoo NDTV, Sunday May 2, 2010, Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh : The government is all set to pass the Food Bill that aims at giving monthly subsidised foodgrains to families Below the Poverty Line (BPL). However, the picture is not as peachy as it may seem. In a shocking story from the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh nine tribal children have died in just five months due to malnutrition. This incident has occurred even as hundreds of tribal families continue to get their share of food but only on paper.

Kashi, is one of the Sahariya tribals from Todha village in the district who has lost her three-year-old daughter. The reason not hard to find. "This is actually cattle feed. But we eat it too," says Kashi.

The overall death toll between December 2009 and April 2010 of children due to malnutrition related diseases in Shivpuri district to now 23. The Sahariyas are not only one of the most primitive tribes in India but are also among its poorest. Malnutrition deaths are a critical reason of untimely deaths in the community.

As per law, they are entitled to 35 kilos of wheat, five kilos of sugar and five litres of kerosene every month under the Antodaya scheme. In Todha village, however, the ration cards are operated by the sarpanch in collusion with the ration shop owner. The result: Cards are updated flawlessly while half the amount of food is given. Akki, a tribal from the village tells us he is given 25 kilos of wheat. But how much does he write in the card? Thirty-five kilos.

In nearby Pohri, another tribal-dominated district block ration delivered is for over 40,000 residents when the block has only 35,000 people who hold ration cards. An RTI application has proved that more than 5,000 cards are bogus.

However, Raj Kumar Pathak, Collector, Shivpuri district says, "There are no fraudulent ration cards. A probe is on." Malnutrition among children in Madhya Pradesh is 60 per cent, the highest in the country. In its tribal belts like Shivpuri it is even more intense. In the critical battle against hunger, the tribals are becoming the easiest victims.

Child marriages still prevalent in several MP districts

The Pioneer, Bhopal, Monday April 26, 2010 : As many as 57.5 per cent of girls in Barwani get married before attaining the age of 18 years. Not only Barwani, but other districts like Sehore, Neemach, Chhatarpur, Mandsaur, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Sheopur, Shivpuri are also facing a similar problem with more than 40 per cent of girls getting married there before 18 years.

These are the figures provided by the district-level household survey done by International Institute of Population Studies on behalf of Government of India. Madhya Pradesh is one of the States, which has the high incidence of child marriages, many of which happen during Akshay Tritiya, which is an auspicious occasion for marriages according to the Hindu religion.

This year, Akshay Tritiya is falling on May 16. Like every year, the State Government is busy preparing an action plan to prevent child marriages around that day. The Government of India had adopted the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in 2006 but conviction rate under this Act is very low. As per the National Crime Bureau records last year, 11 people were convicted and two cases were registered in Madhya Pradesh.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says it is a violation of child rights. Tania Goldner, Chief of UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh while speaking to The Pioneer said child marriages had adverse effects for the child bride and bridegroom and for the society as a whole. For both girls and boys, marriage has profound physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional impacts, cutting off educational opportunity and chances of personal growth.

She claimed that the consequences for girls were especially dire, as they are usually compelled into early childbearing, associated health risks and social isolation. Child brides frequently drop out of school and are exposed to higher risk of domestic violence and abuse, increased economic dependence, denial of decision-making power, inequality at home, which further perpetuates discrimination and low status of girls/women.

In India nearly half of all young women marry before the age of 18 (47 per cent as per National family Health Survey) and the situation is even more acute in rural areas

Right to education in Madhya Pradesh from April 1

Sanjay Sharma, IANS : Bhopal: The Right to Education (RTE) Act will be implemented in Madhya Pradesh from April 1, state Minister of School Education Archana Chitnis said here on Sunday.

Addressing a state level workshop on the RTE Act, the minister said the state government will be implementing from April 1, 2010, the act which envisages free and compulsory education to all its children till Class 8.

"To achieve compulsory education we will have to make school education interesting, which is a challenge and for the same we need to have tripartite responsibility of the state, teacher and parents," she said.

The workshop was held at RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration in Bhopal under the joint aegis of the state's education department and Unicef in order to familiarise the education and other departments with the act and seek suggestions from various stakeholders on the draft rules prepared by the state education department.

Speaking on the occasion, Tania Goldner, chief of Unicef office for Madhya Pradesh, said this act is a vehicle for change to accelerate progress in the education sector. Principal Secretary of Education department Snehlata Srivatsva said this is a unique act as it makes education a constitutional right. IANS

Workshop against female foeticide

Gwalior, April 18 (IBNS) A one-day workshop for raising concern against female foeticide was held at Gwalior on Friday (April 16).

The theme being 'Say no' to female foeticide, was organised by Department of Women and Child Development, Gwalior.  Welcoming the participants and speaking at the workshop Suresh Tomar Joint Director Women and Child Development department said that they are undertaking a special campaign to involve communities, parents, youth groups and schools children in 50 villages of Bhind and Morena each.

As a part of campaign department will be supporting film shows, workshops with various target groups in Gwalior, Bhind and Morena district to help build an environment against female foeticide.

Anil Gulati, Communication Specialist, UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh said that media can play an important role by bringing the issue to forefront of its discourse.

He added that as per Census 2001 data nine districts of the State of Madhya Pradesh have child sex ratio less then 900 girls / 1000 boys which include Sheopur, Morena, Datia, Bhind, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna, Tikamgarh and Chhattarpur.   "It is the need of that day efforts are scaled up to stop this violation of child rights." He praised the efforts of the Department of Women and Child in initiating this campaign.

International team to visit Dhar for water and sanitation interventions

Team of 12 international officers from various countries i.e. Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia and Eritrea is in the State of Madhya Pradesh as a part of International learning exchange programme of UNICEF and Department of Drinking Water Supply, Government of India.  This is 4th year of ILE in India. The team will be visiting Dhar on April 15- 16, 2010 and see the work being done in tribal areas on water and sanitation sector in the district. The officers are working with UNICEF in various countries and with respective National Governments.
 

They will be visiting Tirla, Nalcha and Dharampuri block of Dhar district to see community based interventions in water and sanitation, flouride mitigation initiatives and school sanitation. During their visit to the district they plan to visit Nirmal Gram villages, tribal hostels, schools, meet and interact with panchayat representatives and communities.
 

This is part of International Learning Exchange programme (ILE) which is a collaborative effort of UNICEF and the Department of Drinking Water Supply, Government of India. The programme provides a platform to professionals from other developing countries for learning and knowledge-sharing from recent successes in, and challenges to India’s water and sanitation sector. 59 participants from 18 countries, namely, Afghanistan, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Cambodia, Niger, Rawanda, Ghana, Djibouti, Angola, Bangladesh, Uganda, Indonesia, Zambia, Bhutan, Somalia and Eritrea are visiting India.

Madhya Pradesh village girl inspires others to take up studies

PTI : The Government Girls’ Middle School at Sherpur village in Madhya Pradesh is now being widely recognised as “Lalita Ka School.” 

Lalita is no politician but a gritty 15-year-old, whose firm determination to study has motivated other girls to follow suit at the same very school from where she studied from Class VI to VIII. Lalita, who has moved to another school for her further studies now, was the lone student in all the grades for the last three years, but this did not discourage her from continuing her studies. 

The school, located about 50 km from here, did not deter Lalita to travel all along to attend classes in Standard VI, VII and VIII, where three male teachers helped her out in all the subjects. 

The teenager cleared her Class VIII exams with first class marks, inspiring other girls in her area to take up studies in that school. Her father Madanlal Girwal, a government employee, was initially a little bit worried as she was alone in the classes but then supported his daughter seeing her zeal for education.Her parents have now decided to let Lalita continue her studies in another school, where she is not alone. 

Middle School Head Master Ashok Jaat said, “There were better schools around. Hence attendance of girls at our institute was thin. But now things have changed after Lalita scored first class marks. Now nearly 15 girls have taken admission in our school.” The population of Sherpur is 700, Mr. Jaat said.

For quality mid-day meals, MP teachers to taste food

Milind Ghatwai, Indian Express :  


This was in Indian Express today and is one more of Milind's 'different story' on issue of education in MP. 

 

In a novel attempt to improve the quality of mid-day meals served in schools, authorities in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh have made it compulsory for teachers to taste the food before serving it to students.Though the ambitious government programme of serving meals in schools has helped enroll more students and increase attendance, the quality of food has often been a concern due to poor implementation on ground. 

“There were lots of complaints of unpalatable food being served or children taking ill after the mid-day meals,” in-charge of MDM in Sagar Abhinit Sharma told The Sunday Express on what prompted the authorities to involve teachers in the drive to improve quality of food served in more than 3,000 primary and middle schools.

Incidentally, the practice is prevalent in jails where it’s incumbent on the superintendents or jailers to eat a few morsels of food served to prisoners. The Sagar administration has sent a circular to Chief Executive Officers of Janpad Panchayats and Block Resource Coordinators asking them to ensure that students are served food only after teachers have checked it.The food will be served to students only if teachers find it palatable and have been warned of action for complaints received later.

In rural areas, self-help-groups cook and transport the mid-day meals to schools and get a little more than Rs 2 per student. In addition, the groups are given 150 and 100 grams of grains per secondary and primary student, respectively. “To save money, many groups compromise on quality and show disregard for cleanliness,” an official said.

Need to focus on water quality

Central Chronicle, Bhopal, March 21:  A two day programme for UNI stringers and students of journalism was hosted by Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism and UNI at Bhopal. Speaking at the inaugural B K Kuthiala Vice Chancellor of University of Journalism said that content is the key and plays an important part in the news. He added that media can play a positive role in bringing in social change. A K Bhandari Chief Editor and Chief General Manager UNI said that UNI news agency plans to become a global player and has already initiated its presence in UNI TV and web portal. He said that with its wide presence UNI can help in bring in rich content for its subscribers.

Speaking at the occasion said that Anil Gulati Communication Officer with UNICEF said that media can play a role in bringing developmental issues particularly which impact children to forefront of public discourse and also create awareness on the solutions. He said that taking advantage of World Water Day which is being marked on March 22, 2010 media can bring discussion on the issues of water quality. He added that theme for this year is ‘clean water and health world’, which is very relevant for our times.

Aditi Prasad input incharge of UNI said this workshop will help increase knowledge of our stringers and students of journalism and will help us in our mission to reach out to people. Later speaking in the evening session Nagendra Prasad Singh, Water and Environmental Sanitation officer with UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh said that each day about 690 children under five years die due to diarrheal disease many of these deaths are water borne and can be prevented. Point of use water treatment alone can reduce diarrheal morbidity by 39 %  Pushpinder Pal Singh Head of Department of Journalism of MakhanLal Chaturvedi University of Journalism conducted the programme. Participants were trained by N B Nayar, Prosenjit Dey, Vikram Kapoor, Shailendra Mahajan and Rachna Johri

School kids show the way in water conservation

Arun Anand, IANS : Vikas Pawar, a student of Class X, was so impressed by the Wise Water Management efforts being implemented in his Madhya Pradesh school by Unicef that he made it part of a science project.

He built a cardboard and plaster model showing how water could be conserved and recycled effectively to avoid a shortage. His Government Scheduled Caste Residential School is in Katara Hills near Bhopal, capital of the state which sees acute water shortage in summer.

'There are two ways by which water is being conserved in my school hostel. One is by collecting rain water during the monsoons in a Ferro Cement tank with a 50,000 litre capacity,' he explained. 'Collected rain water can be used for drinking and cooking purposes during the summer months when there is a shortage of water. 'The other method is by recycling grey water for flushing toilets,' Pawar said.

'Grey water' is that which has been used once for bathing and washing clothes. On an average, a student in the school hostel uses 30 litre of water per day in the bathroom. This water could be reused for toilet flushing and kitchen gardening. The school has 209 residential students.

'Used water from bathrooms is passed through a sponge filter,' said Nagmati Malviya, a Class XII student, pointing to a large pipe emerging from the outer wall of the bathrooms.

'Materials like plastic sachets of shampoo, soap wrappers get filtered as the water passes through this filter. The water is guided into a reservoir which is divided into five sedimentation tanks.' Suspended particles are settled in the first tank before the water is passed on to the adjoining segment and subsequently gets filtered while passing through the various chambers.

The second, third and fourth tanks have boulders of different sizes. As water passes in an up-flow, down-flow current through the filters, it leaves behind all perceptible impurities. Filtered water then flows down a series of 'aeration steps' that resemble a flight of stairs.

'The purpose of running the water in the open is to bring it in contact with oxygen from the atmosphere to reduce the odour of filtered greywater if any,' Nagmati said, giving a demonstration.

'The fifth tank collects the filtered water which is pumped by a motor to the tank placed on the roof of the hostel from where it goes to the cistern in the toilets and the remaining water is used for kitchen gardening.'

To combat the shortage of drinking water during summer, the school collects rain water from July to September every year. 'The school being located on a hill, there is acute water shortage during summers. The soil is rocky and the water level is far below,' said Mamta Ahirwar, scout training teacher. 'During the monsoons, all the water would flow down the hill slope and was wasted.'
 

But for the last one year, this school collects rain water, stores it in a reservoir with 50,000 litre capacity. The water is filtered, treated and then used for drinking and cooking.

The Wise Water Management (WWM) concept was developed by UNICEF, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and Public Health Engineering Department, government of Madhya Pradesh. It was demonstrated in eight tribal residential schools of Dhar and Jhabua districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The WWM scheme was also demonstrated in two scheduled caste residential schools in Bhopal. The department of Tribal Welfare in Madhya Pradesh is now replicating this model in 400 tribal residential schools across the state. 'This will improve the quality of life for children and also have a positive effect on the environment. This is just a beginning. I hope this model will be replicated across the state for the benefit of all children and families of Madhya Pradesh,' says Tania Goldner, chief of UNICEF field office for Madhya Pradesh.'

'Fulfillment of rights justice for children'

Bhopal, Mar 25 (IBNS) A training meet on child rights and protection issue was hosted by RCVP Noroha Academy of Administration and UNICEF on Thursday for trainee officers of All-India/Central officers. Speaking at the function Amod Kant, Chairperson Delhi Commission for protection of child rights said: "Fulfillment of rights and needs is justice for children." He is also associated with Prayas an NGO working for children in need of care and protection across many states in India.

He added State needs to take care of children not only who are in conflict with law, but who are victims and witnesses. And inspite of progress in India we have major challenges like child labour, school drop outs, situation of children in juvenile homes and children in conflict with law.

Earlier speaking in her address Dr Tania Goldner, Chief of UNICEF office for Madhya Pradesh spoke on Convention on the Rights of the Child, and for making world fit for children, children need to be understood and protected. She added that it is obligation of State to make sure that children realise their full rights. She said that all children have rights which are equal at all times.

She in her address to the participants added that ‘you are custodians of the convention and as duty bearers need to help children realize their rights.On the issues of Children in conflict with law ‘that they should be treated as children and deserve a chance and detention should be the last resort’ she added.

Principal Secretary Snehlata Srivastava School Education spoke on the Right to Education and issue of child labour. She said that State of Madhya Pradesh is going to implement Right to Education Act from April 1, 2010.Dr J L Bose spoke on the constitution and child rights and on the responsibility of the state to ensuring protection of child rights which lies with their relatives, society and the state government. Muktesh Varshney, Director Academy of Administration, spoke at the start on the objectives of the meet.

Silent demonstration in Gwalior & Shivpuri

Gwalior/Shivpuri : Hundreds of people gathered on the streets of Gwalior on Thursday to take part in a silent demonstration against female infanticide and foeticide. Holding banners with the slogans 'Save Daughters' and their mouths masked by a cloth to signify the silenced voice of the girl child, both men and women activists held hands to form a long human chain and stood in solidarity as a part of this rally. It was facilitated by Centre for Integrated Development, an non governmental organisation. Similar demonstration was held at Shivpuri district outside the collectorate. The same was facilitated by Sahyog - Support for Development. Representatives from civil society and media  participated in the same (Picture is from Shivpuri).

Children most vulnerable, can be easily exploited, says Goldner

In Pioneer, Bhopal Edition : Director General of Police SK Rout said that children are torchbearers of tomorrow. “We have vast majority of population which are children and young people and there are challenges of abuse, violence, trafficking and the magnitude of problem is also vast.” To respond to it, inclusive approach is needed involving all sectors of the society.

Rout was speaking at the sensitisation and review workshop of Child Welfare Officers and Special Juvenile Police Unit members here on Tuesday at Police Training and Research Institute (PTRI). He further said that in Juvenile Justice Act, it is for the first time that police officers have been given duty of social responsibility as he is first contact point with children in conflict with law, and he has called on special police juvenile units that we need to respond to it.

Speaking on the occasion Tania Goldner, chief of UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh said that Children are the most vulnerable group on account of their age and dependence; they can be easily exploited and abused. In case children have violated law they should be treated in a manner consistent with their sense of dignity, worth and which reinforces their respect for human rights.

KN Tiwari, Inspector General, CID welcomed the participants and thanked UNICEF for its support in sensitising police units on Juvenile Justice Act. Vijai Shukul Member MP Human Rights Commission spoke about the challenges on implementation of the act and difficult conditions of Juvenile homes in the State, He added we need to expand on infrastructure create a protective environment in the homes and treat them as our children not the ones who have done as crime.

Panel discussions were held on the issue on Children in conflict with law and Children in need of protection and care. Speaking at the panel discussion NK Singh Resident Editor, Hindustan Times spoke on the needs of media, its compulsions and how one can work with media in raising issues of this concern.

Children need to know their rights

United Nations Children's Fund Madhya Pradesh Field Office Chief Tania Goldner today stressed that children need to know about their rights and ''all of us'' as stakeholders are duty-bound to inform them and help them claim their rights. Dr Goldner was addressing a prize distribution ceremony at Jawahar Bal Bhawan here. The event was organised by Child Rights Observatory (CRO) to felicitate kids who participated in a painting and essay competition held in November on the issue of child rights. More than 200 participants were present, a release said. ''It is heartening to see children painting their thoughts on their own rights. For me you are all winners not only the ones who came first. Your participation and recognition of your rights makes you winners,'' she said. CRO President Nirmala Buch spoke on the need for child articipation and said that CRO organised this competition and is taking several other initiatives to involve kids.

UNICEF-supported Risk Reduction Project in MP

UNI, Bhopal : United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is supporting the Madhya Pradesh government and city-based Disaster Management Institute (DMI) in implementing a unique community-based Disaster Risk Reduction Project in ten districts of the state.

The project, which got under way in November 2008 and at present covers 100 villages across Guna, Mandsaur, Damoh, Dhar, Harda, Raisen, Sheopur, Satna, Chhindwara and Barwani, aims to cover 250 villages by 2010-end.

''It envisages reducing loss of life and related risks by making people self-resilient. This project is helping strengthen the community-coping mechanism through capacity-building at grassroots level,'' Dr Tania Goldner, Chief of UNICEF's Field Office for Madhya Pradesh, told UNI.

Being taken up on pilot basis, the project aims at building capacities at community level to manage safe havens while ensuring that basic services -- specially related to children and women (health, nutrition and education) -- are accessible, establishing community-based systems for ensuring protection of children and to facilitate preparation of district disaster management plans in the districts, the Project Plan document of the initiative said.

MP to launch missing children website

The Madhya Pradesh government's Women and Child Development (WCD) department is all set to launch a website for missing children in the state which could help in identifying and tracing them. "We are planning a website for the missing children, so that they could be clearly identified," the department's deputy director and Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) in-charge Mamta Pathak told media as per the reports, adding that the initiative would help to trace and rehabilitate missing children.

The ICPS will entail integration of all the 18 different schemes for the protection of child rights and security, which would now be implemented by a single department. UNICEF is assiting the state for  implementation of ICPS in the state. In addition to it other non-governmental organisations, and other departments of the state are helping in the same.The collection of data about missing children and the implementation the various schemes under an integrated ICPS has already been started with the help of National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) and other child rights agencies, she said.

Madhya Pradesh is the 6th state to sign a memorandum of understanding with the central government for the implementation of ICPS, Pathak said. ICPS is a centrally sponsored "umbrella scheme" for protection of child rights and security while woman and child department would be the nodal agency to implement it.

"It would go a long way in working for the cause of children as various schemes pertaining to protection and security of children will now be implemented by one department," Women and Child Development Commissioner Gulshan Bambra said.

Class VI student makes efforts to tutor kids on hygiene

Pioneer Bhopal Edition : Rajni Ojha, student of Class VI makes sure that students of her school cut their nails cut properly and drinking water is provided to the students hygienically.

Rajini is secretary of Jagmag Sena, a children club on hygiene and sanitation in a Government school at Tarawata village of Guna district.Jagmag Sena is part of a project, being implemented in 25 schools of Guna by the district administration with support from UNICEF for Madhya Pradesh. To implement this project UNICEF has also engaged an NGO Vaibhvari, which is working with teachers and children of Government schools in Guna to bring in child-to-child communication, to increased awareness on issue of hygiene and sanitation among children.

Jagmag Sena is a group of 10 children (5 girls and 5 boys) who monitor the usage of toilet facilities, washing hands, safe drinking water and other personal hygiene issues in a school. Jagmag Sena has developed a monitoring chart, which consists of the above-mentioned issues and has been painted on the wall. The member of the Jagmag Sena fill the number of children practicing safe hygiene daily. The Sena has also developed a song through which they display their concern over safe hygiene practices which motivates others to follow the same.

Programme Manager UNICEF Office for Madhya Pradesh Manish Mathur said that it was heartening to meet those children who are helping to create a positive environment in schools towards healthy behavior. They not only understand the criticality of personal hygiene and clean surroundings; they practice and demonstrate correct behavior for other children to follow.

RK Mishra, Deputy Director Rural Development Department Guna district said that the children are like messengers to the society and their families, therefore, this awareness technique has been conceived. He also said that the main aim is to change the habits and behaviour of the children towards hygiene and sanitation. “We will continue the awareness programme for the next two years so that the results can easily be seen among them,” he added.

Activity-Based Learning in MP schools

Abhijit C Chandra, Bhopal, Dec 15 (UNI) : Imagine going to school sans a schoolbag! With the objectives of ensuring children's participation in the learning process and addressing absence from school, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in MP has introduced Activity Based Learning( ABL) in classes I and II with support from UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). ABL is currently reaching out to children in benefitting students in approximately 4,000 primary schools across 50 districts of Madhya Pradesh. ''Activity-Based Learning (ABL) makes certain that kids learn at their own pace with no scope for rote learning,'' a UNICEF official told UNI here.

Attractive cards and activity generate interest and boost a child's confidence. ABL also enhances scope for the child's development in creative and communicative skills. ABL is underway at 80 schools in Vidisha district and District Education Officer Manish Verma descibed the results as satisfactory.''Children's interest in Hindi, English and Mathematics has increased,'' said District Project Coordinator Vinod Chaudhry. In the current scenario, the challenges for education at primary level are insufficient availability of teachers and addressing issues concerning multi-grade teaching and multi-level teaching situations in classrooms.

''We have a situation where, even after five years of primary education, all children are unable to reach satisfactory levels of achievement. Children drop out of schools as they fall behind in pace with other students or teachers,'' the official explained. Under ABL, the young ones learn through a self-learning experience. At the same time, teachers are in the role of facilitator where they are able to identify each child's achievement level. They involve themselves as friendly guides. Teachers are free from the pressure of not being able to address the individual learning needs of children and  students are free from any fear of failure as teachers adopt a continuous evaluation procedure.ABL classes demand different pedagogy therefore it requires a change in the mindset of all- parents, teachers and officials as there are no textbooks. There are colourful activity cards and workbooks for children. Intially teachers have to work hard to establish the ABL approach, but subsequently the workload eases. As children and teachers start tracking their progress on the learning ladders, the sense of achievement is immense.

ABL classrooms require adequate space, accessible but secure storage, rich and a student-friendly environment. ABL demands higher level of creativity, commitment, mobility and responsibility from teachers. Continuous on-site support to teachers is essential.The project, which began last year, is being implemented in classes I and II and will be extended to classes III and IV in the next session

Kids at Masti Ki Pathshala

Bhopal, Dec 5, 2009 : More than 300 hundred children participated in Masti Ki Pathshala organized by Aarambh, a non governmental organization with support from UNICEF held at BHEL sports club, Berkhera.

Children from Aishbagh, Bajaria, Kabadkhana, Annu Nagar, Atal Ayub Nagar, Indra Sahayat Nagar participated in the various event held to mark the day. Children participated in various track & field sports activities during the day and cultural programme like song and dance in the afternoon. Games stall were installed where children enjoyed during the day. The programme was part of events to mark 20th anniversary of Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Children release UNICEF report in Bhopal

Sanjay Sharma, Bhopal, Nov 20 (IANS) For the first time in Madhya Pradesh, a clutch of children released the Unicef State of the World Children Report 2009 here Friday, praising the efforts of the government for their survival, care and protection but also calling for more focus.

Children like Pappi Khan, Madhu, Aashi, Shivani Sen, Aarti, and Sunil - from Bhopal and Hoshangabad - were delighted to get a platform to speak out. They called on the state and society to speak out against female foeticide, child abuse and provide quality education and care to all children.

“What’s needed is a supportive environment that respects women’s rights. Educating women and girls is pivotal to creating such an environment,” said one of the children. “Most of all, saving women and children’s lives requires the concerted efforts of government leaders, health specialists, civil society, communities and families”, said another.

“There has been considerable progress since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was opened for signature nearly 20 years ago though the rights of millions of children are still not respected or protected,” said Manish Mathur, officer in charge of Unicef. Twenty years after the UN adopted the treaty guaranteeing children’s rights, fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school, says Unicef’s report.

MP becomes 1st state to top IMR for 6th time

PTI from Bhopal reports that Madhya Pradesh has got the unenviable distinction of becoming the first state in the country to top the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) for the sixth time in a row. Madhya Pradesh had replaced Orissa as the state with the highest IMR in the country about six years ago and since then the former is keeping this stigma on its head. "Madhya Pradesh has the highest 70 IMR in the country in 2008 also even after it has decreased by two points in the State in comparison to 2007 when IMR was 72 at per thousand live births," says the latest bulletin of Sample Registration System (SRS) of the Registrar General of India. Orissa, which stands second in worst performing states in IMR in 2008 recorded 69 infant deaths and managed to keep the IMR below that of Madhya Pradesh consistently for the last six years. Kerala achieved the status of best performing states in IMR in 2008 where only 12 infant deaths were reported during the period followed by Tamil Nadu (31) and Maharashtra (33). The SRS bulletin also shows that Madhya Pradesh continues to be even worse in case of the female children and the IMR for girl children is 72 in the state as compared to 68 for boy children.

Madhya Pradesh asked to set up child rights body

Sanjay Sharma, IANS, BHOPAL - The Child Rights Observatory - an independent child rights monitoring body comprising of civil society groups, NGOs, academics and media persons - Saturday urged the Madhya Pradesh government to set up a board or mission for child rights.

The recommendation was made in its report “State of MP’s Children”, released by Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari, the chairman of the state Human Rights Commission, along with students Priya Singh & Abhinash Mishra and UNICEF State representative for Madhya Pradesh office Hamid El Bashir at a function here.

The group, set up in November 2007, also advocated the establishment of child rights centres, clubs, forums and parliaments in schools to encourage child participation in issues of children.
The group also stressed the need of sustained participation of the local community and civil society and engaging local elected bodies in solving the issues of children.

“The state has in the last ten years progressed in literacy, education and provisioning of schooling, yet it lacks on indicators like infant mortality rate, malnourishment, basic poverty and infrastructure,” says the report adding that the state also has challenges in school dropouts and high rates of crime against children.

In his address, Justice Dharmadhikari said children in the state face many challenges and there is need to engage civil society organisations, and capitalise on their support to bring change for favour of children. Hamid El Bashir said the report will benefit policy makers, help in promoting debate on children and create a movement for development of children in the state.

Priya of class 8 and Abhinash Mishra of class 9 called upon the state to encourage their participation and provide for protection of their rights. Principal Secretary, Women and Child Development Tinoo Joshi spoke about the state government’s initiatives for child development, nutrition and protection, while Child Rights Observatory president Nirmala Buch stressed that the report calls for zero tolerance for child rights violation in the state.

Ujjain gets first medical care unit for AIDS patients

Bhopal, April 7 (IANS) A HIV community care centre has been set up to provide medical help to AIDS patients in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain town, the headquarters of a district that has the second highest number of such cases in the state. Ujjain Chief Medical and Health Officer Dileep Nagar said the 10-bed medical centre, which was inaugurated last week, is a unit of Saathi, a facility providing support to HIV-positive people. It was set up with help from Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) in association with Kripa Welfare Society, an NGO, and the Madhya Pradesh State Aids Control Society (MPSACS).

“It was badly required in a place like Ujjain which, with 351 patients, has the second highest number of AIDS cases in the state. Commercial capital Indore takes the lead with 564 cases,” Manish, who represents Ujjain’s network of HIV-positive people, told IANS. The network, with about 130 members, provides support and counselling for HIV-positive people across the state.
The number of AIDS affected people in the state, according to MPSACS figures, increased from one in 1988 to 2,382 by the end of 2007.

The figures compiled by the MPSACS reveal that 91.7 percent patients acquire the deadly virus through sexual transmission and two percent through blood transfusion. “What is worrying is that AIDS is no longer confined to urban areas. I have patients from villages, even remote hamlets, where the disease has spread due to lack of awareness,” said a doctor.

The doctor claimed she had come across HIV patients from small towns like Khandwa, Khargone, Badwani and Shajapur. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. Several cases, mainly from rural areas, go unreported in the state”, says Prashant Malaiya, MPSACS deputy director. NGOs working in Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Rewa, Bhopal, Gwalior, Sagar, Hoshangabad and Morena, claim the number of AIDS victims in these districts is far higher than official figures. Various surveys have pointed out that people between 31 and 40 form the largest group of HIV-affected people. They have also found that 72 percent of AIDS patients in Madhya Pradesh are men.
“The centre will go a long way in providing care to HIV-positive people. However, we need to sensitise more people, spread knowledge and dispel fear associated with HIV to fight the stigma attached to the disease,” said Unicef official Anil Gulati.

India tries new ways to reach its underfed children

By Jonathan Allen
BADARWAS, India, March 18 (Reuters) - A couple of months ago, Sheela Adivasi's infant son fell sick and his eyes filled with pus. By the time the infection cleared up, Deepak's pupils had turned a pearly white. He is now permanently blind.It did not help matters that Deepak is malnourished, as are half of all young children in India. His belly is swollen, his dry skin speckled with dark dots, and his hair is thin and yellowing. Had he not been so starved of vitamins, he probably would have suffered only an itchy but harmless bout of pink eye.Belatedly, he is getting some nutrients in a special clinic for malnourished children in Badarwas, a tiny town about an hour's drive from his mud-walled home in a village in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.The clinic, a concrete room filled with a dozen beds and prone to powercuts, is part of India's latest attempt to reduce a malnutrition rate twice that of sub-Saharan Africa. For now, Deepak is far from the only child being reached too late.It is a problem with "dire consequences for morbidity, mortality, productivity and economic growth," a World Bank report said in 2005, and shows little signs of fading even as India's economy booms.Born underweight and then underfed during the crucial early stages of development, millions of Indian children grow up shorter, weaker and less smart than their better fed peers.They end up less productive workers, too, costing India about 3 percent of national income, the bank said. The problem looks unlikely to disappear for at least the next couple of decades.

GOOD ADVICE
The nutrition centres, and measures such as paying pregnant women to give birth in a clinic rather than at home, are part of the government's National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).It was started in 2005 to bring health services to people used to a choice between pawning jewellery for doctor's fees or simply suffering.The scheme is intended to plug gaps in an older programme that failed to reach children in the most critical first two years of life, educate mothers about nutrition and reign in corruption which meant free food handouts went missing.In Deepak's case, the difference some well-timed good advice could have made is obvious. In the 18 months since his birth, no food passed his lips until he arrived at the nutrition centre, according to his mother. She did not realise this was a problem."He only drinks milk," Sheela said as she sat sweating under a motionless ceiling fan as Deepak lay in her lap in torn shorts and a grubby jacket.The registration book at the centre is filled with the purple thumbprints of illiterate, unschooled mothers like Sheela. She does not know her age -- a doctor, trying to be helpful, pulled open her mouth, looked at her teeth, and guessed about 25.After marrying in her late teens Sheela left behind her village and moved in with her husband's family. She dislikes her mother-in-law, who she says has no interest in giving grandmotherly advice.Workers at the centre will try to teach Sheela how best to care for her son, paying her 35 rupees (nearly $1) a day and providing meals to compensate for her lost labourer's income.Several times a day, Deepak sips a sweet mixture of ground puffed rice and sugar dissolved in milk with a little vegetable oil. Older children move on to fruit, eggs and lentils.For Kasumal Adivasi, sitting a few beds away, the centre was a revelation. Like Sheela, she felt there was no one in her husband's village she could turn to for advice.After 12 days at the centre, Tunda, her 2-year-old son, still has a distended stomach and a slightly grumpy disposition, but at least he is able to stand up again with his mother's help."I promise, promise, promise to remember what you told me," she told a nurse, before reciting some of the dietary tips she has learnt at the centre. She smiled with gratitude and relief, her hand resting on her pregnant belly.

STILL GAPS
The Madhya Pradesh government adopted the nutrition centres after liking what it saw at a pilot centre set up in the state by UNICEF. There are now more than 60 in Madhya Pradesh, and they are spreading to other states as part of the NRHM.But UNICEF staff warn that the limited beds at the nutrition clinics are far from an end in themselves. They are a last resort, taking in only the most dangerously undernourished children. Two weeks later, they are discharged, most still malnourished, but no longer quite so at risk of dying."There are still big gaps in the guidelines," said Hamid El-Bashir, the UNICEF representative for Madhya Pradesh.Under the rural health mission, health workers are being asked to help check malnutrition before it reaches such a bleak stage, but in places like Madhya Pradesh where healthy children are in a minority, locals can become inured to the signs."His hair just hasn't been washed," said one young village worker when her attention was brought to a young child with yellowing frizz on his scalp and scaly skin.Some, like Biraj Patnaik, an advisor to the Supreme Court on nutrition, think good advice only goes so far, and India's top priority is fixing its graft-tainted food distribution system."Across the country women are rationing their own food, feeding their babies at their own personal cost," he said. "There's absolute hunger out there."UNICEF's El-Bashir thinks fortified biscuits or similar so-called ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) used in some famine-hit African countries could be part of the solution.Convincing India's government could be tricky though as it likes to promote traditional Indian food staples grown and cooked locally, saying it is cheap, creates jobs and is less prone to graft."RUTF has been a real revolution," El-Bashir said. "India cannot just say no." (Editing by Simon Denyer and Megan Goldin)

Child welfare NGOs come together

The Hindu

- Need to help the Government address child issues

- ‘Public campaign for child rights could affect political manifestos’

The Child Rights Observatory Madhya Pradesh (CROMP), a society promoted by UNICEF to create public awareness and build up a campaign for child rights, received support from a large number of NGOs at a meeting held here over the weekend to build linkages and explore the possibilities of cooperation.

CROMP, the only organisation of its kind in Asia, is headed by former State Chief Secretary Nirmala Buch. Prominent persons from the field of education, social work and media are among the founder members.

The CROMP deliberations were attended by many voluntary and social organisations including UNICEF, National Law Institute University, Samarthan, NIWCYD, Arambh, Muskan, SOS, Children’s Village, CARD, Parvarish, Umeed, Deerghayu, Asha Niketan, Sangini, United Reformers Organisation, DFID and Digdarshika.

Speaking on the occasion, UNICEF State Representative Hamid El Bashir said CROMP should act as a catalyst in bringing together all NGOs working for the cause of children. He stressed the need to work and help the Government address issues like sex selection, street children, school enrolment of children living in slums, disability, child labour, children’s health, aggression and violence among adolescents.

Word of caution

Dr. Bashir had a word of caution against NGOs lacking a track record in terms of performance and said there should be a system for accreditation of NGOs. He said a public campaign for child rights could even compel political parties to include the issue in their election manifestos.

Ms. Buch announced that CROMP would be producing a citizens’ report on the status of children in Madhya Pradesh. This would be endorsed by NGOs. She said the voice of the Child Rights Observatory would be the collective voice of the NGOs.

Malnutrition stalks Madhya Pradesh children

A severely malnourished child at nutritional rehabilitation centre, Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh. He is with his mother. 60 % of children in the state in between of age 0 - 5 years are malnourished. Malnutrition stalk Madhya Pradesh children despite schemes to improve the services of anganwadis and nutrition centres. The state may be having about one lakh children who are severely malnourished and if they are not in centres like this 50 % may die ?

Bhopal wakes up to greetings by children

All India Radio (AIR) listeners in Bhopal Sunday morning woke up to a pleasant surprise when they heard children anchoring various early morning programmes.

The children were invited by AIR on the occasion of the International Children Day of Broadcasting, declared by UNICEF.

Observed on the second Sunday of December each year since 1992, broadcasters air programmes for, about or by the children around the world on this day.

The day provides a unique opportunity for children broadcasters to use the medium. One important part of the initiative is that children themselves decide how and in what way they will participate.

'Many (children) who have been part to this earlier wait for the day and many new join in. It is an interesting experience for some and boost their confidence', said an AIR official.

'Radio is already making a comeback as a major source of entertainment. Such an attempt by children would further add to its glory as who doesn't wants to listen or experience the talent of children', said Laxmi Sharma, a schoolteacher.

'Radio is the most powerful medium even today and such an opportunity would encourage children to speak about themselves. It would also teach them about communicating with a larger audience. And above all, we the adults would also be able to understand children better who otherwise remain hesitant in expressing themselves', said SP Shukla, one of the participant's parent.

'This day gives one more opportunity to children to express and voice their opinion freely in line with Article 12 of Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)', UNICEF' Communication Officer Anil Gulati told IANS.

By Sanjay Sharma, IANS

UNICEF launches mobile schools in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Nov 20 (IANS) Unicef launched 22 mobile primary schools for children of migrant workers of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh.The primary aim of such mobile schools is to encourage to attend school those children who normally drop out when their parents leave home in search of work in other states.

'This initiative with the help of district administration and support of local non-governmental organisation, namely Lok Vikas Evam Anusandhan Trust, will help retain in school children who otherwise get dropped out,' said Dr Hamid El Bashir, State Representative of Unicef, after the launch ceremony in Jhabua, which was also attended by District Collector R K Pathak and local legislator Madho Singh.

The mobile schools will have all the basic requirements of a normal school and will be housed in tents.Unicef plans to have 100 such schools by 2008 end.

'Since the literacy rate, mainly of females, is much lower due to migration problem and most of the children could not even complete their primary education, mobile schools are expected to check dropouts to a great extent,' said a Unicef official.

'The idea is to facilitate education of children of migrant labourers even when they are out so that they can continue in their local school when they come back to their native place. Their attendance and other registers will be deposited with the local school on their come back, and they would be able to continue their education,' the official added. At present the mobile schools will target 650 children who migrate with their parents to Gujarat for work. The tribals of the Jhabua district migrate from their villages to Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra for their livelihood every year. About 85 percent population of the district is tribal and 47 percent people live below the poverty line. The literacy rate, according to 2001 census, is 36.87 percent but the female literacy is just four percent.

Unicef has provided for the school tents, school materials, salary of teachers, course material and even trained teachers in partnership with the district administration.