Koraput's Children
A child of a poor family in Koraput district has a long, hard battle ahead. He/she will often not be able to attend school due to the distance, an absent teacher, or the need to help with work at home. Child labour is a prevalent issue. Malnutrition and disease are rampant among the younger population.
SPREAD's Activities
SPREAD's strategy to address these problems involves facilitating child governance groups called pila panchayats and educating parents about the importance of education and nutrition and how to take advantage of government benefits for their children.
The pila panchayats (meaning "children's government" in Oriya) are children's governance bodies that mirror the participatory development practices that village, panchayat, block and district level leaders engage in, but engaging the 6 to 14 year age group. Pila panchayats address problems of particular relevance to children while developing the capabilities of the next generation of leaders and providing a platform for tribal children to find expression for their creative abilities.
Other activities include:
- Conducting longitudinal body mass index studies to monitor the nutrition of the operational area.
- Holding youth camps and children's conventions.
- School attendance tracking and enrollment campaigns.
- Advocating for additional Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres.
- Birth certificate campaigns.
- Health referrals of mothers and children to proper medical facilities.
- Raising awareness among women of their rights through various schemes, such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (cash compensation for institutional births), National Family Benefit Scheme (lump sum financial payment to widows), pensions for widows and the elderly and other schemes.
