💼 What the programme involves
Children have the right to a joyful childhood. Every child has the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment with protection and guidance from their guardians. Whether in the cities or in villages, at home or in schools, a child is always a child and deserves a childhood free from exploitation and abuse. Yet millions of children in India are being robbed of their childhoods every day. With an officially estimated 12.6 million children engaged in hazardous occupations (2001 Census), India has the largest number of child labourers under the age of 14 in the world. They are employed in many industries and trades, including garments, footwear, brick kilns, stainless steel, hotels, and textile shops. Many work in export-oriented hazardous industries like carpet weaving, gem polishing, glass blowing, match works, brassware, electro-plating, lead mining, stone quarrying, lock making and beedi rolling (indigenous cigarette in which tobacco is rolled in a tendu leaf).
There are legislations that have been enacted to prevent child labour in India. Many NGOs across the country are working for elimination of child labour and promotion child rights. Prevention strategies adopted include rescue, relief and rehabilitation interventions designed by NGOs and other actors with education, health, alternative livelihoods.
As a volunteer you will be associated with a community organisation that is involved in:
1) Special health care programs for children living on the streets,
2) Exposing exploitative child labour practices, and
3) Ensuring children join residential bridge schools and vocational training programs for children above 14 years.
4) Conducting awareness,
5) Facilitating training and capacity building for the parents and community workers,
6) Prevention/rehabilitation of child labour,
7) Counselling,
8) Conducting surveys, documentations, designing appropriate IEC (Information, Education and Communication) materials on child rights will be your assignments as a volunteer.
The Info-sheet will have more information regarding the individual projects with schedules, and activities.
🏠 Accommodation on site
You could be staying with local families near to the project. You could be sharing rooms with 2-3 volunteers or staying on your own. Sometimes, projects provide accommodation for the volunteers. The project will provide a room that is shared by other volunteers or with the staff of the project.
📍 About the location
Our projects are spread out across different regions in South India. Your project location could be in any one of the following locations - Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Kundapur, Udupi, Mangalore, North Karnataka or Pondicherry. You will be notified of the location of your project a month prior to your arrival. During the Orientation week, one can find out the leisure activities around your area. There are lots of things to do in south of India.