Ms.
Parul Sheth on the various programs
of Shaishav along with its impact.
Started
in Bhavnagar in the year 1994, Shaishav
under took a major research on child
labour and identified 2,813 child
labourers working in 106 different
occupations.
Child labour is our core concern and
strongly believes that these children
do not enjoy their childhood.
Our Community Education Centers mentors
children for three days. We have mentored
to over 7,500 children and made sure
that they are retained in the school.
We run Community Mobile Resource Center,
a complimentary support to the present
education system on a very participatory-experiential
learning manner. We are reaching out
to about 18, 000 children every week
through this program. We have 2 mobile
vans reaching 36 schools in the city,
once a week.
The number of these students in each
school ranges from 200 or even above
1000. We teach them English, Maths,
science, geography in way that they
can understand better. We conduct
activities through materials like
teaching learning material, audiovisual
equipments etc. in this program we
have been able to involve other organizations,
youth and 14 private schools of the
city linked to these municipal schools.
We strongly believe that children
are not the beneficiaries but are
partners in the process of change
making. The most empowering program
of Shaishav is Balsena. Started as
a program, now is a independent organization
run and managed by the children themselves
Shaishav primarily plays the role
of facilitator and support them. The
participants of this group comprises
of children from very diverse background
coming together on the platform of
unity and equity. Boys, girls from
all parts, religion, rich and poor
are the members of Balsena with solidarity
and friendship.
We have been able to achieve lots
of quantitative impact in the school
that we are working with like mentoring
more than 7, 500 children to school,
increase in the enrollment rate from
36 to 76%, increase in retention rate-
95% in 1st to 3rd grades and 63% in
4th to 7th grades, 52% increase in
girls enrolment in the schools and
the number of child labour has reduced
by 48% in the communities where we
are working. Our work is based in
the in the municipal schools of the
slums communities located in Kumbharwada,
largest slum community and may others.
