#COMMUNITIES4CHILDREN

It takes a village to raise a child (and a community to protect it!). We believe, protecting children from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation is everybody’s responsibility and it can be prevented. That is why we work closely with key community members to raise awareness on child rights issues, mobilize community responses and actions to enhance children’s safety, and to ensure communities participate in creating a protective environment for children. Our integrated approach to child protection has been built on ground experience and in-depth vulnerability assessment conducted across 30 communities in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Raipur, Darbhanga, Bhubaneshwar, Mumbai, Katpadi, Trichy, Villupuram and Salem.

HERE’S HOW:

• Responding to the needs of at-risk populations such as children connected to railway stations, street children, children of marginalized communities like slums dwellers, the contexts where children are more vulnerable to violence, exploitation and abuse.
• Preventing children separating from families; strengthening families of children restored by RCI so as to build the capacity of the families to care and protect for children, thus preventing children separating from parental care.
• Promoting a protective environment for children to grow and develop to their full potential through a community-based system to address the child protection issues systematically, strengthening the existing child protection structures and collective actions by the community to realize the rights of children.
• Networking with and capacity building of stakeholders like the Government, elected representatives, civil society organization, community-based organizations, and child collectives are an integral part of the approach.
• Encouraging participation of children through awareness activities, children and youth groups, and providing platforms to share their thoughts, opinions and ideas can further their role as active participants in the community and self-protection.

SDG’s addressed: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (10) Reducing Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities.

FAMILY STRENGTHENING INITIATIVE

When the lives of children are loaded with vulnerabilities, limited opportunities and access to services and poor social protection, the role of parents and families, who form the first circle of protection for their children becomes critical. Strengthening the capacity of families to provide care, protection and nurturing for their children is a pivotal step from preventing children from taking to a street life, and separation from parental care.

Investing in families delivers a dividend that is not easily measured in economic terms but has outcomes that can change the landscape of children protection. RCI’s model for family strengthening is all encompassing, designed to ensure that every family and every child is reached.

HERE’S HOW:

• Family Reintegration: Promoting sustainable reintegration of children into their families. RCI follows a systematic family reintegration process for reintegrating children reached, rescued and restored at railway stations. The process includes facilitating appropriate contact with parents/family members, assessment, follow up, and family visits.
• Preventing Separation: Building the capacity of the families to prevent separation of children from their family. This will include making available a range of support systems for the family to get support and providing full access to basic services, especially healthcare, vocational training, education and social protection schemes.
• Behaviour change: The initiative will provide support to parents and seek to change family behaviours and environments to encourage healthy child development. This will include ensuring equal access to health, nutrition, education and livelihood opportunities, in addition to psychosocial help, and measuring the changes in family dynamics during the duration of the programme intervention.

SDG’s addressed: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (10) Reducing Inequality and (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities

RESPONDING TO CHILDREN IN A CRISIS
It is during a crisis that childhoods are the first casualty. The relentless trend of complex and protracted crises pose grave risks to children’s well-being and development. Unprecedented child protection needs arose from the COVID 19 pandemic, and we worked round the clock to ensure that the most vulnerable children were reached and their immediate needs were met.

From providing relief distribution of groceries and nutritional kits, psychosocial support and mental health services, educational and learning material, children and their families were reached out to and protected to ensure that children do not drop out of school, get pushed into work or get trafficked or even get married early.

SDG’s addressed: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation.