Standing up with 1 Million Indian Children

Continued Focus: The Right that accrues from the performance of duty endures

The first step in standing up for children and ensuring their rights lies in understanding clearly the continuing challenges: Public Education being our commitment here!

The second step is then to work decisively for protection and progress of children.

Collective Action being our decisive and compassionate service outreaches!

Continuing rationale behind the nationwide communication campaign

• Why do we have to keep our collective voices going? Because deprivation and violence in its many forms still affects majority of our children even while solutions are available. This challenge must be owned and acted upon!! Many Young Indians want to do something and many want to start with children – let’s get going!
• With whom will we continue to work? We will continue work with all who are interested in defending the ‘Rights of Children’ – Government, Industry, Gandhian organizations, Religious organizations, Foundations. We will continue to strengthen the bridge….the platform we have created to transform voices of concern to areas of impact and collective action!
• Our partners: Day of Prayer and Action for Children Council and GNRC INDIA
• Where? We will continue to reach out to a million children across 10 states of India in four phases, talk to them about their rights and tell them we stand by them. Each partner will find a unique way to defend the rights of children, impact deprivation and together with the children say no violence against children.
• How? Like last year we will stop at schools, in neighbourhoods, in places of worship, in public spaces and engage children in knowing their rights. Further work with them to reach out to more children and implement programmes that will help the progress of children. To continue to ask partners to invest their resources for child-centered programmes.

The 5 specifics Activities continue:

• Birth Certificate verification
• Child Rights literacy
• Age appropriate immunization
• Introduction to Ethics Education
• Community service experience with focus to end Child marriage & Child Poverty

In the first year, 2013, we focussed on Birth certificate verification.

This year 2014 we plan to realize the next 2 of the five specific activities:

• Child rights literacy
• Community service experience with focus to end Child marriage with help of 100 trained young volunteers

When? November 1st to 20th 2014

Beginning with training program for Volunteers between November 1st – 7th 2014, and the public education & action program from November 10th to 20th 2014. Special programmes will be held on November 14th, the Indian Children’s Day & November 20th, the Day of Prayer & Action for children. Experience sharing (on Child rights literacy and Community service experiences by children & volunteers) and media interface we are also planned for deeper & wider reach.

We expect to reach around 45000 children from Coimbatore and 7 cities of India along with the GNRC India partners.

Achievement of WDPAC 2013 in INDIA:

Launched on November 13th 2013 on the eve of Children’s Day, the programme completed the following in its first year of implementations:

• Mapping of partners for 61 schools in Coimbatore
• Completing the National launch with 2145 children from 17 institutions in Coimbatore
• Finalization of the logo and materials for the public education campaign
• Sensitization about the campaign was given to 61 schools covering 35915 children
• Birth certificate has also been verified in these schools

We invite you to be part of this creative effort! Let’s re-imagine what we can do to stand up with a million Indian children.