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Strengthening the Early Childhood Care and Education system in Anganwadi Centres of the East district, Delhi

Key Initiatives or Changes:
Foundation is important when it comes to education. Early Childhood Education and Care or ECCE is the foundation for a human being to grow mentally and emotionally strong. As per statistics, there are 13.7 lakh Anganwadi centres in India which provide ECCE services to children below the age of 6. But due to inadequate supervision, a lack of knowledge about health and education facilities still exists. Even the NEP 2020 states “To prepare an initial cadre of high-quality ECCE teachers in Anganwadi, current Anganwadi workers/teachers need to be trained through a systematic effort in accordance with the curricular/pedagogical framework developed by NCERT.

Keeping the above objective in mind, The project, “Strengthening the Early Childhood Care and Education system in Anganwadi Centres of the East district, Delhi – Phase 2” was implemented to impart quality Early Childhood Care and Education concept towards effectively creating a conducive environment for children of the age group of 0–8-year-old at their homes and community through developing a building the capacity of Anganwadi Workers, Supervisor and Helpers on the new age ECCE concept (through or common approach of Ready to Learn) and developing Saksham Anganwadi Centre

The project supported the government mission for developing practices that nurture health, wellness and immunity from malnutrition in the community as stated in government vision in“Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0” and helped in delivering quality ECCE services to the most marginalized children and the community.

Innovative Approaches or Strategies:

The project took the innovative approach to implement Smart Learning through distributing Infrastructure Support & Smart Learning Aids such as:

Distribution of LED TV (43 Inches) along with Stabilizer along with Pen Drive (256GB), HDMI Cable and Bluetooth Speakers and water purifier; Distribution of Smart Learning Aids and Teaching Learning Aids

Through this, the selected Anganwadi Centres (15 nos) were well equipped with better infrastructure including internet/wifi connectivity, water purifier and Early Childhood Care and Education with smart learning aids, audio-visual aids, child-friendly learning equipment thereby aligning BRB objective with the government’s vision.

The ICT material provided to the AWCs was much appreciated by both, the ICDS Department & Community people. The ECCE resource material (shared through Pen Drives) being showed (through the TV that was provided to these AWC) to parents was seen to bring about a positive change by enhancing their knowledge about activities related to children’s learning through playful methods thereby enhancing the goodwill, trust and faith the community and our stakeholders have on BRB. This served as significant example of the benefit of the use of technology in everyday learning concepts.

Father’s involvement in parents’ orientation on ELM, Building Brains & Gulmohar helped in breaking the gender stereo types norms of the ECCE concept being a female oriented concept
This also paves the way in incorporating new techniques and designing to include more and more male participants thereby underlining the BRB’s objective of gender inclusion.

Measures of Success:

The project was able to achieve the following major milestones during the entire reporting period:

Supported 15 Anganwadi Centre with the required Infrastructure Support which included providing LED Screen, Water Purifiers, Smart Learning Aids & Age-Appropriate Teaching Learning Materials

Implemented BLES (Building Learning Environment in School) or Art Work in all the selected 15 targeted Anganwadi Centers

Build the capacity of 75 Front Line Workers which included Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, Supervisor and CDPO on ECCE concepts (Emergent Literacy & Mathematics and Building Brains),
The project period also saw the training and capacity building of 542 parents on the ECCE concepts and ways to implement them at home environment

With all the activities aimed in strengthening Anganwadi Centres and building the capacity of the front-line workers and caregivers we could reach out to 491 children across these 15 Anganwadi Centres and reach out to 542 parents and caregivers

There were many reported cases where the community people were elated with the transformation of the conventional AWCs and thanked everyone involved in the BLES work for providing such a space for their children. A perfect example of the impact of the BLES work had on the community can be gauged from the fact that the ICDS requested Bal Raksha Bharat to transform 2 of their creches on the line of the BLES transformed AWCs

ICDS officials also expressed gratitude to Bal Raksha Bharat for their invaluable contribution, acknowledging that such a transformation would have been impossible through conventional means. The revamped AWCs not only accelerated children’s learning but also fostered a sense of joy and enthusiasm among all stakeholders

Additional Information:

Case Story

A Journey of Transformation: Muskaan’s Preschool to AWC Admission Post BLES Work

In the bustling neighbourhood of Sewa Sadden Mandawali, in East Delhi, resides the family of Mr. Omkar and Mrs. Urmila, along with their two adorable children, Muskaan and Prashant.

Muskaan, a four-year-old child, the elder daughter of Urmila & Omkar, was enrolled at Anganwadi Centre No. 56, in Mandawali a year ago which comes under SSK (Saheli Samanvya Kendra) wherein two centres (Centre no 56 & 57) are running in the same premises with two adjoining rooms. She started coming to the anganwadi with curiosity to explore and learn new things, but soon lost interest due to the lack of playful and child friendly surroundings, play materials, and educational resources in the Anganwadi Centre. With minimal learning materials and uninspiring activities, Muskaan’s interest waned, prompting her to express her reluctance to attend the Anganwadi. Despite many efforts from her parents and the Anganwadi worker, Muskaan didn’t agree to come to the Centre and thus, eventually left the Anganwadi.

Her concerned parents, despite their financial constraints, sought alternatives and enrolled Muskaan in a nearby private school, D.M.P. School, hoping for a better learning experience. Though she was going to school but nothing changed, she wasn’t liking the new school as well.

Meanwhile, Bal Raksha Bharat implemented project “Strengthening the Early Childhood Care and Education System in Anganwadi Centres of the East Delhi” with the support of Vishal Mega Mart Ever since the project intervened in the intervention location, it brought significant changes in the Anganwadi Centre (Anganwadi Centre No 56 also being a part of it), with the implementation of BLES (Building Learning Environment at School) work infused the centre with vibrancy. Further the provision of educational resources, ELM kits, learning materials, a Television, Pen Drive with Gulmohar Videos, colourful interlocking Mats, Child friendly Bookshelf with many colourful age -appropriate story books, TLM, and interactive learning tools adorned the centre, captivating the children’s imagination.
The project team members engaged in innovative activities, enhancing the children’s learning levels. Urmila, (Muskaan’s mother), became an active participant in the parent group formed under the project. She received orientation on Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE), Emergent Literacy & Maths (ELM) at home, and Building Brains, empowering her to foster her children’s learning at home through playful methods. Muskan’s younger brother was also enrolled in the same Anganwadi Centre and through him Urmila received learning kits for her children. This Learning Kit also helped Muskaan learn at home.

During the school holidays, Urmila introduced Muskaan to the transformed Anganwadi Centre no 56 , and she, at once, started to take a liking for it. Muskan was particularly captivated by the artwork on the walls, the Gulmohar Videos playing on TV, and the abundance of learning materials and fun-filled activities available. Muskaan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she engaged herself in counting, learning English and Hindi alphabets, and discovering fascinating facts about animals through the BLES work adorning the Anganwadi walls.
The newfound joy and enthusiasm in Muskaan were undeniable. Her parents, witnessing her blossoming interest and learning, made the heartfelt decision to re-enrol her in Anganwadi Centre. The siblings, Muskaan and Prashant, now coming to the centre daily, brimming with happiness and excitement. Her parents, the Anganwadi Worker Manju, and project team staff members used to feel happy and contented seeing Muskaan’s reluctance to leave the Anganwadi and return home.

The impact of the project’s intervention was profound, not only on Muskaan and her brother’s life but on the entire community. The once lacklustre Anganwadi had become a beacon of hope and opportunity, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bal Raksha Bharat and Vishal Mega Mart. Gratitude filled the hearts of the community as they witnessed the transformative power of BLES Work, paving the way for a brighter future for generations to come.

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Room To Grow-Delhi

Key Initiatives or Changes:
India has the world’s fastest-expanding major economy, which has helped lift millions out of poverty in the past decade. This has led to unabated growth of its major towns like Delhi and Mumbai. Delhi has been the prime destination for migrants from the surrounding state for past many decades. These migrant families often concentrate in slums and squatter dwellings and must struggle for their existence. They live in a very unhealthy concentration with no schools, no health centres, no open spaces for children to play.

A Multi Activity Centre (MAC) developed acts as an one stop solution set up in the intervention area for younger children and at risk children , of the age group of 3-6 years ,out-of-school children, of the age group of 6-14 years, which include never enrolled and dropped out including those engaged in child labour or living in street situations or multi-deprivation and adolescents and youth, of the age group of 15-24 years to improve their existing situations and offer them opportunities for schooling and learning vocational skills to provide them with a better future. In addition, the MAC also double up in providing platform for strengthening the family and community eco system. The objective of setting up such a centre is to adopt the life cycle approach for the betterment of the vulnerable and deprived section of the society.

In BRB objective of empowering children, youth and community despite the various challenges and limitation that arose during this period, Bal Raksha Bharat addressed the challenge of out of school children, youth unemployment and creating an ecosystem for formation of child protection mechanism within the community, BRB showcased the efforts of providing access to quality education, vocational training, and opportunities for personal growth and development for creating a more equitable and inclusive society

Innovative Approaches or Strategies:

The model aims to adopt a ‘continuum of care’ approach. The strategy and the methodology consist of:

Direct action with working children and those at risk and their families to improve their existing situations and offer them opportunities for coping up with formal education, take up formal education (schooling), retention in formal education.

Collaboration with corporates and skill council to help move adolescents from hazardous working situations to decent work by creating opportunities for an improved career through job skill enhancement and life skills training, including soft skills

Empowering children, family and communities to challenge and disown practices that support economic exploitation of children and adolescents in the form of labour and emphasis on accessing social protection schemes and basic rights

Applying these strategies, the project was able to contribute towards strengthening the socio-ecological ecosystem of vulnerable families enabled through the following outcome levels:

Children at risk and/or found out of school were rehabilitated respectively through increased access to quality education.

Adolescents and youth were trained on life skills, employable and entrepreneurial skills (financial literacy, vocational and life skills) enabling greater accessibility to employment in viable livelihood thus empowering them to carve their own dream future

Child Protection systems at multiple levels (community and Govt. systemic levels) were activated thus strengthening the child protection mechanism of the community thus reinforcing government initiatives for a more equitable and inclusive society

Measures of Success:

The project was able to achieve the following major milestones during the reporting period 311 out of school children were enrolled in the 5-project intervention area spread across 4 districts of Delhi. These children were provided with the academic support through bridge course, provided psychosocial support, and provided with health camp facilities .

80 children were mainstreamed to formal education after successful completion of the bridge course.

400 Youth gained knowledge in life skills, financial literacy and digital literacy thus helping them to inherit 21st century skills

300 youth were enrolled to Vocational Training Course out of which 178 have completed the course and have been placed into decent employment and the process to place the remaining unplaced youth is still continuing

57 youth enrolled for National Institute for Open Schooling thus giving them an opportunity to complete the education. Additionally, 8 youth were given training on Entrepreneurship Development Programme and given the appropriate kits.

963 community members were oriented in the appropriate social protection schemes

59 children were trained as child champion who would work as a voice of change for their respective communities

Additionally, 4 Child Protection Committee were established across the 4 project intervention area.

Additional Information:

Case Stories

Rupali, 20 years old young girl from a small village in Bihar, relocated to Delhi a year ago with her mother and elder brother and her mother, who lives separately from her husband. They live in a rented home, and her mother works as a baby caregiver. Due to financial hardships, Rupali had to drop out of school before completing her 10th grade when they left Bihar.

During a visit to her home, our team identified Rupali’s potential and the importance of continuing her education. We spoke to her mother about the benefits of education and encouraged Rupali to enroll in the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) for her 10th grade. However, we encountered several challenges: Rupali did not have her educational documents, and her identification proof needed updating. To address these issues, we contacted her former school and teacher in Bihar, who provided the necessary educational documents. We also assisted Rupali in correcting her date of birth and changing her address from Bihar to Delhi on her identification proof. With all the required documentation in place, we successfully enrolled her in NIOS. Rupali took the life skills sessions seriously, gaining the confidence and skills needed for her studies and future career. We also helped her open a bank account and enrolled her in a stitching center to pursue her interest in tailoring. Rupali’s story demonstrates the significant impact of support and determination in overcoming obstacles and building a promising future.

Conclusion

Rupali’s engagement in the life skills sessions and her enrollment in NIOS have set her on the path to completing her education. Additionally, her participation in the stitching center has allowed her to develop valuable vocational skills. Rupali’s story highlights the transformative impact of targeted support and determination. With the right assistance, she has been able to overcome significant challenges, resume her education, and work towards a brighter future. This case underscores the importance of educational and skill development programs in empowering underprivileged youth.

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Transforming Lives of Adolescents and Youth in Delhi

Key Initiatives or Changes:
Youth (15-24 years of age) comprises approximately 20% of the total population in Delhi.
Unfortunately, numerous challenges impede many youths from realizing their potential, such as poverty, inadequate skills, and limited access to essential social services like education and skill-building.

The project “Transforming Lives of Adolescents and Youth in Delhi Phase-2” aligned with the RP Project based on MAC operating in Delhi to reach out to the maximum number of youths within the limited resources available with the project. As the geographies of both the project were similar, the man power and resources of both the projects were combined to achieve a target beyond the set target number set out initially for the project. The MAC centre was used in this project as well for engaging the youth under various activities such as Life Skill Education, Career Counselling, etc, thereby helping in the quality delivery of the services. This project is a shining beacon on how to operate a skill building project as a top-up of an integrated project.

The project empowered the youth to face the contemporary job market by equipping them with financial literacy, digital literacy, and vocational skills training. Through this approach, we had foster confidence and independence among young individuals and helped to improve the prospects of young people and support their futures.

Innovative Approaches or Strategies:

The project strategy centred on adolescents and youth aged 15-24, providing opportunities for open schooling to those who have not completed their 10th or 12th class, connects them with Vocational Training, Entrepreneurship Development Programs (EDP), and offer a pathway to organized sector employment. In addition, Bal Raksha Bharat offered career counselling and life skills education to help them choose vocational training courses aligned with their interests, facilitating a career launch in the organized sector. Further, the intervention strives to create awareness among community parents and youth about Social Protection Schemes, guiding them to access benefits according to their eligibility and needs, thus providing them support for strengthening the family and their community eco system

Through these efforts, the project was able to diminish the engagement of adolescents and youth in labour, fostering a more secure and supportive environment

Measures of Success:

The key achievements of the project are listed as under:

During the project duration 316 adolescents and youth were counselled for VT, EDP & NIOS against the target of 230 adolescents and youth

240 adolescents and youth were trained on Life Skills, against the target of 230 adolescents and youth

184 youth have been enrolled and trained in vocational training, 36 adolescents have been enrolled for National Institute for Open Schooling and 20 youth were given training on Entrepreneurship Development Programme

115 youth have been placed in decent employment and the process to place the remaining unplaced youth is still continuing

34 youth have been trained for EDP and were provided appropriate tool kit for supporting their entrepreneurship idea

500 community members were oriented in the appropriate social protection schemes. against the target of 500, thereby fulfilling the target set for

As shown in the data above, the project with its very limited resource (a manpower of two and very limited budget) was able to carter to address the needs of 5 different project intervention areas across Delhi. The impact of the success of the project is visible with the donor agreeing to fund a full 3-year future project with a larger budget and manpower. Additionally, the project’s success has led to the fulfilling of BRB’s cherished dream of opening our own Centre of Excellence for youth, greatly reducing our dependencies on external training partners to impart vocational training to our youth

Additional Information:

Case Story

Ms. Mahima, a 22 years old girl originally from Uttar Pradesh, relocated to Delhi with her family in search of better opportunities and livelihood. Raised in a financially constrained environment, her father worked as a driver while her mother managed the household. Mahima shouldered the responsibility of supporting her family, along with her three siblings. Despite completing her 12th grade and nurturing dreams of higher education, the reality of limited income from her father’s job, combined with family expenses and her siblings’ educational needs, made further studies seem unattainable.

Determined to contribute to her family’s welfare, Mahima sought employment in the retail sector but faced challenges due to her lack of skills. It was during a field mobilization initiative that she encountered the Bal Raksha Bharat team. This encounter sparked hope for Mahima as she found a pathway to pursue her aspirations.

Mahima received invaluable career counselling on her possible future career path. She (as per the process of our upskilling program) received life skills training, which honed her skills on communication, social skills, critical analysis, among other. She was then Enrolled Retail Sales Associate course in YUWA Skills Training Centre (one of our training partners).

She was impressed by the well-equipped training centre and practical classrooms provided at the training partner centre. She eagerly took all her classes at the training centre and absorbed the lessons in communication, sales techniques, product knowledge and handling the customers throughout the training. After successfully completing her training, she secured a position at Whirlpool with a monthly salary of INR: 19,000 per month.

This achievement brought immense joy to Mahima as she not only became financially independent but also contributed to her family’s well-being. Grateful for the support and opportunities provided by Bal Raksha Bharat, Mahima acknowledged how the training had transformed her life, instilling crucial skills in personality development, customer handling, presentation, time management, and communication. Her journey from a hopeful participant to a confident sales executive exemplifies how determination, coupled with the right opportunities and guidance, can lead to significant and empowering changes.

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Youth-Led Circular Economy Enterprises for Sustainable Impact

Key Initiatives or Changes:
Delhi’s sizable youth population, constituting 20%, holds economic potential, but unemployment and skill gaps impede progress. Despite government initiatives like the Skill India Mission, challenges persist, including misalignment with job markets, limited outreach to marginalized groups, and incomplete development.

To improve the program and functional effectiveness and efficiency, we have empowered the youth with key 21st century employability skills such as Mastering life skills which is fundamental for achieving success, encompassing vital aspects such as self-awareness, effective communication, self-control, social skills, and critical thinking, Business Management, Circular Economy Principles, Enterprise Development, and Product Diversification.

In BRB objective of empowering youth, despite the various challenges and limitation that arose during this period, Bal Raksha Bharat addressed the dual challenge of youth unemployment and solid waste management through a project that focussed on youth-led circular economic approach. By engaging the city’s youth in such innovative ventures like producing bio-cleaners from fruit waste, reusing and recycling of the old clothes will not only help in supporting valuable skills be developed among the youth who are engaged but also create a positive impact on the community environment.

Innovative Approaches or Strategies:

Bal Raksha Bharat initiated a pilot phase project titled “Youth Innovation and Action Lab (YIAL)” which focussed on youth empowerment and innovation, and is an incubation and accelerator programme to promote entrepreneurship. Out of the all the ideas presented during the pilot phase, one idea was taken for implementation phase in this project. Cities today generate a huge amount of waste leading to pollution and related health problems. While most of the daily use products are chemically based products; on the other hand, biodegradable waste products from homes and commercial/religious spaces add on to the waste in the city, which could be otherwise used more productively for producing chemically-free organic products.

One group of youth saw this as an opportunity and have conceptualized “OrganiCleaners” which seeks to utilize the fruit and vegetable waste to produce bio-enzymes. These bio enzymes will be used in the production of organic manure and products like floor cleaners, handwash, rosewater etc. Thus, the project empowered marginalized youth in Delhi to establish and manage innovative circular economy enterprises like “OrganiCleaners”. Through skill-building, mentorship, and sustainable business practices, the project created self-sustaining ventures that address waste management, promote eco-friendly practices, and foster entrepreneurship among young individual

Measures of Success:

The project was able to achieve the following major milestones during the reporting period
The reporting period saw the establishment of the “Youth Led Orgni-Cleaner Enterprises & Field office” and was operationalized. Further the launch of the production unit was also completed in the reporting period

24 Youth gained knowledge in life skills, financial literacy, digital literacy, Entrepreneurial skills as per plan. Thus, we have achieved ~69% of the desired target of reaching out to 35 youth, in the first phase of the project itself.

Two experts were employed for providing technical and hand holding support to the youth on the various aspects of production of the Orgni-Cleaner, and for providing legal and administrative support in setting up of the production unit.

Two field exposure visits were also organised at benchmark units at Gurugram and Bhiwadi Rajasthan for the youth to make them understand the different phases of the production along with the technical details that needs to be kept in mind during the production of the Orgni-Cleaner.

Through all these initiatives, we had Empowered 24 marginalized youth (Male and Female), particularly young women, with entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, and confidence to establish and run successful enterprises and generating income leading to fostering economic independence. Further, the project implemented innovative initiatives as sustainable circular economy models that minimize waste and resource consumption and promoted environmental stewardship

Additional Information:

Mr. Rahul, a dedicated member of our Green and Clean Enterprises, shared an inspiring update during our recent meeting. Since joining the project, his confidence and business skills have soared to new heights. He expressed his excitement about their first production batch, set to arrive in the second week of July 2024. With this milestone, Mr. Rahul proudly affirmed that he now feels fully capable of running a successful business. His journey is a testament to the power of determination and growth. Keep pushing forward, and great things will follow

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Mobile Learning Centre- Anganwadi on Wheels SB2S and Quality Early Learning Opportunities for Children in Delhi

Key Initiatives or Changes:
Foundation is important when it comes to education. Early Childhood Education and Care or ECCE is the foundation for a human being to grow mentally and emotionally strong. As per statistics, there are 13.7 lakh Anganwadi centres in India which provide ECCE services to children below the age of 6. But due to inadequate supervision, a lack of knowledge about health and education facilities still exists. Even the NEP 2020 states “To prepare an initial cadre of high-quality ECCE teachers in Anganwadi, current Anganwadi workers/teachers need to be trained through a systematic effort in accordance with the curricular/pedagogical framework developed by NCERT.

The project made a significant change to improve the project delivery efficiency by prioritize reaching out to the most marginalized children, including those living in urban slums and street situations, through Mobile Learning Centres (MLCs) in identified locations.

By mainstreaming children into Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) and schools and creating safe and enabling environments, the project aimed to improve early learning outcomes and set a strong foundation for children’s holistic development. Thus, the project addressed the challenges faced by vulnerable children in accessing quality early childhood care and education, with a focus on promoting holistic development and equitable learning opportunities

Innovative Approaches or Strategies:

The three main objectives proposed under this project are as under:

To support children in street situation to access ECCE services through Mobile Anganwadi Centres. This was achieved through, through Refurbish the interiors of the Mobile Anganwadi, Availability of Learning and Play Kits

To enable Mother Group and School Management Committee to enroll children into AWCs and schools and ensure quality learning environment. This would be achieved through organizing Campaign for Safe and Sustained Return of Children to AWCs and Schools and Formation and strengthening of Anganwadi Development Committees and SMCs

To enable smooth transition for all girls and boys in age group 3 – 8 years from street/home to mobile learning centers and to formal schooling.

The implementation of the strategies shared above resulted in the project supporting the BRB objectives in continuing our endeavors for the welfare of children and work on the path of a providing equal opportunities to the most marginalized children of our society so as to help them dream of a bright future.

Measures of Success:

The main key achievement of the project are listed as under:

Refurbish the interiors of the Mobile Anganwadi: Two mobile Anganwadi units have been renovated to create an engaging environment for children.

Availability of learning kits: A gender-sensitive and inclusive learning play kit was provided in each Mobile Learning Anganwadi. Orientation sessions were provided to staff, including Academic Support Fellow, mobilisers, and Mothers on the usage of the resource materials. Through these repeated reading sessions, 193 children are learning new words and understanding the languages

Conduct regular sessions at Mobile Learning Centre to bridge learning gap: The reporting period saw, the Academic Support Fellow conduct 36 sessions with 193 children, which includes 116 girls and 77 boys.

We have also, in this reporting period mainstreamed (enrolled in formal school), 19 children (12 girls and 7 boys in the MCD schools

Formation and strengthening of Anganwadi Development Committees (AWDC)/Mother Groups (MGs) on their roles and responsibilities: 11 meetings were held with 6 mothers’ groups, comprising a total of 93 mothers. The 93 mothers were trained on the Foundation Stage of child development, teaching them how to engage in activities with their children using everyday household items and play-based learning approaches at home.

Additionally, 6 health and hygiene sessions were conducted for the 93 mothers and 28 fathers to orient them about maintaining personal hygiene while caring for infants and young children.

Formation and strengthening of SMCs on their roles and responsibilities –In the reporting period, one orientation meetings were held with SMC members from four primary co-education schools, with a total of 64 participants.

Regular Session’s Parents/Caregiver at Mobile AWC: 10 sessions with 130 parents (including 120 female and 8 males), were conducted, where in these sessions, the participants were briefed on the significance of the primary school foundation stage. The sessions aimed to guide parents on facilitating continued learning, particularly in FLN, through activity and play-based learning at home using familiar household materials.

Additional Information:

Case Story: A Story of Reena (Mother)

Reena, aged 36, resided in Bihari building, Shastri Park, East Delhi, with her 6 children. Originally from Pargana, Kolkata, she faced challenges following her mother’s demise and her father’s remarriage. Confronting financial hardships, her parents married her off at 13 to an older man, resulting in the birth of her 4 children (aged 17, 15, 14, and 11). Tragically, her husband passed away after a prolonged illness. Alone and unsupported by her family, Reena relocated to Zama Majid in Delhi with a relative. Assisted by a community influencer, she secured a job collecting garbage from residential areas in East Delhi. Subsequently, she remarried and gave birth to 2 more children, aged 9 and 3.

Her elder children, aged 17 and 15, discontinued schooling to aid their mother in waste segregation, while the 14- and 11-year-olds were unable to enroll due to missing documents. Through the intervention of Mobile Anganwadi in East Delhi, Reena’s 3-year-old daughter Anvi engaged with the centre, regularly attending AWC via the MLC bus and engaging in educational play.

Reena, thrilled by this development, encouraged her 9-year-old son to pursue education. Our future endeavours include supporting the enrolment of all her children in school.

Strong Quotes:

By Reena, she shared, “I always tried to ensure that my children receive a good education for a better life. Despite being illiterate myself, I work in garbage collection. I don’t want my children to end up in the same situation.”

“After seeing this bus, I was surprised to find an Anganwadi in Delhi equipped with many toys and teaching materials. I am glad that our children will have more opportunities to learn. I encourage other mothers in our community to regularly bring their children to this centre to keep them safe while they work”