Children are the hope of a bright and shining future of our country. It is only if we nourish them today, will they turn out to be the responsible citizens who will make us proud tomorrow. India recognizes this and being a welfare state, it launches various initiatives for the benefit of children.
14th November is celebrated as Children’s Day in the country, in the memory of the first Prime Minister of Independent India – Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. On this Children’s Day, let us look at various unique initiatives by the corporates and non-profits of India for children’s welfare.
Yellow Fellow Campaign
Childhood is a precious time for every child. It is important to have a safe and happy childhood in order to ensure healthy growth of mind and body of every child. CRY – Child Rights & You, a leading Indian non-profit organisation working for child rights has just launched a pan-India campaign, #YellowFellow, to celebrate happy childhoods, on the occasion of the Children’s Day. Through this campaign, the organisation invites people from all walks of life to come and celebrate happy childhoods by wearing yellow socks as a gesture of solidarity for children and their right to a happy childhood. In order to participate in the campaign, one needs to wear a pair of yellow socks and post a photo of themselves on their social media; tagging 3 friends to become a #YellowFellow as well.
Here’s another #YellowFellow who believes in every child’s right to a happy childhood! Mamata, this is so amazing!
Language is vital to communication. The language barrier has been viewed as one of the major reasons for unemployability of youth by MNCs. Especially with the advent of globalisation, poor communication skills in English a major roadblock in the path to success for rural youth who did not have exposure to the language.
Marico’s Nihar Shanti Amla’s program Phone Uthao India Ko Padhao is aimed at providing basic English speaking skills to underprivileged children by connecting them to volunteers in urban centres simply through a phone call. In order to be a part of the program, a volunteer has to simply register online and take out 10 minutes of time for a phone call in a week to help them practice spoken English.
Ek Pehal
Healthcare and nutrition are the basic necessities of every human being. They are especially vital for the children to ensure their healthy growth. Today millions of migrant workers and their families are surrounded by poverty, illness and despair; they are fighting a daily battle for their survival.
CBRE Foundation’s initiative Ek Pehal aims to give these underprivileged families, a chance to lift themselves out of hunger and malnutrition. The initiative has launched a “Wellness Bus” that will visit slums/jhuggis around the various construction sites and offer health & nutrition services to the migrant workers and their families. The bus will have social workers, doctors, and counsellors who will provide basic health check-up services for children including weight, vaccination, treatment of skin infections, cough – cold, diarrhoea/pneumonia, cut/bruises, etc. It will also provide the children with supplementary nutrition to replenish micronutrients and proteins, by giving them health supplements like vitamins, iron, etc.
Healthcare
Many children suffer from life-threatening diseases and due to their poor financial condition, the families are left with no hope of recovery or survival. Aster Sick Kids (ASK) Foundation extends expert medical care/ treatment support to critically ill children under the age of 18, who require advanced life support, cancer treatment, transplant surgery and neonatal intensive care, with the help of funds raised through several charitable activities. The program is created with an aim to provide the best of health care facility to every child irrespective of its financial background. ASK works to provide advanced medical care at a subsidized cost for sick children below 18 years from the underprivileged background by co-paying 75% of the total bill.
Education
Education is often not a right but a privilege, especially for rural households, despite it being a Fundamental Right for every child. This applies to the village of Doddadunnasandra. A majority of the village’s 300 families live in small, single-room homes, and most cannot afford school. Cambium Networks is working towards improving the lives of these villagers by its various initiatives. The company has procured study materials for local students, donated a number of bicycles, enabling the children to attend school.
A collective effort is imperative to work towards the welfare of children. Mahatma Gandhi has rightly said, “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
