Reduction of child labour in the tea garden areas of sonitpur district, Assam (RCL)

The Focus of the project/Objectives:

1. By the end of the project, 60% of School dropouts and non-school going children between the ages 5-14 from 8 targeted villages are accessing the Bridge Schools and 80% drop out children enrolled in government/private schools during the project period.
2. By the end of the project rate of absenteeism and dropout in schools in the project area has been reduced by 80%.
3. By the end of the project, no children are involved in child labor in the tea gardens in the project area.

Description of the project setting

The project Reducing Child Labour in Teagarden Areas of Assam is being implemented in Balipara development Block of Sonitpur District of Assam. It is located at a distance of 24 km towards west from the District head quarter Tezpur and 150 km from State capital Dispur. The immediate target group of the project are 800 children who are either dropout or vulnerable to be dropout and who also work part time in the tea gardens. The targeted students belong to the eight villages: (1) Khalihamari, (2) MalijanLohaline TE, (3) Malijan T.E 1 No., (4) Jogloni, (5) Bokajan, (6) Tang Tang Line, (7) Sonabeel TE (A) and (8) Sonabeel TE (B). The project is exceptionally running well in these areas. It manages to bring together the children from different areas and different background. 23 Children’s Parliament are being formed in order to address the issues affecting them.

Changes and achievements

The project managed to send dropped-out students to formal school. Because of the project intervention children’s Parliament are functioning well in the villages. Through Children’s Parliament children are able to do many things like reducing dropouts, reducing child labour. Children’s Parliament helped the children to be active in their villages. Children have become sensitive to the issues around them. Conduct regular cleanliness drives, campaign against child labour, Plantation drives, campaign on free plastic village, Make dust bin to be kept on the roadside. Performed street plays on social evils such as alcoholism, domestic violence, education etc. Children’s attitude towards nature, society and their peer groups have improved. After the project implementation there are some dropout students coming to the study centers for evening study. Importance days such as Environment Days, Children’s Day, Labour Day are observed in a many meaningful way in the villages. Through trainings parents and children are aware of the importance of educations and parents are encouraged to send their children to school. This project enabled the children to excel personality and brought positive impact to the society.

Achievements Achievements

• Daily evening tuition are conducted regularly.
• 7 dropouts are enrolled with Government school.
• The teachers go for home visits and interacted with the parents.
• Due to home visits by the animators the parents insist their children to go to school regularly.
• 355 took part in Human Rights day Observation, observation brought involvement of community and basic human rights are explained to the community.
• 200 parents took part in the Child Labour day celebration. Due to the Pandemic situation it was organized in small groups. Learnt about the prevailing child labor situation in the tea garden of Assam. Child protection Committee are also present for the celebration.
• The village leaders and religious leaders are also asked to remind the community people to send the students to schools regularly.
• Children’s Parliament are functioning and members performing their duties
• Children’ Parliament conducted Street plays for ending social evils
• 8 Child Protection committee are formed as part of Children’s Parliament are active in their own villages.
• Regular Children’s Parliament meetings are conducted with proper proceedings and action plans.
• Students under the initiative of the CP ministers took up cleaning activities in the villages (cleaning of village, drains, school campus and community common places etc.) They also clean approach road of the village.
• Repairing of Dustbins: CPs From Bokajan repaired the dustbins that were made and kept along the road sides.
• Celebration of Republic Day: The children took part in the flag hosting ceremony on 26th of January 2020 along with the village people.
• Nurturing of Plants: The CP took care of the plants that were planted last World Environment Day. They make sure that the plants are in good condition.
• CP members took initiative to provide relief to some few poor/deprived families. The CP ministers made small collection from the members and provided food stuff such as rice, dal, vegetables etc.
• Sonabeel No. 2 provided relief materials to 9 families, Bokajan study centre provided relief materials to 12 families and Khaliamari study centre provided relief materials to 7 families.
• More than 1230 people benefitted through orientation programs and awareness meetings conducted by the project.