EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND HEALTH INTERVENTIONS TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM WORK RELATED HAZARDS
In 2008, The Child Trust established an educational centre in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, providing free schooling for children in 6-14 years. Target groups have mainly been children who come from child labour, missed out children and children who are living in difficult circumstances. The school operates on daily basis with all basic subjects in the curriculum like English, Mathematics, and Hindi etc. are taught to the children. In addition, the organization supports the students in terms of providing educational supplies – books, notebooks, pencils, uniforms etc.
The Child Trust has successfully enrolled 200 boys and girls in schools after excluding them from work; provided health care support to 200 children, along with 600 adults; formed three Community Based Groups which are collectively coming forward in support of child rights; formed one Children Association (Children Clubs) for promotion of child participation and to raise the child rights related issues; and formed one Yuva Mandals (Youth Club) to prevent child labour and ensuring child rights in the area.
TEACHERS' TRAINING PROGRAMME
The Teachers' Training Program intended to build the capacities of community-based teachers and project staff in order to provide them with the right set of skills in order to create an environment wherein the children can have a joyful learning. Furthermore, it aims to provide the teachers with educational aid and teaching learning material.
The program was attended by 15 teachers, and was divided in three main sessions. The first session focused on the foundation of teaching and on inductional training. Key content of this session was motivation, pedagogy styles, concept of school, teacher/student relationship, community/parents interaction, gender sensitisation and communication skills.
The second one centred around refreshers training, where important aspects were focus on subject specific knowledge, multi-grade teaching, motivation of teachers from a child rights perspective, identification of children in traumatic conditions, teaching learning material preparation for children in general and for children in traumatic condition in special. Lastly, the programme ended with a focus on the design of an integrated monitoring system for the schools and centers and a monthly qualitative monitoring and reporting system.
