1. Our Children: Our Future
On Friday, Nov 26, GiveIndia hosted its second workshop on the subject of "Children: Our Future”. The
workshop brought together Ms. Vandana Krishna, Secretary of Government of Maharashtra, Women
and Child Development Department, Mr. Rajib Haldar, Additional Director Child in Need Institute (CINI),
Kolkata and Ms. Vrishali Pispati, CEO, Mumbai Mobile Creches (MMC), all at the forefront on the issues
of Children, who presented the challenges and solutions to ensure that our children have a future worth
looking forward to.
Ms. Krishna addressed FGC members on the different government initiatives to address the problems
faced by children and listed various avenues of collaboration for working with the government. She
specifically pointed out Bal Sangopan Scheme to support a family in crisis with Rs. 500 per month per
child. This scheme recognizes that the best rehabilitation for children is possible in a family and not
in an institution.
Mr. Rajib Haldar discussed malnutrition as an acute and
inter-generational problem that needs serious attention.
CINI’s nutrition model focuses on educating women to
make the best of what is available. It also runs a Nutrition
Rehabilitation Centre which has been adopted as a
model by a number of state governments under
NRHM. In the last 36 years, 21,000 severely acute
malnourished children treated and saved from deaths and
several other children re-habilitated back to healthy
childhood.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS FROM Session1
An estimated 40% of the world’s
severely malnourished children under
5 live in India, 49.5 % below age 5 are
severely or moderately underweight.
Preventing malnutrition is not rocket
science.It can be addressed through
adoption of healthy child feeding and
caring practices in households –
Frequency, Quantity and Quality.
Government funds 40% of the costs, but
only for training, not for service delivery.
Click to View Presentation
KEY TAKE-AWAYS FROM Session2
There is no specific information on the number of
children in construction sites, but it is believed to be
over 50, 000 just in Mumbai. These children also
have a right to safe, happy, healthy and educated
childhood.
Ms. Vrishali highlighted, “Their children
grow up unattended on the sites as both
parents have to work. Behind the high walls
of the site, they are invisible to most of us.
Since their parents can’t vote in the city, they
are not included in its policy”. Their method

2. Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme envisages
crèche at the place of construction sites, and
support organizations but unfortunately the scheme
is almost non-functional at the construction sites.
Even the ICDS center does not cover the children
at the construction sites.
Click to View Presentation
is simple – go directly to a site and set up
the centre.
MMC runs 3 programmes - a crèche for 0-3
years, a balwadi for 3-6 years, and a non-
formal programme for children older than 6
years. Apart from working directly with
children, they also work with parents,
builders, various government departments to
promote the cause of the child on the site.
Apart from regular community meetings,
MMC trains and empowers women from
construction sites to become teachers.
How Members Can Help?
1. Rs. 5 Lacs would help support the operational expenses of Nutrition Rehabilitation Center to treat
and re-habilitate 50 mal-nourished children and the care-giver over an average stay of 15 -21 days
at the center.
2. Rs. 9.6 Lacs to fund 16 teachers’ salaries @ Rs 5000 p.m. / per teacher benefitting 900 children.
3. Help create awareness and promote the cause of the child at construction
sites among builders associations.
Save The Date: Site visit to Mumbai Mobile Creche, Agripada Center, Sat Dec 11 11am – 1pm
RSVP:swapnil@giveindia.org