 Smile Foundation has joined hands with Mahita – a Hyderabad based local partner – for providing
education and health care support to non-school going slums children
and child labours, with special focus on girl child. The project,
covering 10 slum clusters of Hyderabad through Community Learning
Centres, will ensure mainstreaming all children to formal schools.
About the Project
The project named ‘Educating Girl Children
in Urban Slums of Hyderabad’
is covering cover 150 children directly, with emphasis on girl
child between the age group of 6-14 years who are either dropped
out of school, working children or never enrolled in schools.
Besides education, all children will avail of health check-up
and medical services every 3 months.
Three educational centres have been established
under this innovative initiative. The project is being implemented
in 10 urban slums in Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.
EYE CHECK UP CAMP IN MAHITA
The 10 slums of Hyderabad to be covered under
the project are as follows -
 1. Anna Nagar
2. Pochamma Basti
3. Ambedkarnagar
4. Chandrababu Naidu Nagar
5. Sri Lanka Basti
6. Balamrai
7. Shiva Nagar
8. Indiramma Nagar
9. Gun Bazaar
10. Arjun Nagar
Each centre will enroll 50 children and a minimum
level of learning for 1 year will be provided. Thereafter these
children will be mainstreamed in to formal schools.
 The intervention will not only maintain the community
educational centres at slum levels, but also motivate the community
towards education of the children, through the enrollment campaigns
by counseling of parents, interaction with employers and school
management. Another 120 children will be mainstreamed in the process.
Socio–Economic Profile of the Children
The residents of these slums constitute migrants
from the backward districts of Andhra Pradesh and adjacent state
like Karnataka. The family conditions forces the children to work
as child labours. It is estimated that 40% of the girl child in
the areas are working as child domestic labourers in the surrounding
areas.
The status of the children living in the (project)
slum areas are vulnerable, especially the girl children, right
from the age of 6 years. Girls are forced to work in incense stick
making, beedi (Indian cigarette) rolling, safety pins making also
as domestic maid servants. The boys work in repair sheds, workshops
and tea stalls on a low remuneration of around Rs. 300 to 600
per month or just Rs. 5-10 per day.
Objective of the Project
 The overall objective of the project is to establish
and create educational opportunities for the girl children in
10 urban slums of Hyderabad
- Create educational opportunities for girl child
in the slums and discouraging child labour
- To increase enrollment and retention rates in primary education
in the project slums
- To bring social movements towards fighting for the rights of
the children in the project areas (through campaigns/ workshops
/ awareness generation programmes)
About the Partner
Mahita is a registered non-governmental organization,
formed by a team of committed individuals in 1995 to initiate
development activity in the urban slum areas of Hyderabad city
in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The organization has been working on issues like
providing education for child labour and non–school going
children; developing livelihood skills for youth and empowering
women in enhancing their social status and decision making power;
issue of corporal punishment in schools; prevention of early child
marriages, abuse and exploitation of children. Beside these the
organization is also actively involved in child rights and human
rights with special emphasis on girl child.
 Before
Smile Foundation joined hands with Mahita, the organization has
received support from various government and international organization
like Manos Unidas, Spain; CRY Bangalore, IPP-VIII, Municipal Corporation
of Hyderabad, Government of Andhra Pradesh; DPEP scheme, Govt.
of A. P., Save the Children UK, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, United
Way Mumbai to name a few.
Deliverables
- 100% enrollment of the children in to formal schools will be
ensured
- All the malnourished children, especially girls will be brought
to normal growth chart
- All the target beneficiaries will be covered under quarterly
medical health camps
- During Community Consultations (meetings with religious / community
/ political / teachers) the participation of all the stakeholders
will be ensured
- Records of individual children to be maintained
regularly
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