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Education

How to increase Enrolments in Schools?

How to increase school enrollments
How to increase school enrollments

Quality education is the stepping stone for India’s development and opportunities for its youth and their communities. However, getting an education alone does little unless we can ensure that our children and youth are continuing their education and not dropping out, ensuring that besides getting a quality education, they finish their schooling successfully.

Education should empower individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate life’s challenges, contribute to their communities, and pursue their aspirations, thus transcending the notion of enrolment as the sole endgame.

The latest data from the Union Education Ministry’s Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) Plus revealed that between 2022-23 and 2023-24, school enrolment in India fell by over a core.

As per the data, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) for various educational stages dropped across multiple levels. In the preparatory stage (Class III to V), the GER decreased from 41.9 percent in 2022-23 to 41.5 per cent in 2023-24. Similarly, the middle stage (Class VI to VIII) saw a slight reduction from 96.9 per cent to 96.5 percent. The most significant drop occurred at the secondary level (Class IX to XII), where the GER fell from 90 per cent to 89.5 percent.

What does data say?

To mitigate these challenges, the NEP 2020 talks about reaching a 100 percent gross enrolment ratio (GER) of students in schools from preschool to secondary level by 2030. It aims to achieve this by two initiatives. The first is to develop sufficient infrastructure for students to access safe and engaging school education at all levels up to class 12. The second is to create a tracking system to record students’ progress at various stages and provide them with guidance counselors and well-trained social workers. In the view of NEP 2020, this is key for retaining students in the school education system.

To address these difficulties, the NEP 2020 outlines a 100% gross enrolment ratio (GER) of pupils in schools from preschool to secondary level by 2030. It intends to achieve this through two efforts. The first step is to create adequate infrastructure for students to receive safe and enjoyable school instruction at all levels up to grade 12. The second step is to establish a tracking system to monitor kids’ progress at various stages and to give them guidance counselors and well-trained social workers. According to NEP 2020, this is critical for keeping pupils in the school education system. 

Improving infrastructure 

The UIDSE+ 2023-24 School Infrastructure research in India finds that significant progress has been made in ensuring basic facilities such as gender-specific bathrooms and functional drinking water. However, the research highlights severe issues in advanced infrastructure. Poor internet access and inadequate technology readiness indicate a substantial digital divide. Furthermore, the lack of inclusive infrastructure, such as stairs, railings, and operable desks, emphasises the accessibility divide.

Investing in better school facilities ultimately means investing in our children’s future and the overall welfare of our communities. Improving school infrastructure goes beyond physical structures; it creates an environment that fosters inclusive learning and benefits students, educators, and the broader community. Modern facilities, such as well-equipped libraries, labs, and technology rooms, enhance student learning by providing essential resources, while well-ventilated and comfortable classrooms promote focus. Safe and secure buildings with proper sanitation and recreational spaces contribute to student well-being, reducing stress and encouraging engagement. For educators, well-maintained classrooms and collaborative spaces support creative teaching methods and build a sense of community. A stimulating and resource-rich environment can boost attendance by making students more eager to learn. Furthermore, upgraded school infrastructure enhances the community’s image, attracts families, and provides event spaces, strengthening school-community ties. 

Attendance tracking system 

Efficient attendance tracking can be a foundational pillar supporting the entire educational process. As technology rapidly digitises, the reach of a School Management System (SMS) is set to expand. The ancient approach of manually taking attendance, which was prone to inaccuracies and time-consuming, has given way to an era of precision and real-time data via this technology.

A student’s regular presence in the classroom is inextricably related to academic success and overall growth. Efficient attendance tracking is not merely a bureaucratic formality but can be a fundamental pillar underpinning the entire educational process. At a time when the world is fast moving towards digitisation, the scope of school management systems is poised for expansion. The archaic method of manual attendance-taking, prone to errors and time-consuming, has given way to an era of precision and real-time data through School Management System (SMS) technology.  An SMS can be used for various purposes, including academic record-keeping and communication. However, its most crucial job is in the area of attendance tracking. As a result, these systems provide a holistic solution for enhancing overall school efficiency through increased student attendance.

Other measures to boost enrolment 

Building trust and engagement

To increase enrolment for students in rural and remote areas, educators must build trust and relationships with local stakeholders, including students, parents, teachers, counsellors, community leaders, and organisations. Establishing credibility through respect, active listening, campaigns, and involvement in decision-making fosters a sense of belonging and partnership, making rural communities more open to educational opportunities.

Information and guidance

To boost enrolment for students in rural areas, educators must provide clear information and guidance on higher education’s benefits, costs, and requirements, addressing misconceptions and accessibility challenges. Multiple channels, such as local meetings, brochures, campaigns, and in-person visits, can help inform and inspire rural students and their families while addressing their concerns.

Providing support

Educators must provide support and resources—such as tutoring, mentoring, financial aid assistance, and transportation—to help students navigate the application and transition process. Educators can empower rural students and their families by addressing challenges like academic preparation, financial barriers, and logistical hurdles, ensuring successful enrolment and retention.

Smile Foundation: Mission Education

Ensuring students keep up with schooling requires genuine care, monitoring, and improvement of the system. By addressing the issue of dropouts at its roots and offering localised and tangible solutions, Smile Foundation, through its Mission Education programme, ensures that children in rural India not only enrol in schools but also complete them successfully. Built on concerted efforts, Mission Education believes in bringing students to schools and having them stay and access quality education. 

Categories
Women Empowerment

The Importance of Gender Budgeting Initiatives

The Importance of Gender Budgeting Initiatives
The Importance of Gender Budgeting Initiatives

To build a prosperous society, we must ensure that every citizen has equal access to opportunities and is treated at par with each other. This is why gender equality is extremely important for any society. However, as we have seen, despite rapid economic and technological growth in the past decades, there is still a lot of gender disparity in countries around the world, and in India. Governments around the world have been trying to tackle this problem in many ways, and gender budgeting is one of the tools that they use.

Simply put, gender budgeting means analysing the government budget through a gender lens to ensure that policies and initiatives carried out by the government are benefiting everyone equally, especially those who have been historically discriminated against because of their gender identity. In India, gender budgeting has gained momentum over the years, with its share in total expenditure rising from 4.5% in 2014 to 6.8% in FY25, as highlighted in this report.

Understanding gender budgeting

As mentioned above, gender budgeting is a tool or a perspective integrated into the budgeting process to ensure gender-specific impact of government initiatives. While it may be misunderstood as something where a separate budget is created to achieve gender equality and to invest in policies that help in achieving that, it is not about that. It is actually about bringing gender considerations in the centre while entire budget planning.

The roots of it can be traced back to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 after which the idea started becoming more mainstream. Many countries, including India, have since then adopted this method to move towards creating a more inclusive budget. Gender budgeting can help in many ways. Here are some of the examples:

  1. Promoting gender equality – One of the most important functions of gender budgeting is to use public spending in a way that it supports marginalized genders. The resources are allocated to promote gender equality and bridge the many gaps that exist in our current system.
  2. Economic growth – While it may seem like gender budgeting only helps a particular gender, it is not true. By bridging the gap between genders and providing them equal opportunity, it allows them to increase their participation in the labour force and, in turn, support overall economic growth of the country.
  3. Empowerment of women – By investing in initiatives like women’s education, health, etc., the governments can create an opportunity where women can be empowered. It helps in the improvement of their participation in society, financial independence, better health, and much more.
  4. Dealing with gender-based violence – Gender budgeting can allocate resources to programmes that prevent and address gender-based violence, such as domestic violence shelters, legal aid services, and awareness campaigns. These initiatives create safer environments for women and promote social cohesion.

Gender budgeting in India

Now, let us look at how India has been using gender budgeting as a robust policy tool to get all the benefits mentioned above. The concept was first introduced in India in the budget 2005-06 and since then, every year, the government publishes a Gender Budget Statement (GBS) which highlights the allocations made by the government for women-specific schemes.

We can understand the gender budgeting initiative in India by looking at in from three perspectives:

  1. Women-specific schemes –  These schemes have 100% allocation for women and address their specific needs. Examples include the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save the Girl Child, Educate the Girl Child) campaign and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which provides financial assistance to pregnant and lactating mothers.
  2. Allocation for women within general schemes – These schemes allocate at least 30 per cent of their budget for women. For Example, MGNREGA promotes women’s participation in the workforce and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has specific budget allocation for maternal and child health.
  3. Gender budgeting cells – The government has established GBCs in various ministries and departments to institutionalize gender budgeting. These cells are responsible for analyzing budgets from a gender perspective and ensuring that gender considerations are integrated into policy and programme design.

Impact of gender budgeting in India

While we have already looked at how gender budgeting impacts not just women but the overall economy, let us quickly see how it benefits a rapidly growing country like India. First of all, investment in women’s education initiatives have improved their literacy level and also enrolment of girls in schools. At the same time, a special focus has been given to women’s health initiatives and it has helped those living in villages and remote areas, especially pregnant women. Women’s participation in the labour force has also been improving steadily because of these initiatives and they have also received various social protections under different schemes. Overall, gender budgeting has created a safety net for women in India who have historically faced discrimination because of their gender.

Challenges and way forward

While we have talked about the positive impact of gender budgeting, we must also look at the many challenges that exist today and what we can do in the future to overcome these challenges.

  1. First of all, there is still a lack of awareness among the policymakers, administrators and general public. Those who are responsible for the implementation of these schemes in the remotest areas are often biased. Therefore, we need to invest heavily in capacity building programmes to ensure everyone is aware of their rights and duties in this area.
  2. Secondly, while India has adopted gender budgeting for years, there is still a shortage of data to meaningfully assess the impact of these initiatives. In the absence of data, it cannot be ascertained what is happening right and what needs to improve.
  3. Thirdly, there is a lack of such initiatives in all the ministries, and it is only focused in some specific ministries like women and child development, rural development, and health and family welfare. The core idea of gender budgeting is to analyse the entire budget through a gender perspective, and it is important that all the ministries start adopting that perspective.

Therefore, as we move forward, India needs to deal with these challenges proactively and establish strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that the initiatives do not just remain on paper.

Conclusion

Gender budgeting initiatives are a powerful tool for promoting gender equality and empowering women. By integrating gender perspectives into the budgeting process, governments can address systemic inequalities and create a more inclusive society. In India, gender budgeting has made significant strides in improving education, healthcare, employment, and social protection for women. However, there is still much work to be done to strengthen its implementation and expand its reach. Therefore, in future, India needs to focus on prioritizing spreading awareness, capacity building, establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, and improving data collection to make these initiatives stronger.

Categories
Livelihood

Will respectable livelihoods mean less resource conflicts?

Will Respectable Livelihoods mean less fighting for limited resources?
Will Respectable Livelihoods mean less fighting for limited resources?

In a small village of Maharashtra, two families found themselves embroiled in a bitter conflict over shared water source in the area. This was because both of the families sustained themselves through water-intensive farming which meant that there was never enough resources available for both of them to cultivate their crops without a hassle. This conflict kept growing until it reached the point of turning violent. However, an intervention by the local NGO changed the whole situation. Through its support, both the families learnt about sustainable agricultural practices, diversification of crops, and minimizing the use and wastage of water. At the same time, they also learnt about alternative livelihood opportunities like dairy farming which meant they were not solely dependent on agriculture for sustenance.

This proved to be a life changing intervention for both the families as it significantly reduced their dependency on the shared water resource and, in turn, solved the conflict that had been brewing for years. Not just that, it also provided a sense of security and respectability to them as they could now earn extra money and invest more in their children’s education. This story illustrates a profound truth – respectable livelihoods can transform lives and reduce conflicts over scarce resources.

Link between livelihoods and resource conflicts

Today, the global population has grown to a level where it is putting a lot of stress on the natural resources available to us. In India, this problem is even bigger, as the country has now surpassed China to become the most populous in the world. This also means that many people have to migrate from rural areas to the urban centres in search of work as resource shortages make it more and more difficult for them to survive off the land. This is why, providing sustainable and dignified livelihood opportunities to these people can reduce the conflict that gets created as these rural-urban migrants continue to fight for even more limited resources in the cities.

Resource conflicts often arise when communities compete for access to limited natural resources such as water, arable land, and forests. These conflicts are exacerbated by factors such as population growth, climate change, and economic inequality. Livelihoods are also deeply intertwined with one’s sense of self-respect and dignity. If an individual does not have access to basic resources like water, sanitation, hygienic public spaces, etc., they are likely to get into conflict with others to claim the most they can, often at the expense of others.

This is why it is extremely important that timely interventions are made to provide alternative income sources to people to reduce their reliance on some limited public goods. Globally, we have seen many such examples of interventions that led to incredible turnarounds. Let us look at some examples:

  1. Rwanda’s coffee cooperatives – After the Rwandan genocide, coffee cooperatives played a crucial role in rebuilding communities and reducing resource conflicts. By providing farmers with a stable income and access to international markets, these cooperatives fostered economic stability and reconciliation.
  2. Kenya’s water resource management – In Kenya, water was a major reason for conflict in arid regions, but a community-based water management programme brought down these conflicts significantly. Local communities were taught new livelihood techniques like beekeeping, poultry farming, etc., which reduced their dependence on the shared water resources.

Livelihoods and resource conflicts in India

India, with its diverse geography and growing population, faces significant challenges related to resource conflicts. Disputes over water, land, and forests are common, particularly in rural and tribal areas. However, several initiatives have demonstrated the potential of livelihoods to address these conflicts:

  1. Watershed development programmes – In states like Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, watershed development programmes have improved water availability and agricultural productivity. By involving local communities in planning and implementation, these programmes have reduced conflicts over water resources and enhanced livelihoods.
  2. Forest Rights Act (FRA) – The FRA recognizes the rights of tribal communities to access and manage forest resources. By providing legal recognition and promoting sustainable livelihoods such as agroforestry and non-timber forest product collection, the FRA has reduced tensions between tribal communities and forest authorities.
  3. MGNREGA – The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) provides rural households with guaranteed employment and income. By reducing economic vulnerability, MGNREGA has alleviated resource-related conflicts and improved social cohesion.

Strategies to promote respectable livelihoods

While a lot has been done in this area, we must remember that the problem of resource shortages is only going to increase in the future. Therefore, we must first of all focus on more sustainable ways of living which reduces our burden on these resources. At the same time, we should encourage the affluent section of our society to adopt these sustainable practices aggressively. With all this, we should also look at promoting respectable livelihoods for everyone. Here are some of the strategies to achieve that:

  1. Skill development – The first and most important intervention is to provide skilling opportunities to the people who are engaged in livelihoods that are facing the biggest threat due to resource shortage. By providing them vocational training, we can help them to move to more lucrative employment and also increase their income levels. At the same time, it may be a good opportunity for them to live a more respectable life.
  2. Access to finance – Many individuals living in rural areas, smaller cities, or remote regions of the country can become micro entrepreneurs if they have access to collateral free finance. By providing them money to kickstart their small or micro business, we can ensure that they are not just finding respectable livelihoods for themselves but are also creating jobs for others.
  3. Community-based approach – Involving local communities in resource management and decision-making can foster cooperation and reduce conflicts. Programmes like Joint Forest Management (JFM) and Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) empower communities to manage resources sustainably.

Resource shortages can be directly linked to human conflict and also impact the individual’s dignity. Not just that, it can have a severe impact on the livelihoods of people who depend directly on these resources. Therefore, it is essential that we create opportunities for people to move towards alternate, respectable livelihoods in order to reduce conflict. By providing individuals and communities with stable income sources, we can address the root causes of resource dependency and promote social harmony.

Categories
CSR

How CSR Partnerships are transforming Social Welfare in India?

School Improvement Programme
How CSR Partnerships are transforming Social Welfare in India?

When Ratan Tata passed away, people across the country mourned not just the loss of an astute industrialist, but a philanthropist who touched the lives of innumerable people. He believed that the success of a company is intrinsically linked to the welfare of society. Under his leadership, Tata Trusts supported various initiatives and projects in education, healthcare and rural development sector.

CSR Partnerships in India: The legacy 

There has been a philanthropic side to India’s corporate sector, with industrialists like Jamshedji Tata and G D Birla working to integrate business with social good. In fact, their efforts are said to have laid the foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India.

CSR refers to a business model in which companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their operations and interactions with stakeholders. It involves companies taking responsibility for the impact their activities have on society and the environment, beyond just making profits. CSR partnerships play a huge role in the country’s development as it can drive social welfare and change.

India is the first country in the world to make CSR mandatory, following an amendment to the Companies Act, 2013, in April 2014. Companies with a net worth of ₹500 crore or more, a turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or a net profit of ₹5 crore or more during any financial year are required to spend at least 2% of their average net profits from the last three financial years on CSR activities.

Apart from being legally mandated, CSR is also crucial for businesses to build a positive brand image, foster community relationships, and contribute to sustainable development.

“Companies that have been genuinely interested in social development, such as HCL Foundation, Wipro and Tata Trust, have always been contributing far more than the 2% mandated today,” says Chinny Krishna, chairman of Aspick Engineering Pvt Ltd. “Apart from improving the company’s own image, employees also get a lot of pleasure from the fact that their companies are involved in social activities.”

Corporates focus on education, skilling youth

The four main types of CSR are environmental responsibility, ethical responsibility, philanthropic responsibility and economic responsibility.  In India, CSR comprises a broad range of activities.

Two of the main areas that companies focus on are education and healthcare. “Education empowers not just this generation but the ones to come. And in a populous country like India, healthcare initiatives are important and need to be supported,” says Chinny Krishna.

Many businesses are investing in education-related CSR initiatives, especially in rural areas. This includes building schools, providing scholarships, and funding digital literacy programmes.

CSR also plays a big role in making young people ready for the job market. While presenting the Union Budget this year, finance minister Nirmala Seetharaman said that the government will launch a scheme that will provide internship opportunities in 500 top companies to one crore youth in the next five years. The students will receive an internship allowance of Rs 5,000 per month along with one-time assistance of Rs 6,000. According to a report, the companies will be expected to cover the training cost and 10% of the internship cost from their CSR funds.

That’s why companies are also focusing on skill development to improve employability, especially for youth from marginalised communities. “We work a lot with school and colleges. We integrate students who are interested in working in the hospitality industry after they complete class 12, and offer them skill development programmes and certify them,” says Cotah.

Healthcare initiatives get a boost

Healthcare is another area of focus. CSR partnerships today help bridge gaps in healthcare infrastructure, especially in remote areas. Companies often partner with NGOs to provide free medical services, build healthcare centres, and fund health awareness campaigns. Some companies also focus on specific health issues, such as maternal health or malnutrition, working alongside government schemes.

Alexander Athisayanathan, who founded Iyayugam Trust in 2015 to support children with cancer and their families, says CSR activities have helped him continue the work he does. “We provide diapers and provisions as well as nutrition kits to children with cancer. Many of their parents work in the unorganised sector so during summer, we provide provisions for a couple of months nutritional kits and seasonal fruits,” he says, adding that a few corporates such as Shree Mithai Pvt Ltd and Takion, an IT company, have come forward to support his Trust as part of their CSR activities..

To make dental treatment affordable and accessible and to address the gaps existing in dental healthcare at the community level Smile Foundation joined hands with GlaxoSmithKline Asia Private Limited (now Haleon). The dental health units have been providing diagnostic as well as curative services through roster based OPDs. They organize regular Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities to enhance health seeking behaviour. Another very important component of the Smile on Wheels Dental HealthCare is the School Oral Health Programme that includes awareness sessions on oral health and hygiene followed by regular dental check-ups.

CSR initiatives broaden scope

In recent years, gender issues, women empowerment, environmental concerns and animal welfare have also become focus areas for CSR activities. Companies are increasingly adopting environmentally friendly practices and working with local communities to preserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and promote renewable energy. CSR partnerships are funding initiatives like afforestation, waste management, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices.

“Animal welfare has to be considered part of social welfare. Most of the activities we do, such as removing the testicles of stray dogs, are not being done just because of interest in the welfare of animals. We don’t want community animals to multiply as it is seen as a threat to human beings,” says Chinny Krishna, who is also co-founder of the Blue Cross of India. “All animal welfare today is based on benefits derived by human beings. We are addressing human welfare through animal welfare.”

Women empowerment is another area that has been receiving a lot of attention from corporates in recent years. CSR initiatives are focused on empowering women through skill development, entrepreneurship, and access to financial resources. Corporates also often fund or initiate public awareness campaigns on social issues such as health, education, sanitation, and environmental conservation, to reach a larger audience.

CSR initiatives are also directed toward improving roads, electrification, and housing in rural areas. Companies are providing financial assistance for rural entrepreneurs and farmers, ensuring economic sustainability in these areas.

CSR partnerships have proven especially useful during natural disasters, with businesses offering financial aid, supplies, and even manpower in rescue and rehabilitation efforts. Post-crisis, companies collaborate with NGOs and the government to rebuild infrastructure and provide long-term solutions.

Challenges and concerns

While many CSR partnerships have had a significant positive impact, it comes with its own set of challenges. According to a publication, “it is found that a number of factors hinder CSR programmes in India some of which are a lack of holistic approach towards CSR by companies, inadequate community participation, problems with CSR implementing agencies like issues of efficiency, transparency, and consensus on CSR programmes.”

Concern has also been expressed about the sustainability of these projects and their alignment with community needs. Some critics feel that CSR programmes can be more about brand-building for companies than seriously addressing real social issues, leading to short-term impact rather than long-term change. Concerns are also often raised about the lack of transparency and accountability in how CSR funds are allocated and spent.

Success stories

There are quite a few success stories of corporate-NGO partnerships. Smile Foundation operates six active scholarship projects in collaboration with esteemed donors including Deutsche Bank, Quantiphi, Quest Global, and Siemens. These projects collectively benefit thousands of students. We are committed to increasing this figure to ensure that more and more young men and women are granted the opportunity to excel in sectors with high growth potential and make a significant contribution to our development. 

We have a retention strategy in place, including the regular review of academic performance, counselling services, and mentoring. Some key features of the scholarship projects include financial assistance, wherein they offer scholarships for the four-year duration of the engineering course, covering the tuition fee and ensuring that economic constraints do not impede their academic progress. Each scholarship recipient is provided with a laptop and other essential resources, ensuring that they have the technology required for online learning and research.

The programme also provides training in employability and communication, and internships to equip scholars with the skills required to not just graduate but to thrive in the competitive world. Smile Foundation also helps students visit the sites, offices, and different departments of potential employers based on their interests, education, and industry needs.

Students are also provided with domain/technical skills training based on industry needs and in alignment with their chosen fields in the second year of the course. The scholarship programme provides placement assistance in the fourth year of the course and helps the scholars with aptitude tests, mock tests, and mock interviews.

Categories
Women Empowerment

The Silent Workforce: Women Farmers in Rural India

The Silent Workforce: Women Farmers in Rural India
The Silent Workforce: Women Farmers in Rural India

Drive through rural India and you will see fields full of women, planting seedlings, transplanting, weeding. But few wonder what life is like for these women who are dependent on agriculture-based livelihoods.

80% of rural women in India are involved in agricultural livelihoods

India is an agrarian economy with about 54.6% of total workforce engaged in agricultural and allied sector activities as per Census 2011.  As per the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Report 2021-22, the estimated percentage distribution of workers at All-India level in usual status by broad industry division as per National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2008 shows that 38.1% men and 62.9% women are engaged in agriculture. Available data, and information on NITI Aayog also reveals that, in India, agriculture employs about 80% of rural women. This indicates that a higher proportion of women are involved in agricultural work compared to men.

“Different surveys have shown that 80% of agricultural work is done by women. Certain work such as transplanting and weeding, and after harvest, winnowing and threshing, are done only by women,” says Ananthoo, a food and sustainable agriculture activist based in Chennai. “But when it comes to the market or economy, they are invisibilised.”

Challenges faced by rural women 

Many rural women do not have legal ownership of land, which makes it difficult for them to access credit, modern farming techniques, or government support.

“Very few women actually own land. For the tenant farmers and landless women there is no recognition or legal document. For all the women in the farm household, their name never features on the Kisan card or any document because only the man’s name is put on it. So they cannot benefit from any government schemes or receive government support such as disaster relief during times of drought or flood,” says Ananthoo, adding that the task is to include women’s name in the Kisan card or farm registry so that there is identification, which can be useful for various things.

Sheelu Francis, founder, Tamil Nadu Women’s Collective, says that one of the main challenges is that women in agriculture are not recognised as farmers. “They are considered farm labourers as they do not have land in their name. We are trying to get recognition for them as farmers so that they can get the farmer’s ID card. If they have it, then they can have access to credit,” she says.

Women also often have limited access to agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and machinery, which in turn affects their productivity and economic sustainability.

Women’s labour and contributions are also often undervalued. They are seen as helpers in the agricultural process but not as primary workers, which again plays a role in the agrarian economy. Women farm labourers, also receive lower wages than men, even for similar tasks.

According to an article women constitute nearly 33% to 50% of the agriculture labour force in India, yet their work often goes unrecognised and undervalued. The article also called for a deeper examination of the structural barriers that restrict women’s access to land, credit, technology, and policy-making platforms. 

Long hours spent in the fields, along with the pressure of doing domestic work, raising children and being caregivers can also take a toll on their health. Rural women also often don’t have access to sanitation facilities. Lack of safety and sexual harassment is also faced by rural women while working in the fields.

Since rural women often face difficulties accessing loans, credit, and other financial services due to lack of collateral (mainly land) or financial literacy, they are unable to invest in farming innovations. This is also impacted by the fact that women have limited access to agricultural training and educational programmes.

Most of the tools and equipment used in agriculture are also designed to be handled by men. “We need equipment that is designed to be used by women. More research needs to go into coming up with such tools,” says Sharada Thankappan, a woman farmer in Kerala.

Cultural and social barriers also impact rural Indian women. In many rural areas, there are deep-rooted patriarchal norms that restrict women’s mobility, decision-making power, and participation in social or economic activities. They also have to juggle farm work and household responsibilities, which impacts their ability to learn or implement new farming practices.

Climate change is another factor that adversely impacts women in rural areas as they are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and unpredictable weather patterns, all of which can severely affect agricultural yields and livelihoods. 

Migration impacts rural women

“Most of the women we work with who are involved in agricultural activities in TN are agricultural coolies,” says Sheelu. Most of the able-bodied men have migrated to areas such as Tiruppur and Bengaluru in search of work and the women are left in villages to take care of young ones and older people and whatever land is available, which is usually in the husband’s name.

The collective helps women make decisions. “One of our main focus areas is getting them to shift from growing cash crops to food crops, particularly millets,” says Sheelu, adding that they also promote climate-resilient agriculture.

What the government is doing to help

The Indian government has introduced several schemes like the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which provide financial and technical support to women in agriculture. There are also other schemes that encourage women’s entrepreneurship and skill development in agriculture, such as setting up food processing units or dairy farming.

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) also provide a platform for rural women to come together, access savings and credit, and start income-generating activities. SHGs also offer rural women a chance to engage in agricultural businesses like poultry, goat farming, and organic farming, which have the potential for economic upliftment.

Some organisations and activists have launched digital literacy initiatives to help rural women enhance their agricultural practices. With the rise of digital platforms and mobile apps, rural women can access information on weather, farming techniques, and market prices provided they receive adequate training.

There have been some success stories thanks to government initiatives. According to a report, a 25-member women’s collective, the Jaiva Pachakari Krishi Group, from Thanneermukkom in Alappuzha has cultivated chemical-free veggies, including long beans, ash gourd, bitter gourd, tomatoes, okra, and green chilies among others on five acres of land at Vathyattukalari in SB Puram Ward (Ward 2) of Thanneermukkom grama panchayat. 

All the members of the group, which began vegetable farming in 2023 on an experimental basis, are Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers and they made this possible by integrating MGNREGS with the Agriculture department’s Poshaka Samriddhi Mission, says the article. The women’s collective has now expanded farming to another 1.5 acres, where they now grow spinach, brinjal, snake gourd and cucumber.

Organic farming, agri-based enterprises offer opportunities

The growing demand for organic produce also provides rural women an opportunity to engage in organic farming, which offers better income and promotes sustainability. Women, especially in areas with a history of sustainable farming practices, can capitalize on their knowledge of natural resource management and biodiversity to promote organic and sustainable farming. Rural women can also participate in cooperative farming and farmer producer organizations (FPOs) that allow them to pool resources, share knowledge, and collectively market their products. This can increase their bargaining power in the market, reduce costs, and improve profit margins.

Rural women can also engage in agri-based enterprises like food processing, handicrafts, and herbal products. This adds value to raw agricultural products and increases income potential. For example, women can start small businesses in food processing, making jams, pickles, etc.

Since women in rural areas often have traditional knowledge about water conservation, seed saving, and sustainable farming, it can be pivotal in adapting to climate change, and women can be integral to community-level climate resilience efforts through participation in decision-making bodies and local environmental programmes.

What NGOs and activists are doing to help

Many activists and NGOs are working to ensure that rural women receive their due. Women empowerment, for instance, is one area that Smile Foundation, for instance, focuses on

The promotion of gender equality and women empowerment is a key aspect of UNDP’s Sustainable Development Goals. It involves promoting equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources for women, enabling them to make independent choices and have control over their lives. Empowered women contribute to economic growth, social progress, and sustainable development. 

Smile Foundation’s women empowerment programme Swabhiman, initiated in 2005, reaches out to marginalized and socially-excluded women with interventions in nutrition, healthcare, and livelihood. The programme capacitates women through innovative community practices, empowering them to seek healthcare and bring sustainable changes in the community, while also supporting them to become aware, skilled, and financially independent. Swabhiman also actively works to create a gender equal society, actively engaging men, and boys to participate in the process of women empowerment.

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Smile Nutrition

How Nutrition Shapes a Child’s Future?

Poshan Maah 2025
Smile Foundation recognizes that nutrition is the cornerstone of a child’s health, academic performance, and overall future.

149.2 million children aged below five years are stunted (short for their age) and 45.4 million are wasted (underweight for their height) across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that over three-quarters of children suffering from wasting live in Asia. WHO also estimates that over 47% of children below five years are anemic, and 38.9 million children are overweight across the world. About 45% of deaths among children below five years are linked to undernutrition. Not just the deaths, stunt, wasted, anemia, and other issues are also closely related to nutrition deficiencies. Before we go on to discuss its causes and ways to overcome it, let’s understand the importance of a healthy diet and WHO’s recommendations on maintaining a healthy diet.

Importance of a healthy diet

A healthy diet is incredibly important for children as it lays the foundation for their growth, development, and overall health. Proper nutrition ensures that children get the essential vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, and carbohydrates needed to support their physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Below is a breakdown of why a healthy diet is so crucial for children.

1. Physical growth and development: A balanced diet with nutrients like calcium, protein, and vitamin D helps in the proper formation of bones, muscles, and organs, ensuring children grow at a healthy rate. Also, it provides the necessary energy for children to stay active throughout the day, supporting both physical activity and cognitive function. Carbohydrates are a key source of energy for children, fueling everything from running and playing to concentrating in school.

2. Building immune system: A healthy diet helps children in building a strong immune system, reducing the risk of illnesses and infections. Nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc support the body’s ability to fight off sickness and maintain overall health.

3. Reduced risk of chronic diseases: A balanced diet with limited processed foods and high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can lower the risk of developing chronic health issues later in life, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

4. Regulation of sleep: A balanced diet helps maintain healthy sleep patterns. Foods rich in magnesium, tryptophan, and serotonin-boosting amino acids can promote restful sleep, which is essential for growth, learning, and mood regulation.

WHO recommendation on maintaining a healthy diet

One of the significant factors of a healthy diet is its diversity. For it helps to meet essential nutrients’ requirements of individuals. For children aged between 6 and 23 months, the WHO has set up a set of guidelines to include minimum dietary diversity in their meals. It is the consumption of four or more food groups from the seven recommended food groups. The recommended food groups are-

  1. grains, roots, and tubers
  2. legumes and nuts
  3. dairy products
  4. flesh foods (meat, fish, poultry, and organ meats)
  5. eggs
  6. vitamin-A-rich fruits and vegetables
  7. fruits and vegetables

It means that a child is most likely to consume at least one animal-source food and at least one fruit or vegetable in addition to a staple food in a day. By consuming adequately diversified food, one can improve intake of nutrients. It in turn will lead to better nutritional status. In addition, below are some of the recommendations on maintaining a healthy diet.

1. Fruits and vegetables: WHO recommends an intake of at least 400 g or five portions of fruits and vegetables in a day. It will help to ensure an adequate daily intake of dietary fiber. Intake of vegetables and fruits can be improved by

a. Including vegetables in all meals.

b. Consuming raw vegetables and fruits as snacks.

c. Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially seasonal fruits.

2. Fats: It is advisable to limit total fat intake to less than 30% of total energy. This will prevent unhealthy weight gain. In order to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases, one needs to reduce saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy intake and trans fats to less than 1% of total energy intake. WHO recommends replacing both saturated and trans fats with polyunsaturated fats. Consumption of fats can be improved by

a. Switching to boiling and steaming instead of deep frying.

b. Replacing butter, ghee, and lard with oils rich in polyunsaturated fats like soybean, corn, safflower, and sunflower oils.

c. Consuming lean meats and reduced-fat dairy foods.

d. Removing visible fat from meat.

e. Limiting consumption of baked, fried, and other processed foods.

3. Salt, sodium, and potassium: According to research, reducing salt intake to less than 5 grams per day could prevent at least 1.7 million deaths in a year. In general, people consume too much sodium through salt and a lesser amount of potassium. This is one of the reasons for high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of stroke and heart diseases. Salt intake can be reduced by

a. Limiting consumption of salty snacks.

b. Choosing edible items with lower sodium content.

c. Limiting the amount of salt and other sodium condiments while preparing foods.

Similarly, potassium—which is capable of mitigating negative effects of increased sodium consumption on blood pressure—can be increased by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables.

4. Sugars: The recommended level of sugar intake in a day is less than 10% of total energy intake. Reducing it further to less than 5% of total energy intake would provide additional health benefits, according to experts. Increased sugar consumption leads to dental caries, unhealthy weight gain leading to overweight and obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Sugar intake can be reduced by

a. Consuming fresh fruits and raw vegetables.

b. Avoiding consumption of foods and drinks with high amounts of sugars.

Link between healthy diet and academic performance

Over a period of time, multiple studies have established the direct connection between diet and academic performance of students. The diet of a person can have a direct impact on their cognitive function, energy levels, mental health, and overall well-being.

1. Improved cognitive function: A diet that is rich with complex carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, and legumes releases glucose steadily into the bloodstream, fueling the brain for a long period. This steady supply of glucose is vital for maintaining focus, memory, and mental performance of students. In contrast, diets high in refined sugars and simple carbohydrates can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. It in turn will negatively affect the cognitive performance, mood, and attention of students.

Inclusion of antioxidants like berries is associated with improved memory and learning abilities. These antioxidants will protect the brain from oxidative stress. Similarly, inclusion of healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids supports cognitive functions like memory, concentration, and problem-solving abilities, and improves brain plasticity. Polyphenols, commonly found in tea, dark chocolate, and red grapes, are found to enhance memory and learning by stimulating the growth of brain cells in the hippocampus.

Certain amino acids found in protein-rich foods like lean meats, nuts, and eggs are utilized by the brain to produce neurotransmitters that regulate mood, cognition, and memory.

Nutrients like iron and zinc are vital for maintaining brain function. While iron helps to carry oxygen to the brain, zinc supports neurotransmitter function and protects the brain from oxidative damage. These minerals ensure that the brain gets the oxygen and nutrients it needs to operate efficiently.

2. Improved mood regulation: A healthy diet supports mood regulation because of their influence on multiple neurotransmitters. A diet rich in tryptophan helps to maintain optimal serotonin levels—the feel-good neurotransmitter—regulating mood, appetite, and sleep. Similarly, diets rich in tyrosine and phenylalanine support dopamine production, helping to boost motivation and improve mood. Diets rich in tyrosine help with the synthesis of norepinephrine, supporting mood regulation and stress management.

Deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals can negatively affect mood and mental health. B vitamins, especially B6, B12, and B9, are crucial for the production and function of neurotransmitters. Deficiencies in these vitamins are associated with symptoms of depression, irritability, and anxiety. Foods like leafy greens, beans, eggs, and fortified cereals are rich in B vitamins and help maintain mental stability.

Magnesium is known for its role in regulating mood and stress levels. It has a calming effect on the nervous system and helps reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Magnesium-rich foods include dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to mood disorders like depression. Vitamin D helps regulate serotonin levels, and sunlight exposure or foods like fortified dairy and fatty fish can boost vitamin D levels, improving mood.

When students consume a nutritious diet, their cognitive ability will improve and their mood will stabilize in addition to their physical well-being. This in turn will ensure that students attend their classes regularly without taking leaves. Reduction in absenteeism will ensure significant improvement in their academic performance.

Smile Foundation’s work in Child Nutrition and Education

Smile Foundation recognizes that nutrition is the cornerstone of a child’s health, academic performance, and overall future. Through its nutrition-focused initiatives integrated with education programs, the foundation ensures that children from underserved communities receive both quality learning opportunities and proper nourishment—two essential pillars for holistic development.

Through its Mission Education program, Smile Foundation provides mid-day meals and nutritional support to children, ensuring they receive adequate vitamins, proteins, and essential micronutrients necessary for cognitive function, physical growth, and immunity. By addressing malnutrition alongside education, the foundation helps children stay attentive in classrooms, develop better memory and learning abilities, and reduce absenteeism due to illness. These efforts directly align with global recommendations, including those by the World Health Organization (WHO), advocating for balanced diets, diverse food groups, and sustainable nutrition practices.

Moreover, Smile Foundation’s healthcare initiative, Smile on Wheels, extends preventive healthcare and nutritional awareness programs to marginalized communities. Through regular health camps, anemia screening, and dietary education for families, the foundation promotes long-term nutritional well-being. By ensuring that children not only learn in school but also thrive physically and mentally, Smile Foundation plays a vital role in shaping healthier, more resilient generations, breaking the cycle of poverty, malnutrition, and academic underperformance.

Healthy diets play a significant role in shaping the future of children. For it not only helps in maintaining physical well-being but also enormously supports the mental well-being of students. When a child is fit both physically and mentally, improved academic performance becomes inevitable. This in turn ensures a prosperous life for children.

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Smile

Social Innovation: Technology revolutionizing development work

Strategic Shared Value: CSR Tax Benefits for Business & Society

With its omnipresence, technology has become an inevitable part of everyone’s life. People, from children to nonagenarians, are using technology in one form or another. It has touched and impacted our lives in more ways than one. Just as it has revolutionized our personal lives, technology has also immensely impacted non-profit organizations in recent years, and no doubt, it will continue to benefit those who use it in the right way. Research has proven that technological advancements have enabled these organizations to serve communities better by increasing the efficiency of their work. Organizations are using sophisticated tools and platforms to reach wider audiences, raise more funds, and coordinate services precisely. 

Understanding non-profits

A non-profit is a legal entity that works to fulfill social, charitable, religious, educational, and other community-focused purposes. It works for public welfare and doesn’t aim to make a profit. It relies on grants, donations, and volunteers to carry out its activities.

Non-profit work refers to activities aimed at promoting a social cause. Its primary focus is to help people by addressing community needs, not to obtain financial benefits. These activities often focus on providing services, resources, or support without the intention of earning money for personal gain or shareholders. Any profits made are reinvested into their mission rather than being distributed among members.

Understanding Social Innovation

Social innovation, according to the Stanford Graduate School of Business, “is the process of developing and deploying effective solutions to challenging and often systemic social and environmental issues in support of social progress.” It involves providing solutions in innovative and sustainable ways through active collaboration with multiple stakeholders like governments, businesses, and non-profit organizations. It can also involve adapting existing methods in more effective ways.

The primary goal of social innovation is to create positive and long-lasting change by addressing unmet needs or improving the well-being of communities. It also fosters inclusion and ensures that solutions are accessible to everyone, particularly those who have been underserved or excluded.

Reasons to embrace technology for social innovation

Among the numerous compelling reasons why technology is a key driver of social innovation, some of them are discussed below:

  1. By utilizing technologies for data collection and analysis, non-profit organizations can identify their needs accurately and target donor engagement opportunities more effectively. This also enables better decision-making and impact measurement.
  2. Technology allows organizations to reach larger and more diverse populations without geographic boundaries. It also facilitates collaboration among different stakeholders through digital platforms.
  3. By using the right technological solutions, operations can be streamlined, helping organizations focus on delivering efficient results and maximizing resources.
  4. Automation of laborious tasks, such as creating reports and managing inventory, can make things easier, allowing employees to spend more time on important work and improving organizational efficiency.
  5. Technology promotes transparency in decision-making, improving accountability, especially in public services and funding.
  6. Digital communication and real-time data enable fast and coordinated responses during crises.

Technology revolutionizing non-Profit work

Data-Driven Decision Making and Impact Measurement:
With tools that collect, analyze, and interpret data, organizations can make more informed and effective decisions that ensure better outcomes for their beneficiaries. The market offers numerous tools and software for the automated collection of data from multiple sources, such as surveys, social media, field reports, and donor platforms. These tools integrate the data to provide a comprehensive view of operations and impact. Real-time data allows non-profits to quickly adjust their strategies or operations based on emerging trends, donor behavior, or immediate community needs.
Monitoring and evaluation tools allow individuals to track programs continuously, helping them assess whether initiatives are achieving the desired impact. Data visualization tools can help create dashboards to showcase key performance indicators (KPIs), providing a clear understanding of mission success or areas needing improvement. Mobile apps, surveys, or online platforms can gather real-time feedback, enabling non-profits to adapt programs or services quickly.

Increased Transparency:
Transparency and efficiency are vital for building trust with stakeholders, donors, and communities while ensuring that resources are used properly. Open data platforms enable non-profits to share key information about their activities, budgets, and outcomes in an easily accessible and transparent manner. Technology enables automation of reporting processes, allowing consistent and easy generation of reports on finances, activities, and outcomes.

Tools like QuickBooks, Wave, or Xero automate accounting and financial tracking. Some non-profits use blockchain technology to provide immutable records of transactions, making it easier to track donations, expenses, and program activities. Blockchain offers an additional layer of security and verifiability, assuring donors that their money is being used appropriately. These tools reduce delays and human error while ensuring stakeholders have up-to-date information at all times.

Online platforms like GoFundMe, Kickstarter, or JustGiving provide transparency in fundraising campaigns by showing how much has been raised, the progress toward goals, and the impact of donations. Technology also allows for digital audits accessible by donors and other stakeholders, ensuring that all financial and operational activities are regularly reviewed for transparency, reducing the likelihood of misuse of funds.
Technology enables non-profits to manage grants more effectively by tracking deadlines, expenditures, and compliance requirements, ensuring that funds are used as specified by donors or funding bodies.

Innovative Fundraising:
Technology opens new opportunities for raising funds, engaging donors, and managing resources more effectively than ever before. Crowdfunding platforms like Indiegogo, Kickstarter, and GoFundMe help organizations tap into a global donor base by creating compelling campaigns—written, audio, and visual. Sharing these campaigns with a vast online community increases reach and funding potential.

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow nonprofits to share their campaigns, events, and appeals directly with their audience. Peer-to-peer fundraising platforms like GiveLively, Classy, and FirstGiving enable individuals to create their own fundraising pages, empowering them to mobilize resources and raise funds on behalf of the organization. These platforms can host live fundraising events, share stories, and provide updates, building a sense of urgency.

With secure online donation platforms such as PayPal, Stripe, DonorBox, or Network for Good, nonprofits can accept donations from anywhere in the world. These platforms simplify the donation process for donors and provide transparency for non-profits to track contributions. Many online platforms offer features for recurring donations, ensuring a steady flow of funds and long-term sustainability.

Conclusion

Technology is like a double-edged sword. While it offers incredible opportunities, it also leaves nonprofits vulnerable to data breaches and hacks. It is a proven fact that technological advancements have enabled nonprofits like us to reach wider audiences, raise more funds, and coordinate services more effectively, allowing them to serve communities better. However, there have been instances where nonprofits have fallen victim to hackers, losing both data and funds. Therefore, it is essential to embrace technology while understanding the potential risks it may bring. The balance between adopting technology and managing its potential harms can be achieved through a cautious and thoughtful approach.

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Education Girl Child

No child brides mean less maternal and child mortality rates

No child brides mean less maternal and child mortality rates
No child brides mean less maternal and child mortality rates

Child marriage has been a pressing social issue in India since decades. Even though there has been incredible progress in reducing such cases, the practice still persists in some parts of the country, especially those areas which struggle with issues of poverty, poor education, social divides, etc. Child marriage, in turn, perpetuate this cycle of poverty and inequality because it stops young girls from accessing education and takes away their agency.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), India has made strides in reducing child marriage, yet approximately 23% of women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18. For someone living in urban India, child marriage may seem like a problem of the past. However, it is an extremely sad reality for those girls who have to bear its brunt. Therefore, it is crucial that we talk about the problem of child brides in India and its relationship with the maternal and child mortality rates.

Child brides and maternal mortality in India

As India has grown in the last few years and decades, it has managed to bring down its child and maternal mortality rates. According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2020 report, the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) in India declined to 32 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the infant mortality rate (IMR) dropped to 28 deaths per 1,000 live births. At the same time, maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has also seen a decline from 398 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1997-98 to 103 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017-19.

These are positive numbers and worth celebrating, but the challenge is that India is still behind in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of reducing under-five mortality rate to 25 and maternal mortality rate to 70 by the year 2030. In a fast-growing economy like India, it is fair to expect that the problem of child mortality and maternal mortality is brought down to a level that becomes almost negligible or is completely eliminated.

Link between child brides and mortality rates

Now that we understand where India stands when it comes to maternal mortality rate and child mortality rate, it is important that we look at the link between these and the problem of child brides. First of all, child marriage is not the sole or the biggest reason for high mortality rates. There are several factors that contribute to it, like poor access to nutrition and healthcare facilities, lack of awareness, etc.

However, child marriage does play a role in contributing to high child and maternal mortality rates in India. Girls who marry before the age of 18 are more likely to experience early pregnancies, which pose significant health risks for both the mother and the child. Early pregnancies are associated with complications such as preeclampsia, obstructed labour, and low birth weight, all of which increase the risk of maternal and neonatal mortality.

According to a study in the BMJ, the children who are born to mothers who were married when they were minors are at a higher risk of stunting, malnutrition, etc. As mentioned above, the problem is exacerbated because of lack of access to education, nutrition, and proper healthcare. Child brides are more likely to have poorer access to these facilities.

Ending child marriage in India

Now that we understand the link between child marriage and maternal and child mortality rates, we must talk about the solutions. Here are some key strategies that can be adopted:

  1. Education access – The first and most important change agent is access to good quality education to children, irrespective of their gender. When children, especially girls, get access to education, they are less likely to be married off at an early age. In India, initiatives like the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign aim to promote girls’ education and empower them to make informed decisions about their lives.
  2. Economic empowerment – The second important step is to improve the economic status of people in India as lack of resources is one of the biggest reasons why poor parents decide to marry off their daughters. Therefore, it is important that investment is made in the area of providing employment opportunities, skilling, and supporting grassroots entrepreneurs.
  3. Community engagement – While child marriage is an issue that is rooted in problems of poverty and lack of education, it is also a social ill that disguises as a tradition. Therefore, it is important that community leaders at local level, religious figures, and youth are engaged to change the perceptions of people around this issue.
  4. Legal framework – Strengthening and enforcing laws against child marriage is essential. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006 sets the legal age of marriage at 18 for girls and 21 for boys. However, gaps in enforcement and lack of awareness about the law remain challenges. Efforts to raise the legal age of marriage for girls to 21 are currently underway, which could further deter the practice.

Initiatives in India

The country has taken many initiatives over the years to deal with this problem, including policy frameworks, awareness campaigns, and even television shows. Let’s look at some of the initiatives taken to erase the problems of child and maternal mortality in India:

Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) 2006: It criminalizes child marriage and provides penalties for those who facilitate or participate in the practice.

Kishori Shakti Yojana: This scheme aims to empower adolescent girls through education, nutrition, and life skills training, reducing their vulnerability to child marriage.

Childline 1098: The helpline provides a platform for reporting cases of child marriage and rescuing at-risk children.

National Health Mission (NHM): The NHM includes programs like Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), which focus on improving maternal and child health through financial incentives and free healthcare services.

Apart from these, various initiatives have been taken by international organizations like UNICEF, NGOs including Smile Foundation, and corporations through their CSR initiatives.

Conclusion

Elimination of child marriage in India is not just about reducing child and maternal mortality rates, but it is also a moral imperative and a step towards reducing the inequalities that exist in our society. What we need is to begin by addressing the root cause of the problem and then employ targeted interventions. Education, economic empowerment, community engagement, and strong legal frameworks are key to achieving this goal. In this journey, the role played by the government, NGOs, and private sector is equally important. Therefore, we must join our hands together and support any initiative that aims to fight this problem.

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Smile

What India can learn from Other Countries in Social Development?

What India can learn from Other Countries in Social Development?
What India can learn from Other Countries in Social Development?

How does a country grow? There are many cornerstones of this progress, like economic development and social development. When we talk about social development, it includes education, equality, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and overall well-being of people. India, over the decades, has made exceptional progress in these areas, coming from exploitation of being a British colony to surpassing the economy of the United Kingdom in size. Now, as we enter a new era, India needs to adopt best practices unique to the context of the country and accelerate its journey of progress. Having said that, there is a lot that India can learn from other countries to achieve this. In this article, we will explore the lessons that the country can draw from global examples.

Education: The Finland and Singapore Models

One of the most important foundation stones of social progress for any country is the quality of education that is provided to its citizens irrespective of their economic and social backgrounds. Many countries around the world have done great work in the field of education. However, Finland stands out in this area because of the innovations it has introduced in its education system. Singapore is another example from which India can learn.

If we look at Finland first, we can see that its education system puts greater emphasis on student well-being, equity and the quality of teachers. It ensures free and universal access to education, including transportation and meals. At the same time, Finland has shunned focusing on standardized examinations or testing of students, and its focus on holistic development. Teachers are provided regular training, and their professional development is supported through high investment initiatives.

Now, looking at Singapore, we can learn that they have focused heavily on skill development and learning as a lifelong process. It is especially important for countries like India that are emerging economies with large employable populations. If India puts a special emphasis on skilling of students, it can create a productive workforce that may attract global businesses to run their operations in the country.

Healthcare Initiatives in United Kingdom

The second most important element, although not in a chronological order, is a robust healthcare system that ensures access to good quality medical treatment to everyone. By having a good healthcare infrastructure, countries can save a lot of money that gets wasted because of illnesses that can be avoided, and also support families who are likely to go bankrupt in the event of a serious illness of any member.

There are many initiatives globally that India can learn from. We will look at the National Health Services (NHS) in the United Kingdom where universal healthcare is funded through taxes and it is made accessible to all citizens. India has already started on this path by providing a universal health insurance scheme funded by the government. At the same time, state governments have also been investing in this area.

Learning Gender Equality Interventions from Iceland and Rwanda

First of all, we must remember that these are examples chosen for the ease of understanding what India can learn. There are, obviously, many more initiatives in this area and others globally that can be highlighted. However, we are focusing on Iceland here because it has consistently been ranked as the most gender-equal country in the world and that is because of the many initiatives it has taken, like mandatory parental leave for both mothers and fathers, equal pay and wage transparency, and a significant presence of women in political and leadership roles. Similarly, Rwanda has also done a lot in the area of women empowerment as the country has the highest percentage of women in its parliament.

Poverty Alleviation Programmes in Bangladesh and Brazil

Recently, India has done a wonderful job of uplifting lakhs of people out of poverty. However, the country still has a long way to go. Poverty alleviation is also key to social development because it supports the people in many ways as they can take care of the basic needs, consume nutritional food, and spend money on education of their children. Here, India can learn from Brazil which has the Bolsa Familia Program that is a conditional cash transfer program. Under this, the government provides financial assistance to low-income families if they commit to meeting education and health requirements as set by the government.

On the other hand, Bangladesh has done a great job of promoting micro entrepreneurship in the country through its microfinance institution called Grameen Bank which provides non-collateral small loans to those who need it. Using this money, people get into new ways of earning their livelihood, and in some cases employing others as well. This way, poverty alleviation becomes a structural process with everyone participating in it.

Bhutan and New Zealand’s Community Engagement

Lastly, we will look at how India can take lessons in community engagement from countries like New Zealand and Bhutan. Community engagement means ensuring that there is social cohesion in the country and all population groups thrive together. In New Zealand, the Maori community has been assimilated with the population through emphasis on indigenous rights and cultural heritage. Maori people also have a strong presence in the New Zealand parliament which makes them feel included. Similarly, in Bhutan, the government measures Gross National Happiness (GNH) which prioritizes well-being over economic growth. Bhutan has also shown that it is dedicated towards environment conservation and supporting equitable development. This means, no social groups are excluded from the growth and everyone’s happiness or well-being is taken into consideration.

India’s Challenges

While all of these are great examples that India can learn from, we must also remember that the country has unique circumstances and challenges too. Therefore, it cannot straight away copy the initiatives from other countries. These need to be contextualized and modified as per Indian requirements. For example, India’s diversity is its strength but also a great challenge because it means that the country needs to invest in unique initiatives to promote social cohesion addressing specific needs of religions, communities, and demographics.

Additionally, the large population of India means that programs must be designed in a way that they can be scaled to that level. Lastly, collaboration within different government agencies, political groups, private sector, and non government organizations is also essential for implementation of these initiatives in India because of the complexity of its demographics.

Conclusion

India stands at a crossroads in its journey toward social development. By learning from the successes and challenges of other countries, India can adopt innovative approaches to education, healthcare, gender equality, skilling the youth, and involving children for the welfare of underserved children. These lessons, when adapted to India’s context, have the potential to create a more inclusive and equitable society.

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Smile

The Promise of a World where We Root for One Another

The Promise of a World where We Root for One Another
The Promise of a World where We Root for One Another

Imagine you are starting to learn a new skill or make a career pivot at an age where many people consider the move rather irrational. You have realised that you no longer enjoy the work you have been doing for close to a decade and want to go back to college. How would people around you react to this decision? Will they support you? Or will they criticize you for putting your career in jeopardy? Lastly, what would you prefer for yourself – people who root for you at every step of the way or those who find faults in your decisions?

A world where every person, regardless of their background, circumstances, talent, is supported and championed by others is the world where everyone can thrive to become a better version of themselves. A world where communities are built on mutual encouragement, and successes are shared as collective victories. Today, we are living in an age of division, conflict, polarization, and this makes it even more important to strive for creating a world where everyone roots for each other. This is because through collaboration, empathy, and the celebration of collective growth, humanity can achieve extraordinary progress.

Why do rooting for each other matters?

Yes, it is a gesture of goodwill. It shows that we are part of a shared humanity, and we appreciate each other. But it is also much more than that – it is the foundation of a thriving society. When individuals and societies support each other, they create a domino effect of positivity, inclusion and growth. It has the power to foster collective progress. For instance, mentorship in professional settings enables individuals to grow, innovate, and contribute to the betterment of their fields. Studies show that organizations with strong mentorship programs have higher employee retention and satisfaction rates.

At the same time, an empathetic society will look at its marginalized population and will root for their success. It can be achieved through advocacy, empowerment, sharing of resources, etc. And lastly, this can also go a long way in building strong social bonds, which means people will be more likely to reciprocate and help each other, rather than always trying to one-up themselves. Acts of encouragement build resilience against division and discontent, fostering a sense of belonging that benefits mental health and well-being.

Social movements exemplifying support for each other

There are initiatives around the world, including in India, which exemplify what rooting for each other looks like. One of the biggest examples is the global climate movement where several organizations, individuals, student groups, etc., are coming together to create a meaningful change. Many of these stakeholders have a strong voice because they come from affluent social groups and countries, while the communities that are most affected by climate change are the marginalized ones.

Similarly, there are various social entrepreneurship initiatives like India’s SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) that focus on rooting for underserved communities by providing resources, opportunities, and platforms for growth. Then, in the digital world, we see support for each other in the form of open-source collaboration and sharing of resources to make education accessible to everyone. These are just a few of the many initiatives that are going around the world on an everyday basis. It can be as small as someone making a change at a hyperlocal level by helping another person, like providing free tuition to someone in need – or it can be as big as countries coming together to support those who are living in conflict zones.

Kerala’s Kudumbashree Mission is a wonderful example of this. It is a community-led poverty eradication initiative where self-help groups and women in rural areas collaborate to create livelihoods, access microfinance, and advocate for social change. Their success has inspired similar initiatives globally. In the field of education, we can look at what Finland is doing. Finland’s education system emphasizes collaboration over competition, with teachers, parents, and policymakers working collectively to ensure every child succeeds. The emphasis on inclusive classrooms and tailored support helps students thrive academically and emotionally.

Looking at competition in a new way

While we live in society where it is easy to see each other as a competitor, whether it is in a school classroom or job market – we must also understand the benefits of rooting for each other. It is true that healthy competition drives excellence and innovation, but excessive obsession with competition can also easily take a negative shape where others’ failures are also celebrated. Instead, we must create a world where excelling in one’s domain is followed by helping those who are left behind. We can foster a sense of cooperation within competitive environments so that it also continues to motivate everyone to do better, while also pushing them to help others. In fact, the act of helping others should be embedded in the culture of competition itself as a quality that sets you apart from others.

Thus, supporting each other can create a multiple ripple effect which can be beneficial at an extraordinary scale. It can lead to economic growth because societies that support marginalized groups experience higher economic productivity. A World Bank report states that closing gender gaps in the workforce could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. It can also lead to social stability, eliminating conflict and resistance. Cooperation can begin at a local level and reach a global level. We saw an example of this during the Covid pandemic where people not only helped their neighbours but also contributed to helping those living in countries that were worse affected. At the same time, countries also extended support to each other by sharing vaccines, resources, knowledge, etc.

Rooting for one another is not just an idealistic notion—it is a practical approach to building stronger, more resilient societies. By fostering a culture of collaboration and empathy, we can address systemic challenges, uplift marginalized voices, and create opportunities for all. At the global stage, we have institutions like the United Nations, World Health Organization, and many more that continue to serve this initiative of global cooperation and rooting for each other.

Smile Foundation exemplifies the spirit of rooting for one another through its wide-ranging welfare initiatives in education, healthcare, and women’s empowerment across India. By prioritizing access to quality education, the foundation enables children from underserved communities to build brighter futures, breaking generational cycles of poverty. Through Smile on Wheels, its mobile healthcare initiative, the organization ensures that marginalized populations receive essential medical care, reinforcing the idea that no one should be left behind due to their circumstances.

Additionally, Smile Foundation’s livelihood and women’s empowerment programs equip individuals with vocational skills, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial support, fostering economic independence and self-reliance. These initiatives align closely with the blog’s vision of a society where success is not a solitary journey but a shared, collective achievement. By empowering communities with resources and opportunities, the Smile Foundation is actively contributing to a culture of encouragement, resilience, and sustainable growth—a world where individuals and communities lift each other up, rather than compete to pull one another down.

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