KSCF has been working in the remotest mica mining belts of Bihar and Jharkhand in India for over a decade to implement a community-owned child protection program, the Bal Mitra Gram™ (BMG™) initiative.

While working with these communities, scarcity of drinking water emerged as a crucial impediment to ensuring education for children, especially girls. Due to the acute shortage of water, children are forced to drop out of school as they had to travel long distances to fetch water. In the case of Jharkhand, mica mining in rural villages has contaminated the water sources with fluoride, a harmful mineral that affects the health of villagers. In the monsoon season, water in wells gets contaminated leading to health problems for the entire community.

KSCF launched an initiative to develop existing water sources and create new infrastructure to ensure access to clean drinking water while working to create BMGs™.

Awareness creation and strengthening of communities to advocate with the local administration was an important aspect of this project. This has helped to improve access to potable drinking water in the region and has helped to solve the drinking water problems in the villages to a great extent.

The national lockdown in India, from 24th March 2020 to 31st May 2020 owing to the global pandemic was an unprecedented crisis. Lack of livelihoods and basic essentials made families especially young children vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Amidst this crisis, Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) started relief work in the mica mining region of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Mr Brahamdev Sharma, Mukhiya, Gadar panchayat, block Gawan, District Giridih talking about KSCF's COVID-19 relief efforts

Key Highlights

Child Protection: Our priority

• • We actively liaised with government officials and village leaders to ensure children were safe.
• • 16,000 vulnerable families including 42,000 children in 180 villages were monitored by our field teams.
• • We leveraged technology for knowledge sharing and creating awareness on COVID-19 and government schemes for vulnerable communities in the region.
• • Our stakeholders' constant vigil ensured that children did not fall prey to trafficking, child marriage, child labour and other forms of exploitation during the national lockdown

Food Security

• • Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation in association with the District Administration in Koderma, Giridih and Nawada supported 2016 families were supported with immediate ration relief.
• • Mid-day meals for children: Our on-ground team ensured that children received regular access to the government-sponsored mid-day meal scheme which provided 1112 children with rice and Rs. 100 per month
• • We supported 1113 labourers from Jharkhand in other states with food and financial support.

Our Impact

• • Champa Kumari, the President of Jharkhand State Bal Panchayat worked closely with government officials and KSCF to support 31 families in Jamdar Panchayat by providing food packets. She also held meetings, following all social distancing norms, to discuss preventative steps for COVID-19.
• • Bal Mitra Gram activist Surender Pandit used his resources to stitch 500 masks and distribute them in Tisri and Gawan blocks of Giridih
• • Our activists Surendra Tripathi, Sandeep Nayan, women and other stakeholders collectively launched the Anna Daan Abhiyan (English: Let's Donate Food) to support 7 poorest families in 20 villages of Koderma Jharakhand with ration and other supplements.



COVID Programme Highlights: 2021

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PEOPLE VACCINATED

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VACCINATION CAMPS ORGANISED

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MEDICAL AND SANITISATION KITS HANDED OVER TO TO DISTRICT LEGAL SERVICE AUTHORITY AND DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION IN KODERMA AND GIRIDIH FOR DISTRIBUTION IN VILLAGES AND AANGANWADI CENTERS

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QUARANTINE CENTRES OPENED IN GAWAN BLOCK, GIRIDIH