Projects Details

MUKTI Wipro

Non-Formal education program for the children of brick kiln workers

Project Started on : 01/01/2018

Operated by

Towards Future

along with

WIPRO Cares

Towards Future, an NGO is mainly working on Child Rights and Women Empowerment since its inception. Part of the activity two pre-primary and one primary education centre is running by this NGO. Apart from these education centres, TOWARDS FUTURE has newly launched also a noble project initiated from May, 2016 named “MUKTI” dedicated for the children of brick kilns labours, mainly migrated from Bihar and Jharkhand.

Unofficial data suggests that there are approximately 4000 brick kilns situated across West Bengal. Families mainly from the states of Odisa, Bihar and Jharkhand come to work as unskilled or semi-skilled migrant labours and around 160,000 children belonging to age group of below 18 years accompany their parents.

This alarming figure is triggered us to take up and working on this issue to ensure Child Rights and Child Education at the maximum level possible. Apart from the Brick Klins around Rajarhat, West Bengal we are also working at source areas mainly Bihar and Jharkhand.

Project Coverage Area

Suburb/Village	Block	City/District
Bario State: Bihar	Nardiganj	Nawada
Chiriyo State: Bihar	Nardiganj	Nawada
Gotrain State: Bihar	Nardiganj	Nawada
Kanjia State: Jharkhand	Mandar	Ranchi
Kullu State: Jharkhand	Chanho	Ranchi
Marder Basti State: Jharkhand	Mandar	Ranchi
Jirengacha State: West Bengal	Rajarhat	North 24 Parganas
Podra State: West Bengal	Rajarhat	North 24 Parganas
Umarhati State: West Bengal	Rajarhat	North 24 Parganas

Objectives

To reduce vulnerability of targeted 220 children of migrant brick field labours, belonging age group of 3 – 14 years in 4 brick fields in North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas of West Bengal by providing education, nutrition, access to public health including immunisation and awareness of their rights
To sensitise and motivate parents from 400 families of migrant labours working in 4 targeted brick fields to encourage and support their children in obtaining education, nutrition & immunisation including practice of basic hygiene and sanitation
To make the family aware about the Govt. schemes that are available for their benefit, how to obtain them and their legal rights to ensure their protection from abuse

Methodologies

Providing basic Education to children of Brick Field workers
Providing nutrition by means of meals to those children. Ensuring the cost of those meals can be afforded by the families as well
Ensuring the facilities and schemes that are already provided by State Governments reach the children and their families
Guiding parents and help them understand the importance of Education, Health and Hygine
Implement the above activities at their own villages while they are not working for the brick klins as Brick making does not carry on throughout the year
Connecting to related Government Departments to obtain facilities and schems designed for upliftment of these families as well as smooth running of our programs
Developing a forum of like minded NGOs to share the activities and responsibilities
Discussing with local Authorities for advocacy on how to mitigate and reduce migration rate by ensuring alternate livelihood

Project Statistics

2017

110 127 117 18 27

2018

152 137 124 22 38

2019

172 205 169 28 42

2020

613 638 589 105 154

# of Male Students # of Female Students # of Student`s Families # of Repeat Families # of Repeat Students

Evaluations

During last four years (2016-20) we have reached to 1251 extreme vulnerable brick field children, age group of 3 to 14 years and ensured tuition centre for them at four brick fields under North and South 24 Parganas. Most of the children have learnt functional literacy like to read small words, identify bus no. and calculate bricks and shopping etc. They have learnt also 1098 No. which is essential Toll Free Child Line Number
We have ensured for them cooked mid-day meal for all the children after tuition centre is over
589 families of brick fields migrated from Bihar, Jharkhand and west Bengal have received many kinds of awareness programme mainly related to their basic needs and different available Govt. schemes for them. They have also received health camps with emergency medicines support in regular basis
All the children have seen Kolkata Zoo in their life first through our project
All the pregnant women have been provided with doctor’s support in regular basis with the kind support of local State Govt. health department
All the required children have received all kinds of immunisation in time to time by the support of local health dept
Many mothers have received Govt. birth certificates for their new-born baby at destination (13 children)
Through our visit at Source areas (Bihar and Jharkhand) and having talk with all Govt. Stakeholders directly and indirectly we could able to re-admission and retention to 170 children age of below 14 years
Cleaning attitudes have been grown between the children. Normally they used to take bath once in a week, but after our daily bathing practice before school they used to take everyday with soap and shampoo etc
As we have ensured mid-day meal for children, so SHG women are being empowered through earning and slowly they are becoming part of the decision-making process in their own families
We have ensured the basis needs of all children like dress and chappal
We have arranged an eye check-up camps with the kind support of a well-known eye expert institution and they have checked 146 nos. of beneficiaries including parents and children. They have also given 49 spectacles to the required beneficiaries without any cost
Due to our source areas visit we have developed a functional relation with Block development officer, Child development project officer, Block Education officer, Panchayet Prodhan and schools etc. and sensitise them regarding migration issues and also getting good advantages with Govt. officials at our areas

Project Officials

Name of the Official	Official Designation
Supriya Roy Chowdhury	Project Director
Palash Bardhan	Project Coordinator
Surabuddin Molla	Community Mobilizer
Payel Sengupta	Accountant
Serina Bibi	Teacher
Rupsana Khatun	Teacher
Monika Ghosh	Teacher
Selima Bibi	Teacher
Lilufa Khatun	Teacher
Julekha Khatun Bibi	Teacher