STEPFORWARD

CLICK RIGHTS“ICHHA CAMPAIGN”

The successful launch of theClick Rights “Ichha” Cam-paign highlighted the condi-tion of countless girl childrenwho are deprived of educa-tion. The forty day searchmade the symbol of “Ichha”

more visible and the cam-paign witnessed a multitudeof people who signed thepledge and uploaded photosto show their support.The on-ground events organ-ised in Kolkata through Sep-tember, and October markedthe culmination of the cam-paign. Awareness pro-grammes and thoughtprovoking games brought amix of students, teachers,homemakers, and diverseprofessionals who took timeout, to show their supportfor the campaign. They par-

ticipated in the “books forbricks” and “fishbowlgames”, and rang the“school ki ghanti” to showsolidarity. While some peoplepenned down their sugges-tions on how Ichha could at-tain a better life througheducation, others volun-teered to make people awareabout other Ichhas allaround. The culminationevent was held in Dhakuriacomplex courtyard- the twoday programme saw eminentpeople joining in, and a slewof cultural programmesdrawing a huge gathering.Many volunteers in East ac-tively participated and con-tributed in this campaignthroughphoto en-tries, doingthe KAPsurvey andcoordinat-ing the on-groundpro-grammes.The EastZone re-ceived over-whelmingsupportfrom thepublic andover 2000

“Thanks to everyone’s over-whelming support, we were ableto identify many Ichhas and

their caged desires... The culturalprogramme was a crowd puller.While the band Jowar and Anindyafrom Sohor & singer Nipobithi pro-vided us with breathtakingly movingperformances; MAD(Drama) andSanlaap Girls’ group compelled theaudience to consider the situation ofunderprivileged girl children herethrough their amazing acts.” Rituparna Das, Calcutta Univer-sity

ADVOCACY INRAJABAZAAR

ICHHEDANA ANTI-CHILD TRAIN OF TEN MEYEBELALABOUR DAY

The Rajabazaar Public Ac-tion Group formed, morethan a year and a half ago,faced many challenges. Tobegin with, the communitywas indifferent to the vol-unteers’ efforts and theschools were skeptical ofbeing surveyed by them.Regular visits to the com-munity, built trust and theinteraction process im-proved.In May and June this year, ateam of 7-8 volunteersmade intensive visits to thearea to collate rights viola-tion cases from a commu-nity perspective. Thepurpose of these visits wasto interact with children,teachers, and local peopleto identify the problemsplaguing the education sys-tem, like the sheer lack ofinfrastructure, the poorquality of the midday meals,etc. These discussions gave thevolunteers invaluable in-sights into the problemwhich was documented as

casestud-iesandaudio-visu-alscalled“Timefor

Change”. A list of demandswas drawn up and a signa-ture campaign waslaunched in July for commu-nity endorsement, to createpublic awareness and to put

pressure on the authorities.They received an over-whelming response. Theyhad over 300 signatures. The documents and signa-tures were presented to theRight to Education Protec-tion Authority (REPA) alongwith an appeal for action.The response they receivedwas not what they hadhoped for. The volunteers,who were demotivated atfirst stood their groundwhen they found that theirwork showed signs of suc-cess. “Jab se apne bataya kihum jis document me signkarte hai usme menu men-tioned hona chahiye tab sehumne menu ke bina docu-ment par sign karne semana kar diya. Abquality(MDM) pehle se be-htar hai unho ne to ab sat-urday ko bhi dena suru kardiya hai!”, they were told.It is these small fruits thatperseverance that countswhen the change is revolu-tionary.

“Volunteering in Rajabazaropened my eyes to a worldwhere a day in school is an

ordeal. Where you are punishedbecause your parents can’t affordto buy you the black shoe, thatthe school was supposed to pro-vide; where you can be barredfrom attending exams becauseyour widowed mother doesn’thave the means to pay the ille-gally charged donation”.Puskar Pandey, CRY Volunteer

Inside...

Email: cryinfo.cal@crymail.org

- Volunteer Action in East IndiaISSUE I

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PAgE 2

Email: cryinfo.cal@crymail.org

Kolkata CallingA group of CRY volunteers, in an ef-fort to reach out to people and en-courage them to take an active role inchange made an audio-visual thatshowed them talking to people in thecity and trying to understand theirviews on the Right to Education (RTE)Act and its implementation.Making this short film was a longjourney that tested the patience ofeveryone involved with it. Howevertheir consistent effort to pay close at-tention to detail and their aim for per-fection made it a success. The rollercoaster ride with its ups and downsmade them realise that no task is im-possible. All it takes to overcome a

challenge is a group of like mindedpeople, coming together to work to-wards a single goal- the betterment ofsociety.

Kolkata isCalling! Peo-ple wake upand bring achange thatlasts.

“My overall experience was really anawesome one, which I will cherishfor the rest of my life. We started to

feel like we were real movie makers:talking to people, capturing the flavourand raw beauty of Kolkata in our cam-eras, creating the flow of the video andediting it. From running and drawingwith the kids to sitting with aunts anduncles in park, it was a complete fun-filled experience where we got to learna lot about the canvas of reality”,Damini Nenawati, CRY Volunteer.

Copy this link to view the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVjBB9x7x90

IChhEDANA:WINgS OF

DESIREIchchedana (wings of de-sire), a school basedevent was organised byCRY volunteer initiativeof Civilian Welfare Foun-dation (CWF) . It stoodout as 17 schools withnearly 300 children and25 teachers participated.It got etched in ourminds because of thesmile plastered on thechildren’s faces. The fivehour event had a goodmix of a sit and drawcompetition, RTE quizwith the teachers, cul-tural performances, childrights photo displays, achild rights awarenesskiosk, a skit performanceby a professional group,and finally, a magicshow.This interactive programaimed to encourage stu-dents to voice their opin-

ion and expectations onthe implementation ofRight to Education (RTE)Act. Through this eventthe volunteers tried tomake children and con-cerned stakeholdersmore aware of everychild’s right to education,and they appealed to civilsociety to play a proac-tive role in the envi-sioned change. Thisevent received very en-couraging media re-sponse.

“Wings of Desire” we allhave it and we all desireto fly high. These kids

aren’t any exception, sodon’t make them such. It’sour responsibility as well.”Suchandra Ganguly, CRY& CWF Volunteer

TRAIN OF TEN

“Storytelling can be a nurturing way to remind childrenthat their spoken words are powerful, that listening isimportant, and that clear communication between peopleis an art.”

We’re all so caught up with our work and our families,

we can’t remember the last time we read a story, letalone read one out to somebody else or even written oneourselves. Reading transports a person to an alternate reality, moreoften than not, better than our own. The summer volun-teers of CRY learnt, what it meant to become characters,to imagine a world and put it into words. They did thisout of chance. During an informal discussion one day,the volunteers began improvising and with each of themcontributing a new line to a chain, they verbally createdstories. More than ten summer interns took the plunge into thisworld where their imagination ran wild. They put downstories that they believed would strike a chord and put asmile on the faces of young children while enabling themto learn a thing or two, which would enrich their lives inits own little way.Everyone involved in the exercise felt that the storieswhen adapted into a local context could be a simple, yeteffective way to reach out to children. It would engagethem and at the same time bring some positivity in theirlives. The stories, the illustrations, the editing, layout and thedesigning have all been done by the volunteers them-selves. No one who reads sees the book would think thatit was compiled by first timers.

STEP FORWARD, ISSUE I, APRIL - OCTOBER 2012

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On the 19th August, children of the Dhakuria slums had their first public theatre performance at the Ward Councilor’s office. The children, aged 8-12years were all students of nearby government primary schools and the audience was comprised of their parents and friends.The local councillor interacted with the children and urged them to continue going to school. The short skit onstatus of Mid Day Meals [MDMs] portrayed the real life problems of low quality meals served to these children.The performance was followed by a focused discussion between the parents and the volunteers on the rights ofthese children under the RTE Act. Parents were urged by CRY Volunteers to share this information with greaternumber of people back in their neighbourhood and to consider undertaking collective action.CRY Action Centre was started in Nov 2011 in Dhakuria Geo PAG by the volunteers ; the yellow umbrella and the colourful backdrop has been oneof the major attractions of both the community people and children of Dhakuria. With the aim of generating greater awareness and more actionfrom the parents in ensuring that their children regularly go to school as well as receive quality education, volunteers thought of conducting theatreworkshops with the children also. The children's group in Dhakuria is an outcome of this vision where they through various interactions are nurturingchildren's participation and bringing out their voices.

PAGE 3STEP FORWARD, ISSUE I, APRIL - OCTOBER 2012

Email: cryinfo.cal@crymail.org

MEYEBELA: Amader Chaoa PaoaA FILM FESTIVAL ON THE RIGHTS OF GIRLS

Parichiti, Channel Partner ofCRY runs a volunteer basedgirl child initiative , which aims at addressing the rights ofgirl children and the promo-tion of the education of girls,especially of those who be-long to underprivileged com-munities.Meyebela,The two day filmfestival held in May was onestep forward in creatingawareness among the urbanpeople and br ought support-ers from educated and afflu-ent sections of society tosupport the cause of girls’ ed-

ucation. I t had a keynote ad-dress by Prof. Shantha Sinha(Chairperson, NCPR), and apanel discussion on “Girls,schooling and citizenship”. .Movies like “The BoxingLadies” , “White Noise” ,post master, maatir bhaarwere screenedThe event was covered ingreat detail by leading Ben-gali and English media andwas a very fresh volunteer ef-fort which caught the atten-tion of many .

Anti child-labour day, ob-served on the 12th of June,across the country, was cele-brated by CRY Volunteers inKolkata, not with much

aplomb but a lot ofsincerity. Volun-teers, set up apublic reach outcampaign near theGolparkRamkrishnaMission In-stitute ofCulture witha clear mes-sage andpurpose-every childshould be inschools andnot at work.The tablewas set andpamphletswere handed out.A game was setup, that repre-

sented the daily routine of achild labourer. People wereasked to rearrange the rou-tine in a way that they be-lieved would bring back theirlost childhood. It was clear

through the exercise that weknew what was wrong andthat we had all the right an-swers. However, not once dowe ponder on walking thatextra mile.People who stopped just toput their signature on paperand those who took time outto play the game expressedtheir frustration at the per-sistent inequality, corruptionand the dirty politics thatplagues our country. This humble attempt man-aged to reach out to over 150people.Child labour is a complexissue that cannot be solved

with a few policies. While rev-olutionary change cannot bebrought about with immedi-ate effect, these tiny dropswill one day make an ocean.

ANTI-CHILDLABOUR DAY

“It might sound utopian at thispoint in time, but we are not farbehind. The alleys of power will

listen to these grievances, there willbe implementation of policies andthere will be a difference made andfelt in the lives of these young chil-dren.” Chandrima Chatterjee, CRYVolunteer

CHILDRENS GROUP INDHAKURIA

On the 19th August, childrenof the Dhakuria slums hadtheir first public theatre per-formance at the Ward Coun-cilor’s office. The children,aged 8-12 years were all stu-dents of nearby governmentprimary schools and the audi-ence was comprised of theirparents and friends.The local councillor interactedwith the children and urgedthem to continue going toschool. The short skit on sta-tus of Mid Day Meals [MDMs]portrayed the real life prob-lems of low quality mealsserved to these children.The performance was fol-lowed by a focused discussionbetween the parents and thevolunteers on the rights ofthese children under the RTE

Act. Parents were urged byCRY Volunteers to share thisinformation with greaternumber of people back intheir neighbourhood and toconsider undertaking collec-tive action.CRY Action Centre wasstarted in Nov 2011 inDhakuria Geo PAG by the vol-unteers ; the yellow umbrellaand the colourful backdrophas been one of the major at-tractions of both the commu-nity people and children ofDhakuria. With the aim ofgenerating greater awarenessand more action from the par-ents in ensuring that theirchildren regularly go toschool as well as receivequality education, volunteersthought of conducting theatreworkshops with the childrenalso. The children's group inDhakuria is an outcome ofthis vision where theythrough various interactionsare nurturing children's par-ticipation and bringing outtheir voices.

FOCUS RIGHT 3.0:A IIT KGPVolunteer Chapter InitiativeFocus Right 3.0 was thisyear's photography competi-tion organised by IIT Kharag-pur CRY Volunteer Chapter.In its third year, it asked pub-lic at large to take photo-graphs on the theme "We arethe future" and they werejudged on their taglines andcaptions, and the story ofeach child photographed.over 100 entries were re-ceived from across India. Anin campus exhibition followedin the IIT campus and theoverall endeavour proved tobe a popular and wonderfulway of asking people to re-flect on children's issues andbuilt public opinion in theprocess.“

For me I’ve become morecomfortable in interactingwith people, organising

events, getting in touch withofficials and convincing people.I think these skills should helpin whatever career I choose infuture.” Arko Banerjee

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PAGE 4 STEP FORWARD, ISSUE I, APRIL - OCTOBER 2012

CRY- Child Rights and You Volunteers are individuals from allwalks of life uniting together for the cause of CHILD RIGHTS andstriving towards ensuring that every child in India gets equal rightsand opportunities. They comprise of professionals, media persons,

lawyers, journalists, students, academicians, teachers, homemakersand any other citizen who feel responsible to act for this cause.

If you care enough about the status of the underprivileged childrenin India, enough to want to make a difference, to do something,YOU CAN! You can amplify the voices of the unheard and make a

huge difference.

CRY – Child Rights And You152, Kalikapur, Gitanjali Park, NewNo. 8,2nd Street, Kolkata - 700 099.Tel: +91 (033) 33500200Email: cryinfo.cal@crymail.org

We, The Volunteers

PANEL DISCUSSION qUES-TIONING APPROACH &

STRATEGIC ACTION TOWARDSPROTECTION

A State Consultation on “Re-visiting Child Protection: Di-verse InstitutionalApproaches and CommunityBased Action”was organizedby Coalition for Child Rightsto Protection (CCRP) in Asso-ciation with CRY – ChildRights and You, GD andWestBengal Education Network onMarch 29-30 at Rotary Sadan,Kolkata. Representativesacross eastern States partici-pated and shared their views,opinion and experiencesamidst some very criticalpanel discussions and emi-nent panelists.Puskar Pandey ,a CRY volun-teer (working in RajabazarGeo PAG) was invited to be a

Panelist where the theme wasCommunity Based Action:Stigma, Discrimination andSocial ExclusionHe was the youngest amongthe panelists and was the onewho was there out of passionfor the cause and not as partof his occupation.

CRY KOLKATA VOLUNTEER BLOG

The East VolunteerBlog now has over5000 visitors andover a 1000 follow-ers. The blog en-ables everyoneassociated with CRYto keep track ofwhat goes on and itinforms them ofwhat they can be apart of.

UNV:VOLUNTEER ACTION COUNTS

The IITKharagpurVolunteerchapter storygot publishedas part ofUnited NationsVolunteer Ac-tion CountsCampaign.This was aproud momentas a CRY ini-tiative re-ceivedinternationalattention.

VOLUNTEER

SPEAK

“Volunteering in CRY, is perhaps one of the most enrich-ing experiences one can get in his life. It has helpedme to understand the ground reality of India, gain a

better knowledge of the reality vis-a-vis forming vagueopinions formed by reading newspapers & books. Since,CRY believes in a right based modus operandi, rather thana relief based one, it compels you to work in close associa-tion with the administrative system, which gives you con-siderable insight into how our bureaucracy works!”Manisit Das

“I believe charity is injurious unless the recipient be-comes independent of it; our thought won’t alter theworld but your actions will. After joining CRY, the ex-

perience that I have got is far greater than my imagina-tion. It’s all about bringing a change and a journey ofthousand miles must begin with a single step, so I got totake my first step.CRY has helped me in humanizing myskills and has helped me to evolve as a better humanbeing.” Spandan Ghose Chowdhury

“I became a part of the CRY family through CRY IITKharagpur Volunteer Chapter.We had some toughtimes, but we had our moments too. Being a volunteer

of CRY made me look at the world in an entirely differentperspective, I realised how tedious it is to make a wrong aright. I gained some values during my journey with CRYwhich I would treasure for the rest of my life.” Meena Uppaluri,IIT KGP

“The acknowledgement that we get from the people,who are not associated with CRY or volunteering, isencouraging and also reaffirms the genuinity of our ef-

forts.” Aishik Saha

This summer, 12 interns from diverse fields signifi-cantly value added to CRY’s programme in the Estthrough their focused assignments. The work rangedfrom preparing strategy documents, field level sur-veys, making audio visuals to advocacy work in vol-unteer intervention areas to piloting new ideas andmodels on the ground.Every year, a few students are selected for the sum-mer and winter internships at CRY and contributevisibly to the cause. They take back useful learningand most become our ongoing volunteers post theinternship.

THE SUMMERINTERNS

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