Children are the future of a nation. For an emerging country like India, development of underprivileged children holds the key to the progress of the nation itself, and their education is the cornerstone of this progress. But education for children cannot be achieved without ensuring the welfare of the family – a child can go to school regularly only when the family, particularly the mother is healthy and empowered; the family has decent livelihood opportunities and a steady income.
Realizing this, SNEHA beginning in the corridors of education, has adopted a lifecycle approach with intensive programmes focused on family health, livelihood and community engagement through women empowerment, which addresses the needs of less privileged children, their families and the larger community.
- Less than half of India’s children between the age 6 and 14 go to school.
- A little over one-third of all children who enroll in grade one reach grade eight.
- At least 35 million children aged 6 – 14 years do not attend school.
- 53% of girls in the age group of 5 to 9 years are illiterate.
- In India, only 53% of habitation has a primary school.
- In India, only 20% of habitation has a secondary school.
- High cost of private education and need to work to support their families and little interest in studies are the reasons given by 3 in every four drop-outs as the reason they leave.
- Dropout rates increase alarmingly in class III to V, its 50% for boys, 58% for girls.
- 1 in 40, primary school in India is conducted in open spaces or tents.
- In Andhra Pradesh (South India), 52 upper primary schools were operating without a building in 2002, while in 1993, there were none.
- 17 million children in India work as per official estimates.
- A study found that children were sent to work by compulsion and not by choice, mostly by parents, but with recruiter playing a crucial role in influencing decision.
- When working outside the family, children put in an average of 21 hours of labor per week.
- 19% of children employed work as domestic help.
- 90% working children are in rural India.
- 85% of working children are in the unorganized sectors.
- Millions of children work to help their families because the adults do not have appropriate employment and income thus forfeiting schooling and opportunities to play and rest.
- Children also work because there is demand for cheap labour. High incidence of child labour is a result of high incidence of adult unemployment.
- Large numbers of children work simply because there is no alternative – since, they do not have access to good quality schools.
- The effects of child labor in India is such that many times poor and bonded families often “sell” their children to contractors who promise lucrative jobs in the cities and the children end up being employed in brothels, hotels and domestic work. Many run away and find a life on the streets.
- 70 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their first birthday. The total number of such children works out to 2 million.
- 58% of India’s children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination.
- 95 in every 1000 children born in India do not see their fifth birthday.
- Only 38% of India’s children below the age of 2 years are immunized.
- 74% of India’s children below the age of 3 months are anemic.
- Over 60% of children in India are anemic.
- Acute respiratory infections are leading causes of child mortality (30%) followed by diarrhea (20%) in India.
- One in every 100 children in India between age group of 0-14 years suffers from acute respiratory infection.
- Almost one in every five children in India below the age of 14 suffers from diarrhea.
- 58% of India’s children below the age of 2 years are not fully vaccinated. And 24% of these children do not receive any form of vaccination.
- Only 38% of India’s children below the age of 2 years are immunized.
- More than 50% of India’s children are malnourished.
- While one in every five adolescent boys is malnourished, one in every two girls in India is undernourished.
- 23% of India’s children are underweight at birth.
Child Education in India is the focus of SNEHA Programmes across India, South Asia. Our various welfare projects spread across different Indian states provide Literacy and Basic Education for Poor Children, besides health care support. Ensuring educational support for needy Children remains the prime agenda of Smile Foundation programs also by supporting genuine small NGOs, educational trust, child welfare initiatives, various child education foundations and grassroots non government organizations.