Early Child Care (ECC): The focus of this program is to make the community responsible for the little children (0-3 years) who need care. Most mothers of young children have to work in unorganised sectors like agarbathi units, silk units, construction work and rag-picking, and their children are either left on the roads or left at home unattended. Aina trains stay-at-home illiterate and semi-literate women from the respective community as child care-givers. Since the caregivers are illiterates the non-formal hands-on training is organised regularly to hone their skills in child care. The care-givers are taught on personal hygiene, health care and to engage the children creatively; the training includes teaching rhymes, songs, dances, crafts etc.

The trained caregivers open their homes, which is situated within the child’s neighbourhood as early-child-care centres with support from Aina. These centres work from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. All these centres are child-friendly, safe and secure for children. All the centres engage the children with stimulating activities and little children love to be in these centres. The children are also provided supplementary and nutritional food/snacks either directly or through the parents or caregivers depending on the decision of the community. Aina organises the Government doctors to visit the cluster of the community-based child care centres and provide regular medical check-ups. Malnourished children are identified and provided special care and follow-ups.

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Alternate Care for continuing Education: Aina is working for the children of the single mothers who live in abject poverty and together it also works for children without parents. All these children are encouraged and supported to live with their single mothers and their kin. All these children are very weak in their studies as well as physical well-being. Aina integrates these children into mainstream education and monitors and does regular follow-ups to ensure that all these children are attending schools regularly. So far to Aina’s credit around 400 plus children have been streamlined into the formal education. Aina further supports children with tuitions and coaching classes in the evening; during this time, nutritiously prepared meals along with regular health checkups and issues related to health follow-ups are attended. The mother’s and the kith and kin of these children are given training in the holistic growth and development of children, and their role in their physical, emotional and social development of children. Children are assisted with extra coaching through tuitions to meet the school needs.

It is to be remembered here that most of these children are either drop-outs or the potential to drop-out from the schools. To ensure children’s participation and learn and understand their rights and duties, Aina has formed catalyst groups of children. Several direct programs and extra curriculum with the children are facilitated to strengthen children’s holistic growth and development.

The children’s mothers are formed into women Self-Help Groups, and the mothers are motivated to start small income-generating activities on their own. Aina extends its support to the children’s family members by providing vocational training with the support of self-employment training institutions and also helps them to avail the government welfare measures.

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Capacity Building and Collaboration: Regular training programs are organised for caregivers, children’s mothers and Anganwadi supervisors and teachers on child care, parenting, child rights and development milestones of children.

Aina and the department of Women and child development and the Integrated Child Development Scheme collaborates in the training of Anganwadi workers, community members, schools and teachers on the holistic child development and child rights.

Aina provides simple tips on right parenting, positive disciplining and child rights to the mothers, parents, school teachers and community members. The school children and their teachers are given lessons on child-rights and their roles and responsibilities. The community and school authorities have lauded this program and have requested for the continuation of the same.

Aina also collaborates with like-minded NGOs on the care, protection, education and development of children. Aina also encourages volunteers to support in the day to day activities.

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The devastation caused by the Covid-19 has been huge especially to those economically poor families, daily wage dependents, migrant workers and other vulnerable sections. The women and children from the poorer families have become the most affected ones in the whole crisis. The prolonged lock-down strategy of the Indian Government has worked against the spread of the virus but at a huge cost on the Indian economy and its people. We are now in a situation that we learn to live with pre-cautions and people are gradually getting back to find their regular wages/income.

In the midst of this entire crisis AINA with the help of the local teams and the encouragement of the Board, donor partners and the Indian Government, has been able to extend concrete services (providing food-grains, sugar, cooked food, milk, sanitizers, face masks and awareness materials) in the working areas of Chickballapur district of Karnataka more specifically in the two taluks (Chickballapur and Sidlaghatta).

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