Help for children of care-givers

Located in upmarket urban residential neighbourhoods, nursery schools are suitable for children aged between one and six years, to learn, play and rest while their parents (who can afford such expensive schools) work. Many parents have family elders or hire girls/women as their children’s caretakers. In the latter case, the women usually keep a watch on the child in his or her home for eight hours a day or longer if they live with the child’s family.
 
But who looks after the young ones of these nannies and housemaids? And the kids of people who build our homes, offices and supermarkets or clean them? Mostly, it is an older child or a relative. Or none at all. Workers from the unorganised sector have minimal childcare systems within their economic and geographic reach. Among the few organisations that provide creches for children of domestic workers, or those employed in the garment and construction sector is the Karnataka State Council for Child Welfare (KSCCW).
 
The organisation was called the Mysore State Council for Child Welfare when the late Lokasundari Raman (wife of Nobel laureate, Sir C V Raman) founded it from her house in Malleswaram in 1955. At that time, the organisation had a play school and library for children from economically marginalised households.

As President of the KSCCW until 1977, Lady Raman initiated many welfare and development programmes that the NGO continues. “Even after her untimely demise in 1980, Lady Raman inspires us,” council members say. 

A part of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (one of India’s oldest NGOs for vulnerable children), KSCCW has 18 district councils and committees from Karnataka under it presently.  

For pre-schoolers

The KSCCW runs 165 creches across Karnataka under the Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme for women in the informal workforce. At these places, trained and experienced Balasevikas care for 5,000 children between one and five years old. Sowmya P (name changed), who teaches at one of the three creches in Jayamahal Extension, Bangalore explains, “The mothers are glad to leave their children here as they get nourishing meals, health checks and necessary sleep. Further, they learn to read and write and get to play, sing and draw.” Twenty-odd cherubic and active toddlers that I saw were basking in the attention of the affectionate and caring KSCCW staff. Three-year-old Asha (name changed) pointed at my camera saying, “I want to take a photo,” in a mix of English, Kannada and Telugu. 

The creche staff meet the mothers every month to advise them about hygiene, nutrition and also report on the children’s overall development. To ensure accountability, the mothers are encouraged to pay a token fee for KSCCW’s services although that is waived based on their economic condition.
 
The 31 creches in Bangalore are primarily situated in or near low-income areas. One is inside the jail campus at Parappana Agrahara in Bangalore for the children of women inmates. While some creches are run in collaboration with local NGOs, the KSCCW completely administers the remaining. Teresa Marie, a Child Welfare Officer at the council told me, “The size and number of creches are based on the needs of the local community where we work. In some areas, the local residents want to open more creches.” 

One of KSCCW’s key activities is training pre-school teachers at its Balasevika Training Institute (BSTI) in Bangalore. It conducts an inexpensive government approved ten-month course in Kannada for women completing class IX or higher, with good placement opportunities. “We began classes in July 2011 for 25 women in the 49th batch of BSTI and are open to more. All previous students have started or joined child or healthcare institutions, NGOs or anganwadis across Karnataka,” beamed Geetha H, the principal of BSTI. Her students learn about health, nutrition, child care, pre-school education, art, craft, music, computer basics and community outreach. They gain field experience twice a week through a month-long internship with various NGOs and marginalised communities in rural and city environments. Institute trainees Nagaratna and her cousin from Devanahalli who have studied up to pre-university point out, “We joined the Balasevika course as we love being with children.” 

Support for other children

Apart from running creches, KSCCW financially assists and counsels around 500 disadvantaged children annually. Organisation staff and council members identify most such kids from low income neighbourhoods or families that they meet regularly. Nearly 50 children with hearing, visual, physical and mental disabilities receive sponsorship for their treatment or education every year through the Balroshni project. NGOs and institutions like the Association for People with Disabilities (Lingarajapuram, Bangalore) and Sophia Opportunity School (Palace Road, Bangalore) refer some of the special needs children.
 
The council also runs Sharanya, a home for 25 girls and a reading and recreation centre for 30 children in Bangalore. It has de-institutionalising programmes (restoring children from care homes to their families), two non-formal education centres for 28 girls discontinuing school and monitors all its beneficiaries’ progress diligently. Additionally, the NGO has a training centre for anganwadi workers and helpers that the government deputes and a tailoring unit teaching adolescent girls. 

The council’s Balvidya project provides nutritious breakfast, school stationery, tutoring and fun activities for nearly 500 children in five primary schools in Hesaraghatta taluk north west of Bangalore. Programme co-ordinator Indumathi S who sees the parents every week explains, “They are poor migrant labourers from Gujarat, Orissa who can barely support their children. My weekly visits reiterate that our initiative helps the children and adults immensely!”