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Hand in Hand

India

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Education at their doorsteps

    



to the mica mines of

Bihar, from coconut kilns to remote villages

with debilitating poverty, Hand in Hand

India (HiH India) has empowered child

labourers to transform their lives and move

from a bleak future to a bright, hopeful one.

HiH India’s integrated approach to

poverty alleviation is a multidimensional

programme targeting the mother and the

family, not just the child, addressing issues

of health and employment. or instance,

the mothers of the child weavers were

trained to use a Jaquard machine and given

subsidized credit to buy them. Its solid waste

management programme is comprised of

Green riends (sanitary workers) arising

from marginalized groups. rough smart

classrooms and mobile apps, the power of

technology works to increase reach and

efficacy of its programmes. e community

is their backbone. ‘Right from the early days,

we worked with the community and local

government. We created a strong network of

child rights protection committee members

to monitor if children were out of school and

ensured children stayed in school,’ says

Founded by Dr. Kalpana Sankar

and Dr. Percy Barnevik in 2004

Hand in Hand India (HiH India)

works with poor women, children and

communities to not only provide them

dignity, but also the hope and choice

for sustainable development. With a

focus on alleviation of poverty, access

to education, affordable healthcare,

skill development, financial inclusion

and clean environment, the NGO also

nurtures social entrepreneurship.

HiH India has successfully created

4.5 million jobs and enrolled 3,43,703

out-of-school children back in school;

their goal is to create 10 million jobs

by 2025. Their years of hard work

have been recognized through awards

like the Pradhan Mantri Bal Kalyan

Puraskar (Child Welfare Award), Nari

Shakti Puraskar, and Global Award

for Women Empowerment.