Objective

The mission is to break down barriers of negativity in religion, caste and gender. Education for all, Universalization of elementary education and ensuring child rights. A secular society in learning and living environment, more employment through focused awareness programs and empowered women.The organization aims to create a democratic, nonviolent, classless society without any discrimination of caste, gender, age, religion, class and race through involving Government, Non-Government and Other developmental agencies. The blending of right based and need based approaches is visible in our intervention.

Major Activities conducted in the last three

Adult Literacy and Continuing Education: Over 20,000 women made literate over the years.

Mainstreaming and retention of out of school children: Over 18,000 (Over 50% were girls) out of school children enrolled into regular schools and prevented from being trapped in child labor net.

Financial Inclusion, Skill enhancement and income generation for under privileged women and youth: Over 18000 under privileged women engaged in Self Help group and out of that over 7000 women engaged in income generation program through over the years. Again, over 2000 youth are placed in regular jobs.

ChuppiTodo – Campaign Against Child Sexual Abuse: The innovative advocacy program to address the issue of child protection especially  against Child sexual abuse. Reached over ten million people through live media, TV spots, 95.0 FM Radio, screening of film – ChuppiTodo. Addressing the issue through holistic approach covering children, parents, schools, government and non government stakeholders, civil societies and Police.

Sensitization of Police Personnel for child protection: over 5000 Police personnel at Police Station level were sensitized on Juvenile Justice Act and POCSO Act in a period of three years. The Trust is a resource agency for Outer District to train and sensitize Police Personnel.

The Trust adopted various action models and approaches as follows to deal with the issue of child labor in its intervention areas:

1. Ensuring the execution of concerned laws.
2. Building opinion against child labor
3. Capacity building of team members and stakeholders
4. Advocating to bridge the gaps in the existing laws
5. Creating models for child labor free slums through alternative education centers.
6. Networking with likeminded NGOs, networks and union

Baliga Trust has been working in slums and resettlement colonies of Delhi for under privileged community since 1983. We started to work for education of less privileged children since 1994. We engaged to work on child rights since 1998 and were elected as State Co Convener of Campaign Against Child Labor (CACL). We are Convener of National Advocacy Unit of CACL since 2009 and Convener of Child Rights for World Social Forum since 2005. We launched the Campaign Against Child Sexual Abuse well known as ChuppiTodo (Break the Silence) in partnership with Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Plan International in 2010-13. We are one of the Resource Agencies in Delhi for sensitization and training of Police Personnel on child rights and protection since 2009. We led the campaign against child marriage in 2018 in Delhi. Our model of Community Based Child Protection Mechanism and Community Score Card are well recognized by Government and Non-Government agencies. Our integrated learning centers model centers reaches over 1000 at risk to be dropped out children annually to prevent drop out.  We also work for breaking the barriers of gender through our various projects and especially through projects like “Because I Am A Girl” – 2014-18 and “Safer Cities for Girls”- 2019-21. We initiated two major projects – “Work: No Child Business” and “Preventing Child labor and Protecting the rights of Children in Garment Industries in Delhi” to address the issues of child labor and protection of children. Over 2000 children in labor net are expected to be streamed into education and protection net through MAC (Multi Activities Centers). Three major strategies are framed to execute both of the projects – a. Direct action with working children, b. Sensitization and awareness raising with institutions, employers, communities and other stakeholders, and c. Advocacy and capacity building with key stakeholders.

Dr. A.V. Baliga memorial trust is also implementing a project titled “To end the Worst forms of child labor in Mica Mining in Bihar & Jharkhand”. Our role  is to build public opinion against child labour from local to global level adopting conventional and non-conventional tools. The project also relies on dialogue and cooperation with stakeholders from different groups of actors at local, national and international level. In particular, the project works with political decision-makers and other civil society organizations. The interlocking of the different levels is particularly important in this holistic approach. This combination of grassroots work and advocacy is one of the innovative elements of the project. As a further innovative element, the experiences already made in other projects in advocacy work with children in international contexts have been evaluated and adapted to the project context.