Neelam rewriting her future through resilience
- Neelam, a 12th-grade girl from Chattisgarh, was forced to quit higher education and work to support her family.
- As part of CRY America’s adolescent collective group, she expressed her desire to study further.
- CRY America project MMKSS members counseled her on career opportunities and linked her to a nursing vocational course.
- They also convinced her hesitant father, assuring him that other girls from their locality would join her.
- MMKSS team completed all necessary paperwork and secured her admission to a nursing course at Allied Hospital in Bilaspur. Today, she works there as a nurse while finishing her final year of college.
*Name changed and AI image used for representation purpose only.
The Problem
The communities in Bilaspur, a place in Chhattisgarh, face a serious problem with education. Lack of access to quality education and infrastructure results in children dropping out of school and becoming involved in child labor. The pandemic worsened the situation as children began facing issues with digital learning, coupled with an increased financial burden on the family.
The Solution
CRY America’s Project MMKSS works towards creating children’s collectives, sensitizing the School Management Committee (SMCs), ensuring children in the age of 3 to 6 years attend preschool, and teacher learning support is provided to teachers. The key activities under the project are linking children with scholarship programs, vulnerability mapping and work regarding installation of kitchen gardens in model schools and Anganwadi Centers.
Impact Of The Project
1,724
children (ages 6-18) enrolled in school
628
children’s collective members attended meetings regularly
500
women linked to the state government’s program for financial aid
307
adolescent girls received life skills training
297
children enrolled in Anganwadi centers for preschool education
295
collective members trained on online safety
105
dropout children re-enrolled in schools
102
School Management Committee (SMC) members sensitized on child rights issues
5
sports teams were formed; three children reached the state level
2025 Plans
- Re-enroll 60 dropout children (ages 6-18) in schools.
- Ensure 279 Anganwadi Center children attain age-specific learning
- Ensure 1,825 children are enrolled in 6-18 years age group
- Ensure 170 dropout children (6-18) re-enrolled in school
- 1,305 households to receive monthly ration
- 8 sports team to be formed with 120 children
- 500 children to be trained on life skills modules
- 40 children to be linked with technical/ nursing/ computer course
- 140 SMC members to be sensitized on child rights issues
