Campaign Story
About the project
Behjam block in Lakhimpur Kheri district is one of the most underdeveloped regions in Uttar Pradesh. The area faces a high school dropout rate among children, primarily due to the limited number of upper primary and secondary schools. The absence of the mandated pupil-teacher ratio as per the Right to Education (RTE) Act, along with inadequate facilities, severely impacts the quality of education.
Children in the area often fall victim to societal attitudes, discrimination, and exclusion. Cases of sexual abuse, stalking, and elopement further add to the challenges, especially for girls. Additionally, due to prevailing community beliefs, religious schools are often preferred over formal education, further widening the gap in access to quality schooling.
A lack of adequate job opportunities forces many families to migrate to nearby cities or towns, further disrupting the educational continuity of their children and forcing them to take up work at early age.
Making a difference
CRY America’s Project AIM focuses on sensitizing communities about children’s right to education and actively promotes schooling to improve enrolment rates. The project also aims to reduce dropout rates by working closely with school authorities, School Management Committee (SMC) members, and other key stakeholders. Key activities under this project include enrolling and re-enrolling children in schools, rescuing children and adolescents from potential child marriage and child labor practices, linking families with livelihood opportunities and running sustained campaigns to address issues such as substance abuse.
The way forward
● Ensure the retention of 3,117 children aged 6–14 in schools through education campaigns
● Ensure the enrollment of 1,989 children aged 15–18 in schools
● Conduct orientation sessions for facilitators in 4 Child Activity Centers to equip them with innovative teaching methods, updated curriculum, and effective strategies
● Build the capacity of 348 SMC members from 27 schools on their roles and responsibilities
● Provide support to boost the learning outcomes of 250 children in 4 CACs
● Activate 7 village-level Child Protection Committees (CPCs) in the region
● Link at least 30 children with the child protection system and government entitlements
● Conduct Life Skills sessions engaging 1,800 children
● Conduct a Parent Life Skills module with the engagement of 500 parents
● Organize 12 creative workshops and activity sessions to promote innovation and self-expression among children
The way forward
● To ensure SMC members are sensitized
● Meetings with children groups organized on child rights issues, right to education, life skills and other govt programmes/schemes
● Sensitize parents and the community on the importance of girl child education and gender issue
● Engagement with district authorities to implement school health program
● Engagement with govt departments to ensure lineage of children in various schemes and programmes
Project Impact
1,720
Community members and stakeholders participated in an education campaign
182
Dropped-out children and first-time learners enrolled in schools
257
Children attended classes at the Child Activity Center
297
SMC members sensitized on school governance
836
Members participated in an awareness drive against substance abuse
1,200
Children benefited from the integration of Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs) in schools
92
Children removed from child labor and mainstreamed into schools
747
Girls trained in Life Skills sessions
4,661
Children aged 6–18 years enrolled in schools
815
Adolescent girls from Adolescent Collectives sensitized on education and protection issues
Last year’s disbursed budget for Jan 24 to Dec 24: $ 33,623
This year’s approved budget for Jan 25 to Dec 25:
Empowering Priyanka through education
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