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© UNICEF India
A school girl participates
in a class.
UNICEF has been working in India since 1949. The largest UN organisation in the
country, UNICEF is fully committed to working with the Government of India to ensure
that each child born in this vast and complex country gets the best start in life, thrives and
develops to his or her full potential.
The challenge is enormous but UNICEF is well placed to meet it. The organisation uses
quality research and data to understand issues, implements new and innovative
interventions that address the situation of children, and works with partners to bring those
innovations to fruitition.
What makes UNICEF unique in India is its network of 13 state offices. These enable the
organisation to focus attention on the poorest and most disadvantaged communities,
alongside its work at the national level.
UNICEF also wants them to feel a sense of ownership of these services. That same
knowledge and interface with communities enables the organisation to tackle issues that
would otherwise be difficult to address: the complex factors that result in children
working, or the growing threat that HIV/AIDS poses to children.
UNICEF knows that key to addressing these challenges are its partnerships with sister
UN agencies, voluntary organisations active at the community level, women’s groups and
donors.
THE COUNTRY PROGRAMME, 2008-2012
Government of India – UNICEF Programme of Co-operation
Over the last five years, India has seen impressive economic growth as well as progress
in terms of human development. The economy has gone from strength to strength, with
growth rates as high as nine per cent in 2006-07, while the population below the poverty
line has been gradually falling.
However, in its approach paper for the 11th Five Year Plan, the Government of India
(GOI) recognises that even these remarkable growth rates are not fast or equitable enough
to reach disadvantaged populations.
GOI has adopted National Development Targets which are in line with – and at times
more ambitious than – the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
While the current rate of progress of a number of indicators is not sufficient to meet many
of these targets, the government’s commitment to “inclusive growth” presents a unique
opportunity to improve the lives of all Indian children.
The previous Country Programme focussed on the fulfillment of rights of all children and
women, and the promotion of an enabling environment to ensure equity and to strengthen
accountabilities towards children..
In collaboration with government schemes, key achievements over the last five years
include
The overall goal of the 2008-2012 Country Programme is to advance the fulfilment of the
rights of all women and children in India to survival, development, participation and
protection by reducing social inequalities based on gender, caste, ethnicity or region.
UNICEF’s work is centred on children from neonatal stages to adolescence. There is also
a special focus on social inclusion in all these programmes, keeping in mind the fact that
the Eleventh-Five-Year Plan emphasises on ‘inclusive growth’ and recognises social
exclusion and inequality as a constraint to the achievement of MDG goals.
UNICEF will work closely with government flagship schemes to strengthen their
capacity to deliver quality services to all its citizens.
Programmes
In addition to reducing infant mortality rates (IMR), the Reproductive and Child Health
programme will also aim to reduce maternal mortality rates (MMR) from 301 to 100 per
100,000 live births. The main interventions will revolve around enhancing child survival
and maternal care.
The Child Development and Nutrition programme will stress on the nutritional status of
the mother along with the child. UNICEF will focus on providing technical know-how to
enhance ICDS functioning and delivery by supporting training of the field-level workers
on the one hand and by conducting a nationwide awareness campaign on the issue with
the purpose of influencing policy. Anticipated results include:
• Sustainable access to and use of safe water and basic sanitation services.
The Child Protection will seek to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse.
The programme will seek to create a protective environment for children through the
improvement and expansion of services to children in need of care and protection and
children in conflict with the law under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, child
labour laws and other related legislation.
The Education programme will endeavour to fine-tune policies and strategies to increase
the enrolment, retention, achievement and completion rates in elementary education. In
particular, the programme seeks to improve learning outcomes, completion rates and
literacy levels amongst disadvantaged groups.
The Children and AIDS Programme will seek to reduce vulnerabilities, slow down the
rate of new infections and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS among children 0-18 years
old; in addition, the emphasis in the area of prevention will be on the most at risk and
especially vulnerable young people up to the age of 24.
The Social Policy, Advocacy and Behaviour Change Communication programmes will
focus on influencing national policies and schemes with respect to rights of children and
women through advocacy, and on reaching families and communities on a number of
inter-related behaviours and social/cultural norms that cut across programmes.
In view of the fact that almost 80 per cent of India is vulnerable of natural disasters,
which cause extensive damage to lives and livelihoods every year, the Emergency
Preparedness and Response programme will ensure the fulfilment of rights of children
and women in humanitarian crises.
Geographic Focus
At a national level, UNICEF will work closely with the central government in ensuring
that children’s rights are reflected and resourced in policies and programmes. In the
disadvantaged states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh,
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the emphasis will be on focusing resources in terms of
programming, policy and advocacy.
In Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
and Kerala, UNICEF will continue to support limited-scale programming balanced with
advocacy and influencing policy to build on progress made in the social sector.
In the nearly 50 years since celebrities began working with UNICEF, they have helped
sway government policies on behalf of children, publicize children's issues around the
globe and raise funds for UNICEF-supported programmes.
Celebrities in India (from the world of film / music / theatre / sports) have a strong
national and regional appeal. Over the years they have played a significant role in helping
UNICEF to create public awareness on children’s issues.
Also their involvement has mobilized action and resources from civil society, thereby
sending a message that children are an urgent priority.
UNICEF in India partners with its ambassadors Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore
as well as key celebrity advocates who are committed to supporting the cause of children.
Priyanka Chopra, Sachin Tendulkar, Aamir Khan, Raveena Tandon and Nandana Sen
have been actively supporting UNICEF’s work for women and children in India.
Some of the invaluable contributions by our celebrity partners include innovative Public
Service announcements, participation at key advocacy events and media interactions to
generate a discourse around key issues.
5. National Celebrity: Priyanka Chopra: Convention on the rights of the child, Early
Marriage and Adolescent girls lifeskills
6. National Celebrity, Nandana Sen: Gender based violence some facets of child
protection.
The enormous challenges for development are the marked disparities among different
geographical regions, between social groups, among different income levels and between
the sexes.
Even within states there are marked differences. Female literacy rates in Maharashtra, for
example, range from 83 per cent in the district of Mumbai to 46 per cent in Nandurbar.
Similarly, while the average child sex ratio for Maharashtra is 917 females per 1,000
males, it ranges widely between districts: from 974 in the district of Gadchiroli to 850 in
Sangli.
Malnutrition afflicts more than half of all rural children even as problems related to
obesity threaten their more affluent peers. While India boasts of state-of-the-art hospitals
offering some of the best medical care in the world, there are communities where a health
worker has not been seen for years.
The growth of modern infrastructure in cities contrasts with the most basic needs: only
two out of every three urban households have water taps and three out of every four have
toilets. The Indian Institutes of Technology provide world-class education to thousands,
while over 190 million Indian women remain illiterate.
Gender disparity is evident as almost twice as many girls as boys are pulled out of school,
or never sent to school.
Birth registration
Birth registration is an area where there are significant differences between states,
ranging from only 2 per cent of births being registered in Bihar to 95 per cent in Goa.
With such diversity throughout the country, it is important for reliable disaggregated
information to be available and used at all levels.
While monitoring progress towards the national targets as outlined in the 10th Five Year
Plan is important, data should also be generated and analysed at local levels to ensure that
services reach the most disadvantaged.
1986 UNICEF works with GOI to launch Oral Rehydration Therapy Programme for
treatment of diarrhoea.
1975 UNICEF supports piloting and launch of Integrated Child Development services.
Today this programme reaches out to 4.8 million expectant and nursing mothers and 30
million children under six years of age.
1967 UNICEF's association with GOI's rural water programme provides emergency relief
to tackle severe drought. Since then, the national water programme has expanded to
provide access to protected sources of drinking water to 95% of India’s villages.
Science Teaching
Early 1960s-the Government of India and UNICEF sign an agreement for reorganisation
and expansion of science teaching in the schools of India. Emphasis is on teaching
through demonstration kits rather than through chalk and talk method. NCERT,
UNESCO and UNICEF work together.
Blind Children
Government’s efforts for training the blind supported by UNICEF, initially in the form of
equipment. The aim is to increase the enrollment of blind children in regular schools.
1970-1980
RYTE
The first Ready to Eat (RYTE) food processing unit started at Anand (Gujarat) with
UNICEF support. Similar plants initiated in other parts of the country in 1977.
Against Leprosy
Edutainment comes to India in the form of a play on leprosy related stigma, called “Khat
ki Garhi”.
1990-2000
Dular Project
2001 - The Dular project, to combat malnutrition, infant mortality and poor maternal
health, started in selected districts of Bihar and Jharkhand by the Government with
UNICEF support.
IMNCI
2002 - the government of India decided to experiment with the implementation of
integrated management of neonatal and childhood illnesses.
Parliamentary Forum
2005 - The honourable speaker of the Lok Sabha launches the Parliamentary Forum on
Children. UNICEF provides research and data support.
THEIR WORK
Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) (2005-2012), India proposes a bold
approach to meet the MDG challenges for health.
Working for an ‘architectural correction’ of the public healthcare system, the NRHM
aims to decentralise health planning and implementation to the district level. This also
involves simultaneously pushing for convergence not only among traditionally vertical
health programmes (Reproductive and Child Health Programme, Immunization, Malaria
Control, TB Control, etc.) but also with other government departments.
UNICEF plays a critical roll to ensure the effective implementation of the NRHM.
UNICEFRight from advocating at a national level for evidence based policies and
strategies to bringing technical assistance at district and grass-roots, ensuring capacity
building and introducing technical innovations for expanding coverage effectively, and
providing evidence and documentation of what works and what doesn’t to further refine
national and state specific implementation policies.
UNICEF also works to promote interaction and convergence of actions across different
social sectors. The following highlights some specific programming activities:
The overall package focuses on the newborn and the under-three child. It promotes home
visiting, care at birth, counselling, as well as identification, classification, and treatment
of main illnesses with standard protocols by expanding service delivery to village level
and by enhancing the skills of village workers (“Anganwadi workers”) and community
health workers (“Auxiliary Nurse-midwifes”).
The programme has demonstrated the effectiveness of a mix of community and health
facility based activities to improve newborn care practices at home; exclusive
breastfeeding; care-seeking during illness; referrals; and appropriate and prompt
treatment during illness.
Importantly, IMNCI is a central element of the National Reproductive and Child Health
programme.
Cricketers Go Handwashing
Indian Cricket Team Joins 100 Million School Children to Soap Up For Global
Handwashing Day (15 October 2008) Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and his
team mates are joining millions of school children around the country to lather up for
better health and hygiene as part of today's first ever Global Handwashing Day.
Tendulkar, who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of
the sport, appeared for free in a public service announcement developed by UNICEF and
the Government of India being broadcast in 14 languages on television channels across
the country to drum up support for the campaign.
"I wanted to be a part of this campaign, because washing hands with soap can keep
children safe and healthy and protect them against deadly diseases," the cricket star said.
"Having two young children, I constantly have to remind them to wash their hands before
and after meals."
Today's cricket event is just one of thousands of activities taking place across the country
as part of the global movement uniting millions of children in more than 70 countries
across five continents. In India, today a 100 million children will wash hands with soap at
rural schools in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Gujarat,
Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and
Assam states.
More than 1,000 children die every day in India from diarrhoea.. Proper handwashing
with soap can reduce diarrhoeal cases by 47 percent and acute respiratory illnesses by 30
percent.
Global Handwashing Day is part of the International Year of Sanitation 2008. Goal seven
of the Millennium Development Goals aims to reduce by half the number of people
without access to sanitation by 2015. Almost half of the people around the world without
a toilet live in India. Many of them live in rural areas.
"The crux of this campaign is that we are reaching out to students in hundreds of
thousands of schools in rural India, from children in the flood-affected areas of Bihar to
schools in far removed tribal regions of Jharkhand to satellite schools in Rajasthan," said
UNICEF India Chief of Water and Sanitation, Lizette Burgers.
Adequate sanitation also has a huge impact on school attendance. Providing private and
separate sanitary latrines in school can increase girls' enrollment by 11 percent. Currently
about 65 percent of Indian schools have sanitation coverage with only 34 percent of girls
completing their schooling. As part of the Global Handwashing Day, participating
children will pledge to wash their hands with soap following the prescribed five-step
method.
UNICEF ACTION ON NUTRITION
UNICEF supports the Government in its objectives to reduce and prevent
malnutrition, and to improve the development of children under three years old,
especially those in marginalised groups.
UNICEF supports iron supplementation for adolescent girls in 12 states and Vitamin A
supplementation in 14 states.
UNICEF is assisting the Government to further expand and enhance the quality of ICDS
in various ways: by improving the training of anganwadi (childcare) workers; by
developing innovative communication approaches with mothers; helping to improve
monitoring and reporting systems; providing essential supplies; by developing
community-based early childcare interventions.
Vitamin A and anaemia programmes are strengthened through the provision of supplies,
the training of field workers and the support of programme management. It encourages
the universal use of adequately iodised salt by educating the general population and
collaborating with the salt industry.
The nutritional and development status of children under three years old is also improved
through community-based early childcare interventions currently being implemented in
seven states.
These interventions aim at bettering the care children get by educating their parents and
communities.
For example, in Madhya Pradesh a big effort was made through a state-wide programme
to identify all children who were malnourished. After weighing the children, those who
were severely malnourished were identified for treatment, and all parents were given
information on adequate feeding and child care.
Although Tamil Nadu is one of the three major salt producing and exporting states
in India, only about 20 per cent of its households were using adequately iodised salt
in 1999.
Together with FEDCOT, an awareness raising campaign was started among shopkeepers
and the general population. After several meetings with local salt producers and a
campaign to raise awareness amongst the local people, preliminary indications showed an
increase in the production of iodised salt: the sale of potassium iodiate, the fortificant
added to the salt, increased from about 300 kilograms per month to 500 kilograms per
month in the second half of 2003.
The availability of protected drinking water sources has improved significantly over the
past few years. The current priority is to maintain water systems, monitor and regulate
water quality and ensure sustainability of sources. One particular concern is to ensure that
marginalised groups, especially women and the poor, participate in decisions about, and
benefit from, improved water supplies and sanitation services.
Protecting drinking water from faecal contamination remains a major challenge because
of a widespread lack of sanitation. One strategy is to protect vulnerable water sources by
maintaining platforms and drainage around hand-pumps. The most effective solution is to
focus on home hygiene practices, including propagating the sanitary use of toilets and
washing hands with soap or ash. UNICEF also supports low-cost solutions to protect
drinking water from excessive arsenic and fluoride.
Primary prevention among young people is the greatest hope to defeat the virus.
UNICEF has been carrying out focused popular campaigns to raise awareness among the
children and young people. The Unite for children Unite Against AIDS campaign calls
upon everyone to join together to put the care and protection of children, adolescents and
young people at the centre of the HIV/AIDS agenda.
UNICEF is helping to reach at risk adolescents and young people in 43 high priority and
prevalence districts across the country, through focused peer outreach programmes and
by strengthening links to youth-friendly health services and communication initiatives.
4. Protection, care and support for affected children - Among the estimated 2.5
million people in India living with HIV/AIDS, 70,000 are children under 15 years old
(UNAIDS 2007). Every year about 21,000 children are infected through mother to child
transmission and thousands of children are affected because their parents are HIV
positive. UNICEF India has been working to get a clear picture on an evidence-based
approach to address the changing needs of the children affected by HIV/AIDS. On 31st
July 2007, Mrs. Renuka Chowdhury, Minister of State for Women and Child
Development, launched the first comprehensive National Policy on Children and AIDS in
India.
NEW DELHI, India, December 2009 – To create and increase awareness about
HIV/AIDS in India, the attractively decorated Red Ribbon Express (RRE) was flagged
off on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2009 by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the
United Progressive Alliance and the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. High level dignitaries,
important cabinet ministers and the Chief Minister of Delhi were present at the flag-off
event.
The Red Ribbon initiative targeted at young people and women has been conceptualised
by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and implemented by the National AIDS Control
Organisation (NACO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways, the National Rural
Health Mission (NRHM) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“UNICEF is happy to have partnered with NACO in this ambitious project that reached
more than six million people throughout the length and breadth of India in its first run.
The innovative, interactive exhibits in the train engaged audiences, particularly women
and children, giving them a better understanding of the issues relating to HIV and AIDS,”
said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF India Representative
“The overwhelming response that the Red Ribbon Express received on its year-long
journey led to NACO's decision to run it for one more year and UNICEF's decision to
support this unique initiative once again. I am sure that it will be successful in taking the
message of HIV prevention to many more people across the country,” Ms Hulshof added.
The initiative supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 6 (combat
HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases) and aims to prevent HIV infections among young
people by increasing knowledge about transmission, prevention and heightening the
perception of risk associated with HIV.
The ten-coach Red Ribbon Express also aims to encourage people to adopt safe
behaviours and to reduce stigma and discrimination that prevent people from accessing
services.
UNICEF ACTION ON CHILD PROTECTION
UNICEF India’s programmatic approach to child protection aims to build a protective
environment in which children can live and develop in the full respect of their
fundamental rights.
Translated into action, this approach led to a multilayered programme whose scope is to
understand and address the multiple vulnerabilities of children in need of special
protection rather than tackle only their immediate manifestations. UNICEF Child
Protection Programme in India focuses mainly on three areas of intervention: child
labour, child trafficking, and children in difficult circumstances.
In the area of Child Labour, projects implemented in various states of the country adopt
an essentially holistic approach, combining strategies aimed not only to the withdrawal of
children from work, but also to enhance cummunities’ awareness, ownership and
collective action for the protection and promotion of children rights.
In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, this strategy led to an increase of more than 47 per cent in
school enrolment and attendance among the villages targeted by the ongoing UNICEF
child labour elimination intervention. Over 120 Alternative Learning Centers (ALC) have
been established in order to facilitate mainstreaming of out-of-school children into formal
education and through them more than 24,000 children have been able to go back to
school .
Moreover, over 1000 Self-Help-Groups have been established and they are now playing a
crucial role in reducing indebtedness among poor rural families. Women’s empowerment
is also showing to be instrumental to the well-being of children as a whole. With the
support of UNICEF, for example, 50 per cent of targeted villages have adopted three key-
friendly practices, namely an immunization coverage of more than 80 per cent, a school
enrollment rate of more than 90 per cent and a sensible increase in the age of marriage.
In the area of child trafficking, UNICEF India supports the Government with a twofold
strategy aimed to strengthen rescue mechanisms and reduce at the same time children’s
vulnerability to trafficking through a special focus on preventive action.
For this purpose, a National Communication Strategy on child trafficking has been
developed and is now being implemented at community-level through UNICEF state
offices. Manuals have been developed for social workers, judiciary, and counselors
working on issues of child trafficking in order to enable rescue and rehabilitation
processes which are in the best interest of the child.
As a part of its efforts to formulate strategies and legislations on issues related to child
protection, UNICEF also supports the Ministry of Women and Child Development,
Government of India, to undertake a national level study on children affected by violence
and to conduct regional and national consultations on child marriage and to hold
dialogues on Offences Against Children Bill.
In the efforts to improve the implementation of the Juvenile Justice System in the country
UNICEF is also supporting the government with the development of training materials
for the Judiciary and various other functionaries of the system like the child welfare
committee members, police and care-takers in the various institutions under the Act.
UNICEF is also collaborating with the Ministry of Women and Child Development on
the creation of a website for Missing Children to facilitate tracing and reintegration of
lost children.
UNICEF IN EMERGENCIES
Over the last two decades, India has borne the brunt of several major natural disasters
including the Latur Earthquake in 1993; the Orissa super-cyclone in October 1999, the
Bhuj earthquake in January 2001, the Tsunami in December 2004, the earthquake in
Jammu & Kashmir in October 2005, major flooding in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam,
Orissa, West Bengal and other states in 2007 and 2008, major avian flu outbreak in West
Bengal and Kosi floods in Bihar in 2008.
In 2009, the eastern Indian State of West Bengal was hit by cyclone Aila which affected
6.8 million people and resulted in a loss of 138 human lives. In addition, a number of
relatively smaller-scale emergencies, primarily floods, but also droughts, landslides,
cholera and avian flu outbreaks have occurred. Tens of millions people are affected
annually in India, most of them from the poorest strata of the population, a high
proportion of whom are children.
In 2009, UNICEF was a major humanitarian player in the country that complemented the
governments' action. UNICEF provided support to the state governments to assist the
victims of communal violence and displacement, programme communication support in
tackling avian flu, and multi-sectoral support in dealing with major floods.
Key partners for UNICEF India include the Union Government’s National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA), Sphere India Unified Response Strategy, RedR India,
and the Indian Red Cross Society.
With it’s network of 13 field offices covering 16 states in India – UNICEF has played a
critical role in times of crisis by gathering information, conducting rapid assessments and
providing a platform for the UNDMT to coordinate the UN system’s response in areas
where it has a presence.