WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.060 align:middle line:90% 00:00:01.060 --> 00:00:03.850 align:middle line:84% How do you select families and communities for your family 00:00:03.850 --> 00:00:05.780 align:middle line:90% strengthening programme? 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:10.320 align:middle line:84% We get into communities which are not really affluent-- 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:14.190 align:middle line:84% communities which do not have very many sources 00:00:14.190 --> 00:00:16.140 align:middle line:90% of income available to them. 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:18.300 align:middle line:90% Their education levels are low. 00:00:18.300 --> 00:00:20.940 align:middle line:84% And then on many of the social parameters 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:22.680 align:middle line:90% they are not doing too well. 00:00:22.680 --> 00:00:25.200 align:middle line:84% Once we've identified the community then 00:00:25.200 --> 00:00:28.130 align:middle line:90% we identify vulnerable families. 00:00:28.130 --> 00:00:30.660 align:middle line:84% So not the entire community is vulnerable. 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:34.740 align:middle line:84% Even if they are not affluent, not all of them are vulnerable. 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:37.580 align:middle line:84% Within that community there will be certain families 00:00:37.580 --> 00:00:39.990 align:middle line:90% who are extremely vulnerable. 00:00:39.990 --> 00:00:44.100 align:middle line:84% So we will identify those very, very vulnerable families-- 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:48.070 align:middle line:84% families where children are probably malnourished. 00:00:48.070 --> 00:00:50.280 align:middle line:84% Their haemoglobin levels are low. 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:52.680 align:middle line:84% Children are not going to school. 00:00:52.680 --> 00:00:56.400 align:middle line:84% They are probably subjected to some form of abuse. 00:00:56.400 --> 00:00:58.500 align:middle line:90% Not always, but sometimes. 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:00.930 align:middle line:84% They don't have proper sanitation facilities. 00:01:00.930 --> 00:01:03.010 align:middle line:90% They don't have proper shelter. 00:01:03.010 --> 00:01:06.390 align:middle line:84% Parents do not have the right kind of livelihood, 00:01:06.390 --> 00:01:08.640 align:middle line:84% enough to feed their children also. 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:11.130 align:middle line:90% So we get into these families. 00:01:11.130 --> 00:01:12.210 align:middle line:90% We identify. 00:01:12.210 --> 00:01:16.010 align:middle line:84% And from that point on our work starts with the community 00:01:16.010 --> 00:01:17.010 align:middle line:90% and with these families. 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:20.140 align:middle line:90% 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:22.630 align:middle line:84% What kind of support do you provide to families 00:01:22.630 --> 00:01:27.110 align:middle line:84% and communities as part of your family strengthening programme? 00:01:27.110 --> 00:01:31.090 align:middle line:84% As part of our family strengthening programme, 00:01:31.090 --> 00:01:33.910 align:middle line:84% we have a four or five pronged approach. 00:01:33.910 --> 00:01:35.860 align:middle line:84% I will just broadly list them and then 00:01:35.860 --> 00:01:37.870 align:middle line:90% get into the details of it. 00:01:37.870 --> 00:01:41.800 align:middle line:84% So one is we look at the essential needs of the child. 00:01:41.800 --> 00:01:44.650 align:middle line:84% And we address those needs of the children. 00:01:44.650 --> 00:01:47.500 align:middle line:84% We look at the livelihood support 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:53.080 align:middle line:84% that these caregivers or the mothers of these families need. 00:01:53.080 --> 00:01:55.300 align:middle line:84% And we address that aspect of it. 00:01:55.300 --> 00:01:59.140 align:middle line:84% We do the capacity building of the caregivers 00:01:59.140 --> 00:02:02.320 align:middle line:84% and of the children with whom we are working. 00:02:02.320 --> 00:02:04.070 align:middle line:90% And we look at the community. 00:02:04.070 --> 00:02:06.200 align:middle line:84% We look at sensitising the community. 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:10.270 align:middle line:84% We look at creating the social security 00:02:10.270 --> 00:02:13.840 align:middle line:84% system around these families in the communities. 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:17.290 align:middle line:84% So now after having spoken about these broad four areas, 00:02:17.290 --> 00:02:20.870 align:middle line:84% I can just delve deeper into each one of them. 00:02:20.870 --> 00:02:23.110 align:middle line:84% The first important thing is really 00:02:23.110 --> 00:02:25.720 align:middle line:84% taking care of the basic needs of the child. 00:02:25.720 --> 00:02:28.480 align:middle line:84% So once we've identified the families, 00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:31.480 align:middle line:84% what we realised is that there are a lot of these children 00:02:31.480 --> 00:02:36.100 align:middle line:84% in the families whose BMI levels are low-- 00:02:36.100 --> 00:02:37.630 align:middle line:90% body mass index. 00:02:37.630 --> 00:02:39.850 align:middle line:84% Their haemoglobin levels are lower. 00:02:39.850 --> 00:02:42.640 align:middle line:84% They are not getting enough nourishment. 00:02:42.640 --> 00:02:44.980 align:middle line:84% They're not getting the right medical care. 00:02:44.980 --> 00:02:46.630 align:middle line:90% They're not getting education. 00:02:46.630 --> 00:02:49.600 align:middle line:84% So their basic needs are not taken care of. 00:02:49.600 --> 00:02:53.170 align:middle line:84% The first essential and urgent need 00:02:53.170 --> 00:02:56.650 align:middle line:84% is to take care of their basic needs. 00:02:56.650 --> 00:03:00.430 align:middle line:84% We make sure that their health gets taken care of. 00:03:00.430 --> 00:03:06.190 align:middle line:84% We make sure that these children get enough nutritious food. 00:03:06.190 --> 00:03:10.270 align:middle line:84% We also make sure that all these children start going to school. 00:03:10.270 --> 00:03:14.140 align:middle line:84% It's not necessary that they need to go to a private school. 00:03:14.140 --> 00:03:16.120 align:middle line:84% They can go to a government school 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:19.900 align:middle line:84% where the education is absolutely free. 00:03:19.900 --> 00:03:23.890 align:middle line:84% So this takes care of the essential needs of the child. 00:03:23.890 --> 00:03:27.910 align:middle line:84% Now leading from that, it's very critical 00:03:27.910 --> 00:03:33.850 align:middle line:84% that the mother is economically empowered. 00:03:33.850 --> 00:03:37.900 align:middle line:84% If the mother is economically empowered, she will on her own 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:40.750 align:middle line:84% be able to take care of her child. 00:03:40.750 --> 00:03:44.440 align:middle line:84% So the next step for us is to engage with the mother, 00:03:44.440 --> 00:03:48.370 align:middle line:84% to engage with the family, and make the mother 00:03:48.370 --> 00:03:52.510 align:middle line:84% understand the importance of being an income 00:03:52.510 --> 00:03:55.000 align:middle line:90% earner for the family. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.480 align:middle line:84% Then we sit with each caregiver and we try and identify 00:03:58.480 --> 00:04:01.490 align:middle line:90% what is their area of interest. 00:04:01.490 --> 00:04:03.730 align:middle line:84% So whatever that lady wants to do, 00:04:03.730 --> 00:04:08.770 align:middle line:84% we will provide financial support to start that business. 00:04:08.770 --> 00:04:12.100 align:middle line:84% We will give the lady a sewing machine, 00:04:12.100 --> 00:04:13.420 align:middle line:90% if that's what she wants. 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:15.330 align:middle line:84% We'll give her money to buy her cattle, 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:16.870 align:middle line:90% if that's what she wants. 00:04:16.870 --> 00:04:19.089 align:middle line:84% We'll give her money to buy the computer, 00:04:19.089 --> 00:04:21.230 align:middle line:90% if that's what she wants. 00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:24.100 align:middle line:84% Now that's the hardware that she's got. 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:25.540 align:middle line:90% That's not enough. 00:04:25.540 --> 00:04:28.480 align:middle line:84% So this is the whole third aspect 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.330 align:middle line:84% associated with creation of livelihood, 00:04:31.330 --> 00:04:35.860 align:middle line:84% which is doing the capacity building of these women. 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:38.500 align:middle line:84% As part of capacity building we also 00:04:38.500 --> 00:04:40.870 align:middle line:90% create the self-help groups. 00:04:40.870 --> 00:04:45.400 align:middle line:90% Now the self-help groups are-- 00:04:45.400 --> 00:04:47.980 align:middle line:84% in the community we will really take, 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:50.230 align:middle line:90% let's say, 12 to 15 women. 00:04:50.230 --> 00:04:52.060 align:middle line:90% We bring them together. 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:55.390 align:middle line:84% We bring them into a small group. 00:04:55.390 --> 00:04:58.570 align:middle line:84% And the group itself is called the self-help. 00:04:58.570 --> 00:05:02.010 align:middle line:84% Each self-help group will have its own bank account. 00:05:02.010 --> 00:05:05.020 align:middle line:84% Each caregiver who is part of the self-help group 00:05:05.020 --> 00:05:07.400 align:middle line:84% will have their own bank accounts. 00:05:07.400 --> 00:05:10.420 align:middle line:84% Now each individual-- the group will together 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:15.580 align:middle line:84% decide, OK, we are going to save, let's say, $50 a month 00:05:15.580 --> 00:05:19.300 align:middle line:84% or $10 a month individually and deposit it 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:21.220 align:middle line:90% in the self-help group. 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:24.880 align:middle line:84% So every woman would contribute $10 every month 00:05:24.880 --> 00:05:26.860 align:middle line:90% to the self-help group. 00:05:26.860 --> 00:05:29.200 align:middle line:84% And so the corpus of the self-help group 00:05:29.200 --> 00:05:31.810 align:middle line:84% will, over a period of time, build up. 00:05:31.810 --> 00:05:34.236 align:middle line:90% Now what does this corpus do? 00:05:34.236 --> 00:05:38.680 align:middle line:84% This corpus is actually used by these women 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:40.570 align:middle line:90% in times of their need. 00:05:40.570 --> 00:05:41.680 align:middle line:90% So if a woman-- 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:44.500 align:middle line:84% someone in the family falls sick. 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:48.670 align:middle line:84% She does not have medical insurance. 00:05:48.670 --> 00:05:49.720 align:middle line:90% What does she do? 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:54.460 align:middle line:84% She can take a loan from the self-help group. 00:05:54.460 --> 00:05:56.420 align:middle line:90% She takes care of her family. 00:05:56.420 --> 00:05:59.320 align:middle line:90% She repays the money over time. 00:05:59.320 --> 00:06:01.840 align:middle line:84% To broadly say what is the purpose 00:06:01.840 --> 00:06:06.580 align:middle line:84% of the self-help group-- it's a safety net for these caregivers 00:06:06.580 --> 00:06:09.910 align:middle line:84% so that they can, together, work with each other 00:06:09.910 --> 00:06:14.830 align:middle line:84% and continue to grow in their economic well-being 00:06:14.830 --> 00:06:17.800 align:middle line:84% and on their other aspects of life. 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.610 align:middle line:84% So that's the work we do with the women. 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:22.560 align:middle line:84% Now the fourth important aspect is 00:06:22.560 --> 00:06:25.500 align:middle line:84% working with the community in which they stay. 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:27.450 align:middle line:84% So as mentioned earlier, there are 00:06:27.450 --> 00:06:31.410 align:middle line:84% a lot of social discrimination, social stigmas that are 00:06:31.410 --> 00:06:37.120 align:middle line:90% attached in different cultures. 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:41.010 align:middle line:84% It's very, very critical to sensitise the community. 00:06:41.010 --> 00:06:43.660 align:middle line:84% It is very important to work with the community 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:48.220 align:middle line:84% so that they can become support groups for these families who 00:06:48.220 --> 00:06:49.830 align:middle line:90% are vulnerable. 00:06:49.830 --> 00:06:53.670 align:middle line:84% A very important thing that SOS Children's Villages of India 00:06:53.670 --> 00:06:56.910 align:middle line:84% does in our family strengthening programme, 00:06:56.910 --> 00:06:59.580 align:middle line:84% is a concept called Bal Panchayat. 00:06:59.580 --> 00:07:03.210 align:middle line:84% You know, Bal Panchayat is a Hindi word. 00:07:03.210 --> 00:07:05.490 align:middle line:84% If you translate it into English, 00:07:05.490 --> 00:07:10.310 align:middle line:84% it means children's parliament, or children's governance 00:07:10.310 --> 00:07:12.210 align:middle line:90% systems. 00:07:12.210 --> 00:07:15.270 align:middle line:84% So not only children from the families 00:07:15.270 --> 00:07:18.300 align:middle line:84% that we are supporting but all the other children 00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:23.040 align:middle line:84% of the community come together to make a little children's 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:24.780 align:middle line:90% governance group. 00:07:24.780 --> 00:07:27.180 align:middle line:84% And what this governance group does 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:30.180 align:middle line:84% is they discuss the needs of the children. 00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:35.280 align:middle line:84% What is it, if the teachers are not coming to the classroom, 00:07:35.280 --> 00:07:38.490 align:middle line:84% this children's group will discuss that issue 00:07:38.490 --> 00:07:41.530 align:middle line:84% and bring it up to the village governance body. 00:07:41.530 --> 00:07:44.730 align:middle line:84% That in our school teachers are not attending classes. 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:46.360 align:middle line:90% Our education is suffering. 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:48.270 align:middle line:90% The toilets are not working. 00:07:48.270 --> 00:07:49.340 align:middle line:90% Those are issues. 00:07:49.340 --> 00:07:52.230 align:middle line:90% Sanitation is not proper. 00:07:52.230 --> 00:07:54.450 align:middle line:84% If children are insecure, then how 00:07:54.450 --> 00:07:56.310 align:middle line:84% do we address the issues of that? 00:07:56.310 --> 00:07:58.530 align:middle line:84% So we then work with these children 00:07:58.530 --> 00:08:01.170 align:middle line:84% on how to approach the elders, how 00:08:01.170 --> 00:08:07.470 align:middle line:84% to really create a voice for the child in the village community. 00:08:07.470 --> 00:08:11.970 align:middle line:84% And then the children start to get to listened to. 00:08:11.970 --> 00:08:15.300 align:middle line:84% So as I had mentioned these are the four pronged approach 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:18.510 align:middle line:84% that we have when we get into a community 00:08:18.510 --> 00:08:23.460 align:middle line:84% and work with families to make a difference in their lives. 00:08:23.460 --> 00:08:26.520 align:middle line:84% How do you ensure your work is sustainable? 00:08:26.520 --> 00:08:32.370 align:middle line:84% So in a way, a critical way of ensuring sustainability 00:08:32.370 --> 00:08:35.340 align:middle line:84% is creating the linkage with the government. 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:37.600 align:middle line:84% Because in a country like India there 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:40.740 align:middle line:84% are a lot of government schemes that are available. 00:08:40.740 --> 00:08:43.830 align:middle line:84% And that the government has been very progressive in terms 00:08:43.830 --> 00:08:46.740 align:middle line:84% of defining the various schemes which 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:49.260 align:middle line:84% are pro-poor, which can help children, 00:08:49.260 --> 00:08:51.420 align:middle line:90% which can help families. 00:08:51.420 --> 00:08:54.390 align:middle line:84% The challenge here, the challenge in our country, 00:08:54.390 --> 00:08:58.380 align:middle line:84% is that either these schemes have not 00:08:58.380 --> 00:09:00.780 align:middle line:90% reached the most marginalised. 00:09:00.780 --> 00:09:04.140 align:middle line:84% Or even if they have reached the most marginalised, 00:09:04.140 --> 00:09:07.110 align:middle line:84% then these families are not aware of it. 00:09:07.110 --> 00:09:09.330 align:middle line:90% So how do we bridge that gap? 00:09:09.330 --> 00:09:11.810 align:middle line:84% That is important for sustainability. 00:09:11.810 --> 00:09:14.160 align:middle line:84% Point number one, it is very critical 00:09:14.160 --> 00:09:18.630 align:middle line:84% to create a system of dialogue between the government, 00:09:18.630 --> 00:09:21.810 align:middle line:84% between the caregivers, and between the communities. 00:09:21.810 --> 00:09:24.780 align:middle line:84% Education system is completely free. 00:09:24.780 --> 00:09:29.250 align:middle line:84% Health care is completely free for poor people. 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:34.380 align:middle line:84% There are also insurance schemes that are available. 00:09:34.380 --> 00:09:37.230 align:middle line:84% So those are schemes that are available for these people. 00:09:37.230 --> 00:09:38.820 align:middle line:84% In many of those said schemes there 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:42.240 align:middle line:84% are minimum guarantees for employment. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:47.760 align:middle line:84% Which is, again, something that these families can access. 00:09:47.760 --> 00:09:51.060 align:middle line:84% But what is important is that these families 00:09:51.060 --> 00:09:55.200 align:middle line:84% are able to fill out the right forms and do the work. 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:58.320 align:middle line:84% And also these government offices 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:00.780 align:middle line:84% are willing to support these families. 00:10:00.780 --> 00:10:04.820 align:middle line:84% This put together makes a programme sustainable. 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:12.310 align:middle line:90%