Needs Assessment in Slum Area, Sector 15,...

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Needs Assessment in Slum Area, Sector 15, NOIDA

Assignment and report by: Zaved Nafis Rahman & Apurva Singh

November 2018

Initiative of: Aid for Child Trust

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Table of Content

Particulars Page No.

Background Objective of Needs Assessment Methodology Execution

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Interviews with Out-of-School Children 4 – 6

Interviews with School-going Children 7 – 8

Resource Mapping 9 – 11

Force-field Analysis 12 – 13

Problem Matrix Exercise 14 – 15

Mobility Diagram 16 – 19

Focused Group Discussion with Parents in Slum Community 20 – 21

Interviews with Employers of Working Children 22 – 24

Visit to Schools 25 – 28

About NGOs working in and around slum area, sector 15 NOIDA 29

Problem Analysis Focal Problem, Causes and Effect Problem Tree Desired Objective, Means and Ends Objective Tree Problem Analysis

30 – 37

Recommendations for Aid for Child Trust (ACT) 38

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Background

Aid for Child Trust (ACT) has been working with children in a slum area of NOIDA sector 15 since July

2016. ACT provides free education to children and intends to help these children get out of poverty.

Objective of the Needs Assessment

The objective is to conduct a stakeholder, problem and objective analysis (hereafter SPO Analysis) on

why out-of-school children do not go to school and provide a supporting document to apply external

funding for a project in the slum of Noida sector 15, Uttar Pradesh.

Methodology

1. Resource Mapping exercise: This is a participatory tool to understand the existing resources in the

community especially what schools are existing.

2. Visit to schools: These visits were made to get insights into school ambience, infrastructure and

facilities of the schools. During the visits, interviews were held with couple of school authorities/

teachers.

3. Interview of school going children (2 boys and 2 girls)

4. Mobility Diagram exercise with out of school children- 4 exercises covering girls and boys and 2 age

brackets i.e. children below 14 years and children between 14-18 years. This provided insights into the

daily movements and engagements of the children and other relevant information.

5. Force-field analysis- 2 exercises separately with girls and boys. This provided insights into factors that

influence children to attend school and factors that keep them away from school.

6. Problem Matrix- 2 exercises separately with girls and boys. This brought to light the problems/ issues

faced by the children and how they prioritise them.

7. Interviews with 20 out of school children in the community.

8. Interview with employers- 6

9. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with parents of children (5 families)

10. Problem and Objective Analysis (problem tree and objective tree) - cause and effect analysis of

main problems/ issues

Execution of the Needs Assessment/ Survey

The needs assessment began with recruiting a team of 5 surveyors (enumerators) for a week long field

survey in the slum community of sector 15 and 16 of NOIDA. The next step was the training of the survey

team on the tools used for the needs assessment. It was held in the centre run by ACT in sector 15, NOIDA.

The needs assessment was carried out from 26th November 2018 to 30th November 2018. The detailed

plan of action is annexed.

Note: all interactions with children and members of the community were held by taking their consent.

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Interviews with Out-of-School Children A random sample of 10 girls and 10 boys were interviewed. These children were in the age group of 5 to 18 years.

Out of the 20 children interviewed, 10 children had previously attended school and dropped out eventually, and 10 children had never been enrolled in a school.

Out of 10 interviewed girls, 5 had not attended any school ever. Similarly, 5 out of 10 interviewed boys had never attended any school.

Majority children interviewed were Hindus.

There were 3 Muslim children out of total 20 interviewed which constitutes 15% of the sample.

Drop-out children Children who attended schools earlier but later dropped out, ranged in the age group of 8 to 18 years.

Children mentioned multiple reasons for dropping out of school. The most common reasons included:

Migration for better work opportunities for parents

Corporal punishment in school

Bad treatment by teachers

No interest in going to school

The chart below highlights all reasons as shared by children for dropping out of school.

Out of these children, 3 attend some classes (two in NGOs and one attends an NGO as well as private tuition classes at Rs. 30 per month). Remaining 7 children do not attend any classes whatsoever.

Among these children, one boy works in a grocery shop and another boy helps his mother at their grocery shop. Remaining 8 children either do not do anything or help in household chores like cooking, cleaning, taking care of siblings and house, dropping and picking siblings from school.

No proper studies, 2

Migration due to parents' work, 3

Corporal punishment in school, 2

No interest in going to school, 2

Fear of school, 1

Teachers are rough/rude, don’t pay

attention, 2

Children's fights, 1

Looking after siblings, 1

Reasons for dropping out of school

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Children never enrolled in schools Children who have never attended any school were in the range of 5 year to 14 years.

Out of these children, only one attends a madrasa (Islamic school) and one goes to an educational centre run by an NGO. Remaining 8 children do not attend any classes by any NGO or religious institutions. One boy used to visit an NGO until last year but stopped visiting due to corporal punishment. One girl was mentally unstable and the family fears sending her to school due to safety reasons.

Most common reasons behind children not attending school were:

Requirement of Aadhaar card for admission

Poverty / financial constraints

One child didn’t give any reason for non-enrollment which could also mean neglect by parents or parent’s not giving due importance to education.

The following chart highlights the reasons shared by children for not being enrolled in any school:

Except for one boy who works at a stall (thela) selling momos, all the children stay at home, play and roam around and also help at home.

Who do these children approach when they face any difficulty at home or in the community? Most of the children reach out to their parents or guardian (aunty / uncle) or elder siblings for help. Some children didn’t provide any concrete answers which indicates that there are no proper mechanisms for them to seek help in case of emergency. They would be seeking help from their immediate family (parents / guardians) but some children also indicated that their parents remained unavailable due to their work.

Family background, parent’s occupation 18 children had both parents living with them whereas two children had their mothers with them.

All the children had siblings (average number of siblings per child is 3.4).

Fathers in all the families work, with mothers in 11 families working as well. One mother had been working until two years ago but left it as children had to be taken care of.

Poverty, 2

Aadhaar card not available, 3

No opportunity, 1

Mentally challenged, 1

Parent unwell, 1

Parents don’t enroll, 1

No reason, 1

Reasons for non-enrollment in schools

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In two children’s cases, their elder siblings worked as well, whereas in two cases, children themselves were also working.

8 men (fathers) worked as labourers making it the most common occupation and 4 pulled rickshaw. Other occupations included electrical work, driving and tyre puncture repairing.

4 women (mothers) engaged in domestic work (working as servants doing household chores) in homes and two engaged in labour work. Other occupations included working in factories, grocery shops and as scrap collector and seller. One women worked in Rajnigandha factory until two years ago.

Two children who worked in order to supplement family income engaged in rickshaw pulling / labour work and work in grocery shop.

Dreams of children 11 children out of 20 interviewed children expressed desire to study in future. They had ambitions to become policeman, doctor, teacher or in general to become self-reliant and help their parents.

2 children shared that they wanted to become dancers.

6 children didn’t give any response or expressed that they were not sure about the future. 1 child even expressed that he didn’t want to do anything, nor did he have any resources to think of doing something in future.

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Interviews with School-going Children 8 school going children were interviewed in order to understand how they perceived education in school and touch upon various aspects of their engagement at schools.

The sample comprised 4 girls and 4 boys. These children ranged in the age group of 10 years to 16 years and studies in different grades ranging from 4th to 9th grade.

6 children among these studied in a government school whereas one had shifted to a government school from private school this year due to inability to play fees.

What do children like in their school? Among the reasons which made children like their schools, good education topped the list with as many as 7 children talking about it. They specified factors like good teaching and good behavior by teachers.

8 children shared that quality infrastructure and facilities for students, make them like their schools. They specified that they are taken care of in school (1), get clean drinking water (2), have clean classrooms (1), clean toilets (2) and also get food (1) and stationery (1) from their schools.

2 children cited their reason as sports / fun time in school. One of them enjoys twice a week sports classes and the other enjoys playing with friends.

1 girl child shared that because of school, she doesn’t have to work much at home and therefore she like attending school.

What do children want to improve / change in their schools? Children were asked if there was something they wanted to improve / change about their school to make it more interesting.

The lack of opportunities / facilities to play and fights among children came out to be the main areas where the children would like improvement. While one child shared that they didn’t have a playground, other two shared that they didn’t have any sports equipment like football, bat, ball etc. to play with. Similarly, 3 children expressed their issues regarding children’s fights at school. Children would hurt each other, use abusive language or disturb in the class.

Why do we like our schools?

Good teaching

Friendly teachers

Clean drinking water

Clean classrooms

Food

Stationery

Clean toilets

Sports

Fun time with friends

Keeps me away from household chores

Better attitude

of teachers

More time for

lunch

No fights among

children

Toilets in good

condition

Better opportunities

to play

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Other improvements / changes that children desired included more time for lunch (1), better toilets (1) and better attitude of teachers (1). Children specified that 15 minutes for lunch were usually inadequate, the toilets were in bad shape and teachers didn’t treat them well and some even threatened with action by taking students to the principal. One child didn’t give any response.

Who do you approach when you face any difficulty in school? 6 children shared that they reach out to their class teacher or principal in case of any trouble at school. One of them also approaches his parents based on the need.

2 children mentioned that they approach their parents in such situations. While one child takes his parents to school in case of any problem, the other shared that he feels scared of reaching out to the teacher and hence seeks parents’ help.

This shows that while majority children feel comfortable in reaching out to their teachers / principal in case of need, there are some children who feel scared in doing so and hence, there is a need to sensitize teachers to adopt more child-friendly and open approach and also motivate children to seek help.

Any help received by the child / family from school/ government 7 out of 8 school going children had been studying in government run schools. While 3 among the government school going children shared that they don’t receive any help from their school, 2 shared that they receive a scholarship amount every year in their bank accounts which is based on their grade in which they study. 2 other children shared that they receive uniform from their school.

One child studying in a private school expressed that his school didn’t provide anything and his parents provide him with all necessities.

Reasons for children to never go to school / drop out of school Children’s interests

Many children don’t feel like studying. Their interests lie in playing or roaming around or they get into substance abuse.

Behaviour of teachers

Many teachers also behave rough with children, not treating them well or not giving them due marks, sometimes even failing them by one mark.

Fear of exams

Sometimes children fear exams so much so that they stop going to school during exams. Many children also never go back to school if they fail in exams.

Apprehension about sending girls to school

Parents feel apprehensive about sending their daughters to school due to safety reasons. Many parents also don’t feel that it is important to educate their girls and hence don’t priorities it even when they send their sons to school.

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Resource Mapping

An exercise with members of the community including adults, adolescents and children was conducted to

understand the resources available in the community. This mapping of resources was conducted through

an informal discussion where community members were encouraged to draw a map of their vicinity

highlighting important landmarks / resources available to them. The outcome was as follows:

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Discussion:

Sports There is no open space for children to engage in sports /

outdoor play in the slum area. Children play in the lane

itself which also has hand-drawn carts (vegetable sellers

and other vendors), bikes and cycles coming and going

throughout.

There are some open spaces outside the slum like park in

sector 15. However, there are difficulties in using these

parks, e.g. gambling by adults, girls not allowed due to

safety reasons, closing of gates and guard denying entry

to children.

Education There are 4 private school and 1 government school near the slums. Some children attend these

schools but a significant number doesn’t attend any school.

Poverty is a major reason for parents not sending their children to study. Many parents also send their

children to work to make ends meet. Girls face additional safety concerns sue to which many parents

don’t send their daughters for education. Many children also don’t attend schools because of their

disinterest in school or interest in roaming around / playing,

There are a few learning centres run by NGOs in the slum e.g., Deepalaya, FXB Surakhsa and All India

Development, Noida where some children go.

Infrastructure The slum is located along a large drain (nala) with a narrow lane

for passage and jhuggis on both sides of the lane. These jhuggies

are makeshift houses.

The slum doesn’t have a proper road and it gets flooded during

rains.

There is one submersible which enables water supply for the

slum. Families have to pay for this water.

Electricity is available and houses have meters attached. However

people complained about high electricity bills.

Health and Hygiene There are 3 small medical clinics in the slum run by private

practitioners. There is also a small public dispensary opposite to the current ACT centre.

In case of major medical assistance needed, the community members have to go to the nearest

government hospital in sector 30, Noida. Many members from the community shared that they are

not treated well there.

Slum Area, Sector 15/16, Noida

Park in the area with closed gates

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Due to the large drain next to the slum, there are mosquitoes and disease outbreaks every now and

then. These outbreaks increase during rains. Fumigation is done sometimes but the problem persists.

Drinking water that is available to the community is dirty and contains insects. Community members

therefore are forced to buy drinking water.

Max India Foundation provides weekly medicines to the community.

Emergency helpline service Childline (1098) is operational in the area and run by FXB Suraksha India. In cases of emergency, the

Childline team is available.

Other There is a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus depot just outside the slum area.

There are at least 3 temples, 1 mosque and 1 church in the slum.

There is also a local alcohol shop (illegal).

There is a community centre very near to the new ACT centre (Naya Bans, sector-15. However this

place is used for parking and gambling by locals.

Community centre, front entry Community centre opposite to new

ACT centre

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Force-field Analysis

A mixed group of children and adolescents was involved in a group exercise (girls and boys separately)

to understand pull factors that keep them in school or push factors that make them leave the school.

What makes you stay in school / what do you like in school?

Girls Boys Good education

Dreams of becoming somebody important when we grow up like police, doctor etc.

Big play ground

Greenery

Toilets

Clean drinking water

Security guard for children’s safety

Parents send us to school regularly

Maths class, Science class

Games period

Playground, swings

Exercising in school

Hobby period

Sports day

Good teachers

Making friends

Good education

Learning good habits

Wish to become doctor, Police, CID, professional

Food / lunch

Canteen

Children’s day

Receiving books

Discussions among girls

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What makes you drop out of schools / not enroll in schools?

Girls Boys Many children don’t feel like

studying

Some face problems at home due to which they can’t go to school

Many parents can’t send their children to schools because they don’t have money

Teachers / staff make children work in schools. E.g., cleaning utensils etc.

Some children have to take care of their younger siblings at home due to which they can’t study

Teachers discriminate among children

Unhygienic meals (lizard in mid-day meals)

Insects in drinking water

Child marriage makes children drop out

Teachers stray in their office, gossip or be on their phones and not pay attention to children, due to which children also make mischief

Many children including girls beg or engage in selling scrap near metro station (sector 15 / 16)

Some children have to go to work due to which they can’t go to school

Some girls fall in love at school due to which their parents stop sending them to school

Principal don’t take some children’s admissions citing various reasons like requirement of various ID proofs including Aadhaar

Some children have to stay at home when their parents leave for work

Schools ask for money for getting admission done

Corporal punishment

Some children bunk school and go to roam around

Some parents don’t send their children or tell them to discontinue

Older girls have to stay at home to take care of younger siblings and hence they dropout

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Problem Matrix Exercise

Separate group of girls and boys were asked to deliberate on their problems / issues that they face in their

day to day lives. After they jotted down the same, they were asked to identify the top three most pressing

issues that they need immediate help with.

Girls Child marriage for girls (girls as young as 13-14 years are married off, boys are married around 18

years)

Restrictions and less opportunities for girls (prohibited to speak to anyone, restrictions on how

they dress, what they do, where they go, makeup etc.)

No freedom of choice in case of marriage (girls can’t express their will to marry someone they

like; if they do, it’s not accepted)

No toilets in houses; forced to defecate in open (boys make videos of girls when they go out to

the jungle nearby)

No money to take tuitions, study or pursue courses

High electricity bills

Eve-teasing faced by girls; boys stay out until late night / early morning

Adults gamble, take alcohol / drugs and abuse; some children follow suit

Girls cant pursue hobbies like dance; people stare and gossip / badmouth

Girls’ opinions are not heard / valued

Girls are engaged in work at home or outside and hence kept away from education

Taboo around periods; girls are not allowed to visit temples, enter kitchen or even touch many

objects

Houses are small and families are big

Girls are timid; won’t speak even if they are facing troubles

Have to go secretly to dispose off pads; people, including women stare at girls

Dirty and infected drinking water

Mosquitoes because of open drain next to the slums; diseases like dengue, malaria etc. are

common

Foul smell from nearby dump yard

Teachers put false allegations on children for theft of their belongings like phones etc.

Many children have no one to share their problems with, neither anyone in their families, nor

friends

Trees are cut recklessly

Frequent thefts inside homes and outside

Adults and many children differentiate/ discriminate against people with disability, appearance,

colour or any disease

Some children don’t have clothes

Many girls and boys do not take care of their parents after marriage

Dowry is a common practice and many girls whose dowry isn’t sufficient for their in-laws are

beaten up / abused

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Boys Ganja is sold in the slum openly

Supply water is dirty, has germs / insects

Many children don’t go to schools

Open drain next to the slum causes mosquitoes hence all kind of diseases

No space to play

Men in the slum drink alcohol or abuse substance

and beat up their wives; many also snatch away

money from their wives and gamble

Seeing adults drinking alcohol, some children

also take it. There is an illegal alcohol shop also

near a temple in the slum

Children sniff whitener (substance abuse)

Children abuse; they learn the same from adults

Many young and adolescent girls are forced to

work

Small children work in hotels, dhabas and

garages nearby. Many children work near metro

station engaging in stalls selling parantha, eggs, naan etc.

Many thefts in the slum community; children also conduct these thefts

Children beg around McDonald’s (nearby).

Some children also shared that the security guard near Mc Donald’s provides children with alcohol.

When children commit thefts, their parents have to pay huge amounts to police

Small children smoke cigarettes

Many children work as rag-pickers

Adults gamble in the community; many children also gamble

TOP THREE PROBLEMS CHILDREN WANT SOLVED

Girls Boys 1. No toilets in houses; forced to

defecate in open (boys make

videos of girls when they go out

to the jungle nearby)

2. Child marriage for girls (girls as

young as 13-14 years are

married off, boys are married

around 18 years)

3. No money to take tuitions, study

or pursue courses

1. Men in the slum drink alcohol or abuse substance

and beat up their wives; many also snatch away

money from their wives and gamble

2. Ganja is sold in the slum openly; Seeing adults

drinking alcohol, some children also take it. There

is an illegal alcohol shop also near a temple in the

slum; Children sniff whitener (substance abuse);

Small children smoke cigarettes

3. Many children don’t go to schools

Discussions among boys

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Mobility Diagram

The mobility diagram showed that younger children (boys and girls) move around within a small radius of

the community. They travel to their school, nearby park or hang out in and around the community itself.

Whereas older children especially boys also move far and away from the community for playing in parks,

roaming around with friends or work purposes. Older girls however are much restricted in the community.

Sometimes they visit the nearby markets but usually with their parents.

The charts below indicate children’s movement highlighting where they go and the distance / time taken:

Boys (below the age of 14 years)

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Girls (below the age of 14 years)

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Boys (14 to 18 years of age)

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Girls (14 to 18 years of age)

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Focused Group Discussion with Parents in Slum Community

Participants 1. Mr. Manchand – He has 6 children and used to work in MCD office at the position of ASI, until he was

suspended for some reason.

2. Mr. Sunny Kumar – He has a daughter and he does painting work. He has been living in this slum since

his birth.

3. Ms. Shakuntala – She has a daughter and manages home.

4. Mr. Sonu – He has two children and runs an e-commerce business.

5. Rajrani – She and her family has been living in this slum for last 8 years. Her husband works as a

labourer. She has a 12 year old daughter, who goes to school.

6. Sangeeta – she has been living in this place for last 3 years. She has 3 sons and 1 daughter. Her children

dropped out of school.

What do parents think about their children’s education? All the parents feel that education is important for children and that they should get it.

What is the reason behind children not going to school or dropping out? Due to poverty, rent for house, electricity etc.

Parents not dropping children to school on time

Parents being busy in their own work and not being able to pay attention to their children

Teachers are not sincere in government schools and only do time pass

Teachers don’t pay attention to children and hence children bunk classes or miss school

Children leave for school but go elsewhere to roam around; teachers don’t give information regarding

this to parents

Children visit their villages in holidays for festivals. Many times, this leads to more leaves and hence

children not attending school.

Discussion on children’s rights, education and protection: Parents are aware that children have the right to play and the right to education. They realise that it is the

responsibility of parents to give education to their children.

Parents express that they are careful about children’s protection. Parents keep an eye on their children

and care for other girls too.

What can be done to ensure that their children get education? If there are spaces and equipment available to children for sports, their energies will be diverted from

negative activities and they will be engaged positively.

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Other general points discussed Parents need to guide their children and be their role models.

Parents must attend parents-teachers meetings in school. If father is busy at work, mother must

attend the same. Also parents should ensure that their children are well-dressed (uniform, shoes etc.)

for going to school.

Many younger children take alcohol and solution (substance abuse) which they learn from adults.

Parents need to be aware that if they indulge in substance abuse in front of their children, children

would follow suit.

None of the parents are aware of any social security scheme.

Note: Just when the discussion was ending, Mr. Sonu called 2 boys who were around 10 years old. They

were wearing school uniform and playing top spin. These children had dropped out of school due to

parental neglect and ignorance. The survey team informed the children and the adults there that such

children can be helped by ACT. They were asked to visit the nearby ACT centre and the contact number

of Mr. Pritam was given.

FGD with parents in the slum

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Interviews with Employers

Location: Motor Market

Names of the employers, shop type and shop timings:

1. Mr. Sabuddin: shop name - Old Body Parts, timing – 10 am to 6 pm

2. Mr. Mehmood: motor garage, 10 am to 8 pm

3. Mr. Gaurav: MRF tyres & automobiles, 10 am to 7 pm

4. Mr. Mohd. Rafeek Haji: M.R. Motors, 10 am to 7 pm

5. Mr. Raju Thakur: Food stall, 7 am to 8 pm

6. Mr. Rahul: Automobile shop, 10 am to 7:30 pm

Child’s name and details:

1. Noor Hasan, 16-17 years old

2. X (child didn’t say the name)

3. Harinder, 17 years old

4. Bablu, 17 years old

5. Y, 14 years old

6. Javed, 17 years old

How long has the child been involved in the work, what does she/he do and timing?

1. 1 month: learning denting, painting, child comes & goes with Employer; full day (8 hours a day)

2. 2 years: 10 am – 8 pm (10 hours a day)

3. 1.5 years: helps mistri in fixing car engines, 10 am – 7 pm (9 hours a day)

4. 1.5 years: denting, painting, helps mistri

5. 2 months: works 7 am- 9 am and 6pm- 8 pm (4 hours a day)

6. 3 months: training going on

Where are the child’s parents? Where does the child sleep?

1. Child lives in Trilokpuri with his parents. Shop Employer is his neighbor and has agreed to bring

him to the shop as the child otherwise was in bad company, roaming around whole day and

getting into fights.

2. Child has his mother, with whom he lives in jhuggi (slum house). Employer doesn’t give

accommodation.

3. Child lives with parents in Noida City Centre.

4. Parents live in their village in Bihar. Child works and sleeps in the shop itself.

5. Parents live in sector 16 slum and child lives with them.

6. Child lives with his parents in Arola.

What does the child get from this job – food, money, place to stay / sleep?

1. Child gets his food from his home. At work, he only gets paid for daily expenses. He also gets

leaves.

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2. Child gets paid Rs. 6000 per month along with food.

3. Monthly wage

4. Expenses for food and snacks as well as place to stay / sleep

5. We don’t make the child do any work and have kept him only to look after the stall. Sometimes,

he hands over the plates to customers. We pay him Rs. 20 per day which he uses for studying.

6. Random daily expenses and food.

How often, how and to whom does the employer pay for the child’s work?

1. Employer gives money to child’s mother as otherwise the child will spend it all unnecessarily.

2. Employer hands over the monthly pay to child’s mother in cash.

3. Monthly, in cash, to the child himself.

4. Daily expenses / random to the child

5. On days when he comes, I give him Rs. 20. His parents know about it.

6. No wage, only daily random expenses.

Why does the child not go to school?

1. Teachers don’t pay attention to children due to which children indulge in all wrong activities.

Children play cards, roam around and get into fights at school as teachers don’t engage them.

2. Due to poverty, the child has to work. With only mother and three sisters at home, if he doesn’t

work, he won’t get his next meal.

3. Child belongs to a poor family and therefore comes to work here, but is also enrolled in 10th

grade in NIOS and studies.

4. The child has studied up to class 8th. Due to poverty, he comes to learn the work.

5. Parents are themselves not literate and due to poverty cannot send their children to study.

When parents go for work, children, unsupervised, get into wrong company and substance

abuse.

6. Child is 8th pass and himself doesn’t want to study ahead.

In the efforts by ACT for children’s education, how can the employer help?

1. Employer shared that if the boy wants to attend school, he won’t have any problem. He will

them employ the boy in afternoons. He is also willing to send the child for any organizational

programme / event by ACT, and can also send other children around his shop.

2. Employer expressed his inability to help in any way and questioned that if the child goes to

school, who will give for his household expenses.

3. All children working here are enrolled in NIOS and Employer helps them financially as well as let

them go early so that they can study.

4. Employer shared that if he comes across such children in need, he can inform the organization.

5. Employer expressed that he doesn’t want to employ children and kept this boy only as his

mother insisted. If the organization wants to enroll the child in education, they can take him

with themselves.

6. Employer expressed that he can help monetarily for the child to pursue studies but he himself

isn’t interested.

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How many children would be around who are out of school?

1. There are 3-4 children around his shop.

2. There are many children who come here to learn the work. So many have opened their own

garages now.

3. Employer doesn’t have an idea. Children who work with him are all enrolled in NIOS and pursue

studies along with work.

4. Employer doesn’t have any other such child.

5. No idea. Employer himself keeps moving between here to Arola.

6. Employer doesn’t have an idea.

How do you help if the child is unwell, faces any problem / emergency?

1. Employer would get the child treated, bear all expenses, if there is any problem faced at work.

2. Employer doesn’t help in any way, and expressed his displeasure over the fact that the child

misses work many times in a month and abuses substance. The child was having gutkha even

during this interview.

3. If child feels unwell at work, the Employer shows him to a doctor and also helps financially. He

either lets the child rest at work or gives him leave to recover.

4. Employer helps the child in every possible way in case of emergency

5. Employer either takes the child to local doctor or informs the father.

6. Employer takes the child to doctor.

Note: An employer also shared that police raids the shops who employ younger children and fine them

Rs. 20,000.

Inference:

Conversations with employers show that they usually engage adolescents / young adults in work as they

are aware about prohibition of employment of children below 14 years of age (Child Labour Prohibition

and Regulation Act 2016).

5 out of 6 children employed, had dropped out of school or never been to school. One child is enrolled in

the National Institute of Open Schooling.

All adolescents/ children are paid for their work / training which is crucial for supporting themselves and/

their families.

The employers are not aware of any NGO programme nearby. However most of them are willing to send

the employed adolescents / children for any programme for their benefit.

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Visit to Schools

1. Sunlight Public School, Naya Bans, Sector 15, NOIDA

Interview with Ms. Zubaida, Teacher

About the School: This is a private school from nursery to standard 8. It is an English medium school for boys and girls. There are currently 250 students enrolled in the school. The school has been running for last 12 years.

Steps taken to enroll children and motivate them to continue studying in the school

Maximum number of children are children of tenants (in the owner’s building). Monthly fees of Rs.300 to Rs.500 is charged for studying in this school. Sometimes discounts are given. There is no special effort to reach out to vulnerable/ out of school children.

Why do some children drop out of school?

Some drop out when their parents go home, to their villages. The parents take the children with them.

What can be done to prevent children from dropping out or to get vulnerable children to join school?

Mr. Sanjay Kumar, the owner/ Principal of the school can decide about this. His contact number is 9958473766

Observations/ Information about the school

The school is in a very limited/ congested space.

Education classes were going on.

Some children were sitting on ‘charpai’ (cot) and some on floor mat (dari)

Children do not get food or water. They get them from home.

Children need to procure their uniform and books.

2. Navsthali Public School, Naya Bans, Sector 15, NOIDA

Interview with Mr. Jagdish, Vice-Principal since 2010

About the School: The school has been running since 1970. It’s a co-ed school from Nursery up to 8th grade. Apart from children from nearby communities, the school also has children coming from slums of sector 16. For admission, the school takes birth certificate and photos of parents/guardian and child. Majority teachers are locals and hence understand children’s conditions.


School has been trying to help in whatever ways it can like free admission for 3rd child if other two from the same family are attending the school already, concession in fees and charges for books etc. for younger children. We also give additional discounts like no admission charges for marginalised families.

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Is there any social security scheme for vulnerable children/ families?

The school previously used to receive Rs. 300 per child as aid but not anymore.

Also the school doesn’t make any efforts in terms of connecting vulnerable families / children with social security schemes prevalent in their region.


Main reason is migration due to parents work. Children drop out mostly because of this reason.

Additionally, many children drop out due to financial problems at home.


Some steps that can be taken (this school has also taken) are:

Free admission for 3rd child from the same family

Waiving off fine on late fees submission by parents from marginalised communities

Keeping data / info related to every case and then make provisions on case to case basis to ensure children don’t drop out

Jobs for parents in the area will also help


Classes were being run in an orderly fashion with around 250 children (school’s present headcount). Two classes were being run in a big hallway next to each other and there was a separate section for pre-primary section, well-decorated and interesting for children. The school also has open space for children to play and provision for toilets.

3. Moonlight Public School, Sector 15, NOIDA

Interview with Mr. Rohtash, Principal and Founder: He founded the school 14 years ago and manages the same with his wife.

About the School: Moonlight Public School is a private school running in a building comprising of four floors. It is a co-ed school from Nursery to 8th grade.


The schools charges Rs. 400 monthly for each child and also for books and uniform. It doesn’t provide anything for free, except for tie-belt and refreshments on festivals. They motivate children to come and try to ensure there teachers give good education. The school gets over at 1 pm and then it offers tuition classes to students until 3:30 pm. This is also a motivation for parents to send their children as it offers a safe space for children while the parents are at work. We try to ensure that our teachers are accountable and give quality education. There are CCTV cameras to ensure orderliness.


All the children attending the school are from marginalised or minority communities and slums. Therefore the school doesn’t do anything separately for any group.

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It is because of parents’ irresponsible behavior. When parents don’t take their children’s education seriously or don’t put in the effort to make sure children go to school every morning, children tend to dropout.


Parents and children are interested in free provisions. If that’s offered, they will come

It will be easier for them to come to the centre / school if it’s in/ around the slum where children live as otherwise, travelling is difficult for children.

Another organization, FXB Suraksha used to give classes to children for two years and then enroll them in Moonlight public School by paying fees for the first year after which parents would pay. This encouraged many parents. Something like this can be replicated.

Mr. Rohtash also suggested that ACT can apply for getting the space in community’s baraat ghar. He suggested that ACT can put in place a guard and take care of maintenance and run classes occasionally there. His father had been the pradhaan of Naya Bans in the past and he can provide support to ACT’s application.


There are toilets on two-floors and provisions for water for children. There is a kitchen cum storage room for staff, along with a designated space for meetings. Classes were being held at the time of the visit. It was observed that a teacher had a stick in her hands in one of the classes indicating corporal punishment. On the staircase to first floor there was a huge pile of garbage.

4. Government School, Sector 15, NOIDA

Interview with Ms. Aparna Misra, Principal- Primary section and Ms. Laxmi, Principal- Junior section: Both of them are working in this school since 2015.

About the School: This is a school under the education department of Delhi government. It is running since year 2004. The school is big with 2 buildings and a field surrounded by a boundary wall. One building is the junior section for classes 1st to 5th standard and the other is for primary section, i.e. classes 6 to 8th.

The school spaces are clean and toilets in good condition. There is provision of safe drinking water.


a. School participates in survey of out of school children b. Organises “school chalo” (go to school) rallies in the community. 5 rallies were conducted last

year. c. Organises parents- teachers meetings


All children are provided with uniform (including sweater, shoes, socks), books and mid-day meals. Earlier scholarships were given to girls and to children belonging to families of scheduled tribes or scheduled castes. However, these benefits are not given now.

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Some children go their villages with their parents during festivals, mainly from raksha bandhan to chhatt puja. The school staff didn’t seem to find any difference in the drop-out rates of girls and boys.


a. If NGOs find out of school children, they can bring them to the school for admission.

b. The school can host events, e.g. sports day, cultural event, and awareness meetings.

Note: with regard to school admission the staff said that they ask for documents like transfer certificate from previous school, aadhaar card. If these are not available, the parents are asked to get an affidavit stating their particulars like address, children’s name, etc.

Government School, Sector – 15, Noida

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About NGOs working in and around slum area, sector 15 NOIDA

The survey team found 6 NGOs operating in and around the slum area in sector 15, NOIDA other than

ACT. The names of the NGOs are as follows:

1. Deepalaya

2. FXB

3. All India Development NOIDA

4. Sramjeevi

5. Max India Foundation

6. Bal Sanskar Shala

Most of them work with children through an activity centre.

Deepalaya runs a centre for girls only. FXB works or children and

also on issues of the slum community like health and cleanliness.

FXB also runs the Childline (1098), emergency helpline for

children in distress in this area.

All the NGOs combined would be reaching out to approximately 500 children. There are significant

number of children still out of school and out of any NGO programme. Children or adolescents working,

especially in the nearby motor market seem to be completely out of any intervention.

Despite working close to each other, these NGOs are working in their own zones and there is little or no

collaboration among them. The only example of collaboration found was between FXB and Max working

together on the issue of health in the community. Here is an opportunity for Act to initiate a joint initiative

of NGOs on an important issue related to vulnerable children.

Deepalaya Learning Centre in the slum

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Problem Analysis Focal Problem Through field visits and discussions with different stakeholders especially children themselves, it is realized that a large number of children living in the slum community are deprived of education and live in vulnerable conditions. Their vulnerability is increased multifold by extreme conditions in which the community is living.

Causes Some major causes behind children’s non-engagement in education and learning and their vulnerability are as follows, as came out during interactions with children and community members:

1. Poverty

Families in the slum live in extremely poor conditions with limited earnings, almost no employment opportunities other than low-paying jobs and large family sizes.

2. Lack of basic facilities like water, sanitation etc.

The slum doesn’t have basic necessities for minimum standard of living like drinking water, sanitation, drainage system etc. Moreover, the community is largely incapable of affording the same due to poverty. With lower level of awareness regarding proper sanitation and hygiene and no skills / knowledge among them to make their living conditions better, the community’s woes are further aggravated by lack of proper medical assistance nearby.

3. Children are not able to access school / learning opportunities by NGOs

Large number of children in the community stay out of school, either never enrolled or dropped out of schools. While lack of parental awareness with regard to importance of education is one reason for this, another reason is inaccessibility of schools for many children due to non-cooperative school authorities. Due to poverty, many parents are not able to send their children to schools and are also not aware of provisions in government schools and various services offered by NGOs in the community. There is also no space for children to engage in sports / play further keeping them away from age-appropriate activities essential for their growth.

Girls face increased challenges as in many cases, families don’t see the relevance of education for them and marry them off in adolescence itself.

4. Easy availability of drugs / alcohol

Drugs like ganja, substance and alcohol are very easily available to members in the community including children. With many members in families indulging in substance abuse and the same being available cheap and at doorstep, many children also get into its trap early in life. Further unemployed youths and adult get into drug peddling and spread the menace.

5. Girls are denied basic rights and have lesser opportunities

Girls in the community are subjected to discriminatory practices due to patriarchy and orthodox way of living. They are denied basic rights like education, sports, moving freely or choosing their life partner and thus, have lesser opportunities and more restrictions as compared to boys.

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Adolescent girls are also stigmatized for menstruating. During periods, they are kept away from not only temples in the slum, but even from their own kitchens at homes. Taboo around menstruation leads to unhygienic periods for them and they don’t even have proper system for disposing off pads.

Effects Some primary effects that the community faces due to the above mentioned are as below:

1. Poor living conditions

Due to extreme poverty, many children in the families engage in work either willingly or compelled by parents. While boys work in nearby dhabas, shops and eateries, girls work in houses as maids, doing domestic chores like washing utensils, cleaning etc. Due to lesser opportunities, all community members engage in low-paying jobs, thereby getting trapped in the vicious cycle.

2. Increased disease outbreaks and mortality rate

Due to poor health standards and unhygienic conditions in the slum, there are increased instances of disease outbreaks like dengue, malaria etc. and community also doesn’t have quality medical treatment. Hygiene and sanitation isn’t even prioritized by the local pradhan or other influential people in the slum.

3. Children stay without education

Due to parents’ ignorance about importance of education and also about available resources for children’s education, many children stay out of schools. In many families, older siblings are made to drop out to take care of their younger siblings when parents go out for work. In the absence of age-appropriate engagement of children, they get involved in thefts, stealing and begging in and around the slum. Many children end up in lockups and their parents have to pay heavy sums of money to get them out.

4. Substance abuse common among children and adults

Due to parental neglect, domestic violence or wrong company, children also get into substance abuse. It is also caused by it and further propels the abusive / violent environment in the community created by members themselves.

5. Girl child faces discrimination

Due to gender-based discriminatory practices followed by community members, girls are denied education and freedom in their day-to-day lives. They are married off early (before age of 18 years) and are also tortured for dowry in many cases. Eve-teasing and harassment is faced by girls regularly and more when they have to go out to the jungle to defecate in open. Unhygienic living conditions for menstruating girls and their stigmatization further makes it difficult for girls.

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Objective Analysis Desired Objective Through work with community and engagement with relevant stakeholders, the desired objective is that children live in safe environment and have access to education. The following means are required to achieve the same.

Means Means to achieve the desired objective are as follows:

1. Helping community find support / access to social schemes

With awareness among the adults and youths in the community regarding better employment opportunities and skill development programmes available around them, the issue of poverty can be tackled. Similarly the community needs to be educated on the available social security schemes for their upliftment. Family planning is another acritical area which needs to be discussed with the community members in order to have reasonably sized families where members are able to care for each other.

2. Availability of basic facilities like water, sanitation etc.

To make aware the basic facilities in the slum, the community needs to be made aware about various health issues and the facilities and services available near them. Discussions with community regarding sanitation and hygiene, aimed at finding local solutions to community’s problems will help. Also the community needs to be enabled with skills / knowledge to make their living conditions better and find solutions to their issues.

3. Children are able to access school / learning opportunities by NGOs

Parents’ awareness regarding importance of education needs to be raised; parents need to be supported in accessing government schools or other educational programmes which are affordable; parents need to be educated about equal rights of girls and about opportunities available for them; parents need to be made aware about the programmes offered by NGOs and other agencies in and around the slum. Along with this, it is also needed that school authorities are engaged with for facilitating admissions of children. Suitable spaces for children’s play need to be identified in and around the community.

4. Reduced availability of drugs / alcohol

Preventive and curative action needs to be taken by community / law enforcement agencies against sale of substances / illegal liquor in the community. Alongside, the community needs to be made aware about ill-effects of substance and resulting violence and abusive behaviour / environment.

5. Girls have basic rights and equal opportunities

Discussions need to be held with parents on gender and rights; community needs to be mobilized to address ever teasing and harassment of girls; both girls and boys need to be made aware and community sensitized regarding girls’ rights. There needs to be awareness about menstruation in the community so that girls are not stigmatized and have hygienic ways available for managing during periods along with proper disposal system for used pads. Toilets need to be made available for girls in homes/ community.

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Ends The means will result in:

1. Better living conditions

Parents will be able to engage in meaningful work and sustain their children’s growth. Community members will also have access to variety of and better paying jobs.

2. Reduced need for healthcare

With interventions necessary for better health, community will have reduced instances of diseases and illnesses, have sanitation condition improved, better drainage system and clean drinking water. Quality medical treatment will be available to the community and they will have the skills / knowledge to ensure that healthcare is prioritized by Pradhan / influential members of the community.

3. Children getting quality education

Families will find a way for elder siblings to pursue education or relevant vocational learning; children will be engaged in age-appropriate learning and play; and parents will be willing and able to send their children to school regularly.

4. Substance abuse eliminated / reduced among children and adults

With reduced / eliminated substance abuse, there will be reduction in domestic violence and violent behaviors / incidents in the community. With parents being aware of their children’s vulnerability to substances and its ill-effects, there will be more attention paid to children to keep them away from the same.

5. Girls get equal opportunities for growth

Girls will get education and freedom in their daily lives along with access to sanitation facilities. Aware parents will make better living conditions for menstruating girls and end of their stigmatization. Child marriages will be eliminated and with sensitization of community, boys and girls, there will be reduced / no eve teasing and harassment of girls in the community.

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Problem Analysis

Problem – a large number of children living in the slum community are deprived of education and

live in vulnerable conditions.

Desired outcome - children live in safe environment and have access to education.

Keeping in mind the availability of limited resources, this transformation needs planned and calculated interventions focusing on children’s safety and education. Based on what children feel their pressing issues are, and on discussions with various other stakeholders like parents, community members, schools, NGOs etc., the following is proposed:

This key interventions to be undertaken (means) to address each cause of the problem so that the desired ends are achieved, are stated as below:

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Recommendations for Aid for Child Trust (ACT)

1. Decide on the target population for the programme, preferably children who are out of school

residing in the slum community or working in the nearby motor market. The organization might

like to have separate strategies and activities for various age groups i.e. 0- 6 years, 6- 14 years and

14- 18 years. Special initiatives need to be taken for girl children.

2. Recruit committed, skilled and qualified staff (male and female) for running an effective

programme.

3. The new activity centre should be free from physical dangers to children, e.g. safe stairs, easy exit

in case of fire, clean toilets, etc. Adequate measures should be taken to make the space pest free

(prevention from hazards/ diseases from rats, cockroaches, snakes). There should be adequate

lighting and provision for safe drinking water. The centre needs to be made child-friendly and

equipped with educational materials like charts, pictures, etc.

4. There are spaces in the form of parks and community centre in the vicinity which can be used for

activities with children, especially sport and cultural activities. So, staff of ACT need to engage

with the concerned authorities to get access to these spaces.

5. It will be prudent to admit children in the government school (located nearby in Naya Bans, sector

15) because any child has a right to get admission in a government school. Also the school is

affordable, it has good infrastructure and provides a number of benefits like mid-day meal,

uniform, books, etc.

6. There is need to engage with parents on a regular basis to ensure that children continue

participating in ACT’s programme and also attend school. It is also crucial to educate them about

child rights and protection, break gender discrimination and create educational and

developmental opportunities for the girls.

7. There should be proper documentation/ record keeping for every child associated with ACT’s

programme. Daily attendance register, profile of each child and individual child care plan should

be made and updated regularly.

8. There should be a first aid kit in the centre and health education session should be organized for

children at least 2 times a month.

9. Like skills education is crucial part of development of any child. Therefore, LSE session should be

organized at least once a week on topics like communal harmony, respecting all genders, effective

communication, etc. It is important to use sports and cultural activities as tools to engage children

in education/ LSE and also to provide an opportunity for them to play or have fun. A children’s

meeting can be held every month which can give them a platform (forum) to share and discuss

their issues and find solutions with the help of the adults/ ACT. This will enable children’s

participation in the organization.

10. It would be important for ACT to take measures for addressing mental health issues of children.

A beginning can be in the form of training of staff on basic counselling skills and identifying mental

health issues faced by children. For obvious serious cases, it will be important to take the services

of recognized mental health hospital or agency, e.g. Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied

Sciences (IHBAS).

Needs Assessment in Slum Area, Sector 15,...

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