Sadhana as a resource centre: Sadhana has been recognized by both the government and the NGO sector as a key training resource. It has conducted orientation sessions on education and child rights for a number of teachers and NGO representatives and has developed bilingual subject and language primers in 2 Tribal dialects in addition to a handbook on child labour.

Child participation: Sadhana has formed Balala Sanghams at the school level with the objective of promoting children’s participation in the school process. Members of these sanghams and other stake holder  groups are oriented on child rights on an ongoing basis, Identity cards have been issued to members of the sanghams and suggestion boxes are introduced in some schools to elicit children’s feed back on school functioning. Consultations were also held with children and community groups at the mandal and regional levels on child rights, quality educatin,child participation and the role of community in protecting child rights.

Balamitra Kendram: Balamitra kendram was initially set up as apart of an endeavour to popularize science education in the mandal. The Balamitra kendram in Hathnoora has been acting as a nodal information centre for both children and adults from more than 10 villages. It currently has an average readership of 85. The Kendram also houses a wide range of physical equipment and a television in addition to news magazines and electronics and non-electronic literature. It is proposed to transform the Kendram into a resource centre on child rights,education, and child participation over time.

Migrant child labour intervention: Sadhana has taken 3 mobile bridge schools in Bidar district of Karnataka  to sustain migrant children’s interest in education and to ensure that they pursued their education after their return to home. Day bridge centres have been set up in some Government schools to prevent dropout by enhancing the quality of education imparted there and enhance the academic standards of children from linguistic minorities. An exhaustive database is along being maintained to track the socioeconomic status of migrant families.

Integrated Development/School sanitation: Sadhana addressed the issues of education. Basic healthcare,personal hygiene,provision of toilets and drinking water and construction/renovation of hand pumps and borewells under the integrated development and school sanitation projects initiated by UNICEF. In collaboration with Neighbourhood Leader’s Committees, Balamitra Sanghams and Balala Sanghams

Health and education monitoring charts, social maps and photo-graphics records are being maintained in villages covered under the Integrated Development Project. Improvement and maintenance of existing school infrastructure was accorded priority under this intervention. Individual micro plans were prepared in all villages under the School Sanitation Project in order to track the progress of the project.

Institution-Building: Based on the belief that no change is possible without community participation, Sadhana has promoted health committees, Neighbourhood Leader’s Committees, Village Development Committees tribal women’s,tribal youth groups and water,sanitation and education committees in the project area in order to prepare them to own up the organizational agenda in the long run. Capacity building exercises are periodically held for them at the mandal and district levels on child rights, child labour, education, migration, health and sanitation and the government’s responsibility towards education so that they are equipped to address these issues,

The Social education Activist: The Social Education Activist is a novel concept that evolved in response to the need for a grass roots level volunteer base against the back ground of sadhana’s decare long field experiences, Chosen on the basis of their Social Commitment,their knowledge of local conditions and the good will they are enjoyed among the local community. These activists are responsible for strengthening community groups capacities to address, developmental issues relating child rights, educatin health and governance.

Health Campaign: Sadhana has been generating awareness among community groups its project area especially women, on birth registration, immunization,infant and material mortality, breast feeding, supplementary nutrition. Reproductive health care and HIV/AIDS through meetings,cultural campaigns, and wall writings these groups have also been monitoring the functioning of public health institutions. The primary objective of this intervention is to ensure the basic right of the child to survival.

Networking and Advocacy: Networking and lobbying have been one of the sadhana’s foremost strengths, Sadhana has been associated with major national and state level networks such as Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) and Regional Development Forum (RDF). It has undertaken  a  number of campaigns to bring pressure upon the government for universalisation of primary education, quality education and protection of children’s rights.

Achievements

• 150 Gram panchayats in 8 mandals and Medak and Nizamabad districts covered under the intervention
• Nearly 35000 children monitored
• 75 villages of the project area freed from child labour
• Child membership of nearly 2000 accounted for by Balala Sanghams
• 500 youth activists involved in implementing the organizational agenda at the village level.
• 100 lambada youth and 100 tribal women implementing the organizational agenda at the village level
• 85 people utilize the services of the Balamitra kendram set up in collaboration with community groups in Hathnoora, every day.
• Bridge course material for all subjects developed up to the primary school level.
• Bilingual language primers developed in the Lambada and Koya dialects
• Representatives of 100 Ngos oriented on child rights, education and child labour.