Vision

A society that is just, peaceful and humane, and develops in a sustainable and equitable manner

Mission Statement

Centre for Development strives to work with the oppressed, exploited and deprived communities, inculcate values of equality, justice and fraternity and empower them through mobilization, education and advocacy networking.

Background

Centre for Development (CfD) was established in 1996, to address the issue of child labour slums of Ahmedabad city. It took sustained efforts of CfD to get these children back to school. This process deepened its understanding - there were no easy solutions to child labour; it is intricately linked to urban poverty, displacement and violence.                                          

CfD’s journey began with formal education for urban poor children to engaging with other rights issues as well as vulnerable groups along the way. The ambit of our work thus expanded to work with women, youth, and other critical stakeholders on issues like human rights, violence against women, peace and communal harmony through formation of three community based federations.

Goal

CfD’s goal is to work with vulnerable and marginalised groups of the community in urban and rural Gujarat and empower them holistically.

The strategies adopted are:

1. Initiate Education Centres for children to teach/coach and protect them under its Kadam Educational Initiative.
2. Enable women and youth to secure sustainable livelihood options.
3. Meaningful mutual engagements of youth from different religions for common good and lasting peace and harmony.
4. Community-led advocacy for basic human amenities and entitlements for welfare and development - focused on food security, shelter, and right to education.
5. Capacitate and organize urban slum dwellers for their rights and entitlements and make urban governance inclusive.

These holistic efforts are aimed at providing a safe and conducive environment for the groups to challenge and work around their vulnerabilities, thereby empowering themselves and creating their own identity in the society.

Programs

1. Education

CfD has two programs for providing education to the children who are out of school or in school but need support to continue their education and peripheral activities, respectively 1. Run Education Centres (ECs), where coaching and counselling is done on regular basis. 2. Sponsorship to the most needy children like orphan, single parent (mainly women headed family), special need.

Education centre: CfD has initiated Education Centres (ECs) in the urban settlements as an interim strategy to provide a crucial service. These are transient arrangements for labouring children to get educated until a time that the advocacy efforts by the community leaders results in the establishment of a school in the area. ECs are characterized by a joyful learning pedagogy, but follow the mainstream curriculum. Through this many children have been preventing from becoming child labourers or engage in anti-social activities.

Sponsorship program: CfD is facilitating the sponsorship program of OFFER and providing handholding support to around 300 orphan children across the Gujarat, mainly in Ahmedabad City. CfD is also providing financial support to orphan children for their education, health and professional courses along with carrier guidance and counselling.

Life skill education: Every child, adolescent boys and girls associated with any program of CfD, must have to attend life skill curriculum. This curriculum has been developed in years based on experiences. Curriculum is bifurcated in two parts, 1. For children below the age of 10 years and 2. For children above the age of 10 years up to 18 years. The curriculum is based on Non-violence and our seven strengths; Kindness, Belonging, Curiosity, Friendship, Courage, Confidence and Hope. 

2. Child Rights and Protection

Children and their rights are in the centre of CfD’s all programs. In all trainings, awareness events, celebrations and campaigns; CfD always gives try to take benefit by aware people with the rights of children and how to protect them for their best development.

Children’s Groups: CfD forms children’s groups in its all working areas and train them on their rights, entitlements and aware them with protection mechanism available for their safety. Around hundreds of children have been trained in rural and urban areas of Gujarat. Some of them now become elder and continue this education new generation voluntarily. In many villages these CGs become change agent for entire village and changed common spaces child friendly from vulnerable condition.

Child Help Desk: CfD has started Child Help Desk (CHD) with the support of Childline India Foundation (CIF) at Kalupur Railway Station in Ahmedabad. CHD is a collective program of Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Railways in collaboration of CIF. An average 30-35 children are rescue every month from Kalupur railway station, who need care and protection. These children reach here under various circumstances. From October 2016 to Janaury, 2019 total 650 children have been rescued.

3. Peace and Harmony

CfD has learned and proved that peace and reconciliation is possible. It effectively countered the politics of hatred at the micro-level with a message of peace and respect for diversity. All its efforts for peace building have upheld the basic premise that there can be no peace without justice.

By maintaining a multicultural and faith children, youth in the ECs, schools and colleges CfD has been able to break the longstanding segregation along communal lines. As a strategy to empower local community to sustain the intervention across the communities CfD has formed Jan Jagruti Samities (JJS) as part of its strategy, change through local community,  and provided education on Indian Constitution and its values. These people became change makers in their respective villages and areas to counter hate and promote peace and harmony.

4. Community led Action

CfD takes a community based approach to bring change in the life of the most marginalized ommunities by enabling them to demand their citizenship rights. Advocacy efforts are steered by two CBOs supported by CfD viz. the Ahmedabad Shaheri Yuva Manch (ASYUM – platform of urban youth) and Ekta Nari Sangathan (ENS – Women’s Unity Organization). ASYUM engages in inter-community dialogue and in collective action on issues pertaining to rights and entitlements while ENS has developed as a strong women’s organization that takes leadership on demands like basic amenities, dignified rehabilitation and violence against women.

The lasting impact of CfD’s effort has been in terms of building of local capacities and strong people’s institutions. The priority issue taken up for advocacy by both these CBOs is the establishment of ICDS Aanganwadis, schools, primary health centre and all basic amenities in the vicinity of these colonies, and also in the rehabilitation sites (JNNURM) that the state is building for the displaced families. Housing is emerging issue in the era of urbanization, CfD and CBOs have conducted studies with renowned institutes like CEPT University to understand the socio-economic effects on marginalised communities, which later produced policy papers for community for advocacy their rights and also became path way to city planners. 

5. Civil society engagement

CfD believes that to create more impact and change in society organizations and civil society have to come to common platform and act to solve the issues face by oppressed and poor country fellows.

Regard to this many individuals and groups have been sensitized and involved in activities of CfD, particularly with children, adolescent girls and youth. With the non-stopped and unconditional support from civil society CfD is able to provide education and nutrition food to more than 500 children. Through pasti (paper scrap) collection CfD reached to more than 100 houses, offices and commercial houses as its regular donors.

6. Livelihood and Entrepreneurship skill

Livelihood, more over sustainable livelihood is one of the biggest need of citizen without rural or urban, caste or class barriers. In the present scenario education is not sufficient to secure adequate income. The most vulnerable segment is school dropout youth. For various reasons many children drop the schooling and start working in informal sector. Considering this fact, CfD has started livelihood program for both types of youth, 1. School Dropout with working vocational skills 2. Without any vocational skills but completed minimum education level (Secondary level).

CfD has organized vocational training programs like Office Assistance, Home Care Taker, Driving cum Mechanic, Mobile Phone and Home Appliances repairing with entrepreneurship skill. CfD has also started production of cloth files and sanitary pads, wherein women are getting regular income.