Rotary India Literacy Mission

Child Development

The Child Development Program

Child Development program of RILM also known as Asha Kiran aims to bring/send back out-of-school children to schools. Under this program children from socially and economically disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, who have never been enrolled at any school or have dropped out from school (or irregular in school), or laggard children are mainstreamed ensuring their retention in schools after required grooming. The objective is to facilitate these children’s access to mainstream state funded primary/elementary schools.

Achievement: RILM under its flagship program Asha Kiran, have successfully enrolled 50,541 out-of-school children into the program from across 15 states through 34 NGOs.

Who Are Asha Kiran Children?

Children between age group 7 to 14 years, who

have never been to school
are not attending school but nominally enrolled, irregular, laggard or absent for more than 45 days without informing the school

PRIORITIES TO BE GIVEN TO FOLLOWING SOCIALLY VULNERABLE GROUPS :

Children from socially and economically disadvantaged and vulnerable communities like children of migrant workers, victims of child labour practices, tribal communities and children in need of care and protection etc.

Asha Kiran Implementation

Through Asha Kiran program RILM reached out to remote rural areas of different states including Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal where children from socially and economically weaker sections were involved. A large number of children helped from scheduled tribes and scheduled castes, Brick Kiln communities whose parents were mostly involved as daily labourers and some were marginal farmers. RILM has also reached out to urban slums of Patna, Chandigarh, Ujjain, Udaipur and Jaipur among other such areas to work with the inter-state migrant children despite of major challenges associated.

Children who were out of schools for long period were brought back to the intermediary centers and were eventually sent back to government schools. In order to ensure this, RILM along with its implementing partner NGOs, got involved with parents, community at large, teachers and officials from education department to inculcate responsibilities of each stakeholder in ensuring the children’s education. RILM is also grateful to one of its most crucial stakeholders – Rotarians from across the country who have shown much enthusiasm and participation in the program by sponsoring children under Asha Kiran program.

Program Implementation

Proposals are invited from NGOs working in the field of child education and mainstreaming out-of-school children by placing an advertisement on social development sector websites or through referrals made by Rotarians or network partners
NGOs are shortlisted after the process of desk appraisal of proposals received
Field Appraisal of shortlisted NGOs are to be facilitated by NCM. Presence of Rotarian is desirable. Presence of RILM Office Staff / Executive is mandatory
National Committee (Child Development) approval of NGO is required before signing of MoU
The selected NGOs are requested to prepare profiles of the children in stipulated format
RILM Office & NGO organizes a child screening process. RILM Office is responsible for child screening. Presence of Rotary is desirable
The partner NGO uploads the data of approved children on the RILM website. RILM staff cross checks the data before disbursal of funds
Every donor is tagged with number of Asha Kiran Children he/she has sponsored and can track the progress of the children by logging into www.rotaryteach.org. The total list of children under the program is available at the website; however for children whose identity is to be protected, the pictures are not uploaded

Role of NGO in the Asha Kiran Program

Identify out of school children as per Asha Kiran criteria
Fill up the child profile format prior to the child approval process
Upload the child profiles on the RILM website
After the MoU is signed and all formalities are completed, the NGO will have to run an intermediary centre called the "Asha Kiran Centre"
The NGO is expected to conduct daily classes for these children and provide them with the educational support along with the following :
- Motivate the children at the centres to attend classes at Asha Kirancentres regularly
- Enrol the children in state funded schools and motivate them to keep regular attendance and monitor their attendance
- Community mobilization of the parents and other stakeholders to send the children to school
- Make learning interesting and attractive at the Asha Kiran Centres
- Ensuring children achieve learning levels commensurate to their age and class
- Maintain a progress report of every child in a pre-determined format suggested by RILM
- Uploading monthly MIS on www.rotaryteach.org
- Submission of quarterly program & finance report to RILM
- Submission of original, signed, mainstreaming certificates to RILM
- Submission of project completion report and fund utilization certificate to RILM