A cluster meeting of P-3

Father Focus

The goal of Integrated Child Development Program-Shishuder Jonno project is all children of Meherpur will learn

and develop with their full potential. The activities of the project covers entire Meherpur district of which Gangni

and Mujibnagar Upazila are under PSKS operation. So, all the children and adolescents aging from 0-19 years in

Meherpur district get the holistic support project for their multidimensional development. The support includes

Early Childhood Care and Development including Early Stimulation, Basic Education, School Health &

Nutrition, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance and Community Mobilization. The project also provide

support to National Child Taskforce (NCTF) so that they can enhance Child Rights Governance (CRG) to ensure

child rights, security & protection. Palashipara Samaj Kallayan Samity (PSKS) becomes a partner of SCI from

January 2015 to implement the project in association with Govt. Primary Education and Secondary department,

Health, Social Welfare Department and Union Parishad closely to achieve the goal of the project. The program

has 5 Strategic objectives which together will achieve the goal.

Pregnancy to 3 years aged (Early Stimulation) About 1500 fathers of children aging from 0 to three years have been clustered in 100 clusters in four unions ( Gangni-2 and Mujibnagar-2) to raise awareness among them so that they their attitude to their children take care practicing early stimulation activities. They also aware their family members about early stimulation especially how it develops the brain of children. The awareness massages are also given through Govt. Community Clinics and through Voice Massage Broadcast to the father’s mobile number. Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)

In order to make 5+ years’ children ready to primary school, about 3922 children are attained pre-primary school to develop in a joyful environment with child development materials. No child will behind to attain grad one in primary school aged six (06) to accept formal education without afraid of alphabet knowledge. The development of the children will be at home thus the activity proposed parenting session. About 50% Pre-primary achieved 94% monthly attendance of 178 pre-primary schools in Gangni and Mujibnagar.

Basic Education (BE)

To ensure quality primary education of 6-12 years aged about 42450 of 215 primary schools’, Shishuder Jonno project supports in Reading & Math skill development, Reading Buddy Mentoring (Mini Library) and functionalization of SMC. Under the program, there is technical support to establish primary schools as models. To create joyful educational environment, Program supports with play materials, function a small library. In 2015 82% attendance was so far achieved by 76.27% primary schools out of 215 and 74% SMC are active. The program has community based 163 Literacy and Numeracy boost camps where 3634 children of grade one and two come in weekly session to develop reading and math skill. 82% child attendance target is achieved by average 25% camps. To continue the literacy development at home, program there is a monthly session of parenting.

Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) in primary education-

Information, Communication and Technology is one of the most relevant modality in primary education to

develop the children. Only 6 primary schools are under the ICT in primary education intervention. Program

thinks to more advent in the new fiscal year of the program.

School Health and Nutrition To create awareness among the children of primary and secondary level, the program helps with technical support to conduct health sessions in primary and secondary school. In community level for the children of 6-12 years has CBHE and CHOICE intervention to make aware about health and hygiene of puberty age. Out of 215 primary schools, program has provided 195 Fast Aid Kid Box with necessary logistics, 15841 children were covered vision screening and 968 children were found eye sight problem in pre-primary, primary and secondary school and the guardians were get awareness to take treatment. There are 6 water treatment plant were installed in community for pure drinking water of the children in arsenic prone area. The program supported to the primary and secondary schools with 18 low cost latrines and 18 Deep tube-wells. Adolescent Development (AD) There are 47 Adolescent Development Centers in Gangni and Mujibnagar with 952 adolescents where they will express their opinion and sharing environment for their positive development. The centers are supported with different books for gathering knowledge and sports materials. The members sit for a weekly meeting. Moreover, there are 40 ASRH peer groups with 430 adolescents. The group also sits weekly session on the discussion on issues of adolescents’ health and hygiene. And with 374 adolescent, there are 26 Financial Literacy Peer Group in a view to skill development of income generating activities and savings for the livelihood. 50 adolescents are receiving different livelihood training from the program. Child Protection (CP) Shishuder Jonno Program commits to ensure child security and protection. In order to abolish corporeal punishment, 536 primary school teachers received positive discipline training from the program. Child marriage is a social curse. In order to fight against child marriage, 13 Fathers Gathering were held in secondary schools, 4 mass gathering, upazila based 2 gathers of potential grooms and local leaders and 13 meetings held against child marriage UP Women and Children Standing Committee. 13 drama shows were held in community on child protection, 4 awareness raising drama and gathering were held in birth registration, to create local leadership to protect child marriage, in community, 13 awareness meetings were held with local elites and union parishad women and child standing committee. To protect child security besides road side schools, 5 boundary walls is being built under the project. 22. Child Rights Governance (CRG) ICDP-SJ Project supports National Child Taskforce with different kind of technical assistance and knowledge sharing through monthly and weekly meeting, training of child reporting, newsletter publication and national level advocacy etc. Through program activities, the local government agencies such UP and Upazila Porishad have been involved to gear up NCTF activities. 23. Community Mobilization (CM)

ICDP-SJ project has Community Mobilization as a cross-cutting intervention in order to involve the community in program activities in order to achieve the goal. In this purposes, there are 360 Community Core Group (CCG) of 1780 people in Mujibnagar and Gangni who are being capacitated through technical so that they can establish their groups stand as a community based organization (CBO.). There is a CCG for every 250 households. Each of the CCG has an activity plan that reflects in order to gear up pre-primary education, primary education, child marriage prevention, child protection and other child development works initiated by the project. The CCGs sites a meeting every two months for regular update of the Activity Plan progress. Day observation, Annual Gathering and other social development activities are in action plan of the CCGs. Resource Pool training, SMSC-CCG linkage development training and other capacity development training and logistics support provided by the program.